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Heel Hook

One of the most dangerous and misapplied of all joint locks.  Through out the grappling world the Heel Hook conjures up grave concerns and fears.  This fear is well placed. Many grapplers (along with many athletes) have had serious knee injuries.   Thus anything attacking these already weak knees can be very disturbing.  The mechanics of the heel hooks also make the knee quite vulnerable.  The hook attacks the outside collateral ligament.  This ligament is easily torn.  The ACL can also be injured by this hold.  So the target of the hold is very vulnerable.  To exacerbate this fact; the technique is often mis-applied leading to injury.  Below is the picture of the anatomy of the human knee.  I'm not a doctor (I just play one on T.V.) so I won't try to tell you what to do if you are hurt but I can explain why people are often hurt by this technique.

Generally the problem comes from an incorrect entry that does not give Tori the proper level of control to effectively apply the lock.  As with any leg lock the heel hook requires that you have complete control over your opponent's body.  You must isolate, weaken and overwhelm.  While it does not require much strength to tear the knee it requires a great amount of power to control your opponent so that you can gain the submission with out injury.  Now to the few idiots out there for whom injuring an opponents is not a concern or for those who have to fight those mindless jackasses who won't tap and deserve to have their knees ripped out; you still need to perform this lock with control. 

Often when applied incorrectly this lock will cause injury with out gaining a tap.  I'm sure most of you have seen a tournament or match where a guy looks caught in a heel hook only to escape.  Of course later that same escapee may be injured and out of action for a while.  Some will point to this and say well the guy really had guts and toughed it out.  That maybe the case but more then likely the guy doesn't even know how injured he was and the act of injuring him is what threw him out of the lock.  This very thing happened to me in a match.  My opponent got as leg lock and cranked with out control.  I felt a pop and some pain; but I was able to get free and was in no more danger.  less then one minute later I got a front choke and won the match.  The next couple of weeks were spent nursing a sprained knee (I was lucky).

If the move would have been applied correctly I would not have been injured and my opponent would have one the match.  Not everyone would have made the trade in my position; but certainly my opponent would have rather had won the match.

Here is an example of the lock being applied incorrectly. 

You will note that while the leg is in a position to be cranked on there is little or no control over the body.  Performed in this matter the Uke could injure himself even if Tori has no malice.  If use tries to escape by rolling out of the lock the wrong way he will rip his own knee with no effort on Tori's part.  A key sign that the lock is misapplied if if it requires a great amount of arm movement.

When performed correctly the heel hook require little or no arm movement.   The power for the lock should come from the hips and a twisting motion.  This way there is no pop and escape.  The body is controlled so Uke can't hurt himself by doing something stupid. 

One other point is that is injury is your goal i.e. a self defense situation you will want to use the hips and twist to turn the lock on.  The power available here will not sprain the knee; it will destroy it.

The Heel Hook is available from many positions.  It can even be applied to a standing opponent.  The key is control, control, control.  You must have the leg isolated, weaken and you need to be able to bring overwhelming power.	Note in the above picture.  Uke is unable to move.  His leg is behind and to the out side of his body.  It is turned in several ways as his body destroying the natural lines and power of his body.   From here he can not roll, squirm or straighten his leg.  Where I'm still free to stand, twist or lean back.	You should be holding the leg tight and controlled to the body.  Note there is no daylight between his foot and my body and arm.   My hips are forward and controlling his foot.  I'm is a powerful, natural position and he's twisted and weak.  Beautiful.
In all three images you will note that Tori is controlling the leg above the knee.  Uke leg an body have been turned and weakened.  Uke is controlled from rolling and is frozen in place.  The heel is hooked with the forearm.   Turning the blades into the ankle (just under the ankle bone). Hands are clasped and pulled close to the body.  Note that the hands are in front of the chest in a controlled position.  Not reaching back.  From here the lock can be applied by driving the hips up and twisting.  About 2 inches and 20 pounds of pressure can cause injury.  From here you have 12 to 18 inches of movement and 500 pounds of pressure to use.  And it can be applied as quickly or slowly as desired.

The Heel Hook is a wonderful submission.  Capable of being applied from nearly any angle, at any time.  It is the most common of the twisting knee holds.  Such holds are an absolute necessity in the fighters arsenal.  No two ways about it.   However you must always respect the dangers such holds pose for you and your training partners.  Learn the principles well and practice them often and precisely.   Take the time to make this lock functional and safe.  You be glad you did.