Leg locks are powerful. However, not many grapplers know how to set them up appropriately. As a result, they’re incapable of getting their opponents to submit and win fights. My goal with this article is to change that. To do so, we must first understand the Ashi Garami position and why it’s helpful.
The Ashi Garami is a pre-leg lock position that allows you to control your opponent. First, you’ll need to grip the opponent’s ankle (same side grip) while placing one foot on the opponent’s hips and the other between his legs. The final step is to pinch your knees together, locking his leg and gaining control.
What’s so attractive about the Ashi Garami is that it allows you plenty of control. And as you know, BJJ is all about control. You might also know that grappling is all about maneuverability, which means you must exert as much pressure over the opponent.
If you’re successful in that—you’ll win more fights and get more results from your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu journey. And that’s what counts.
So this article will break the Ashi Garami position down. It’ll also cover common mistakes novice and advanced grapplers make when they learn this position. The goal here is to save you time by giving you the answers.
So buckle up. We’re up for a bumpy ride.
What is the Ashi Garami position?
Leg locks are a primary part of Jiu-Jitsu. Upper body submissions, such as the Guillotine Choke, Triangle Choke, and Kimura—are exceptionally effective. However, the Kneebar, Heel Hook, and Toe Hold, which are leg locks (lower body submissions), can be more effective.
But first, let’s examine how you can start setting up lower-body submissions and threaten your opponents with them.
The Ashi Garami is the cornerstone leg lock position. You can transition to all the other positions, such as Saddle, Outside Ashi, and 50/50 from the Ashi Garami. It’s a position that allows you to set up leg locks and gives you plenty of options, such as setting up a leg lock or transitioning to another dominant position.
Follow this link to learn more about the best leg lock positions, including 50/50, Game Over, and Honey Hole.
Anyways, the Ashi Garami is the position you want to learn first. Then, it’ll allow you to build a solid foundation in the future of your leg lock game and skyrocket your grappling skills.
By the way, it’ll be best to learn the Ashi Garami and the Ankle Lock first, as they’re both cornerstone techniques that all the others rely upon. Therefore, knowing them will allow you to shorten the learning time for all the other methods.
How to Ashi Garami (The right way)
This part will be all about the execution, perhaps the most crucial part here. If you’re familiar with the theory behind the Ashi Garami but can’t execute it correctly, what’s the point? So here’s how to perform it:
You want to start in a sitting position to perform the Ashi Garami. You then grab the opponent’s ankle with your opposite hand (same side grip.) Next, you place one foot on the opponent’s hips and the other between his legs. Finally, you pinch your legs hard while maintaining your ankle grip.
Pretty straightforward. However, there’s one more thing you should know about this position.
You can transition to all the leg lock positions from it. You can see which are the best ones by following this link. Anyways, you can maneuver yourself from one position to another by mastering the Ashi Garami.
That’s why it’s worth learning first, as all the others are built on it. You’ll shorten your learning time and become a much better grappler as a consequence of that.
The following video showcases the Ashi execution when your opponent is standing. But, of course, you can also perform it when the opponent is in his guard.
Ashi Garami Variations
This part of the article will be about Ashi Garami’s variations. Eventually, you want to familiarize yourself with all of these, as you should strive to be as dynamic as possible.
Knowing more will give you an advantage over the other grapplers. It’ll also help you have more options to transition to, making you more unexpected and likely to win more fights.
This is why I recommend familiarizing yourself with each of the following variations and not learning them all simultaneously. Rather, learn them one by one until muscle memory kicks in. You’ll shorten your learning time if you go about it in such a manner.
So let’s dive into the first one.
Outside Ashi
The first variant is the Outside Ashi. This one is, perhaps, the easiest one to transition to from the standard Ashi. You’ll be able to learn it quickly, as it’s pretty simple to understand. This is why you want to learn it as your second BJJ pre-leg lock position. So here’s how to Outside Ashi:
You first start in the Standard Ashi Garami position. Then, you loosen up your leg pinch, bring the leg between the opponent’s legs, and place it on the other one (where your first foot is.) It’ll be best to lock your ankles to get more control.
50/50
The following variant we’ll look at is 50/50. This is one of BJJ’s most popular leg lock positions since you can attack using many submissions from it. You can threaten many offensive moves, giving you the advantage in the fight, as BJJ is all about control.
You want to start in the Ashi Garami to transition into the 50/50 position. You then want to switch your grip for a cross-side grip. Finally, like the Outside Ashi, you want to place the leg between the opponent’s legs on your other foot and lock. You’re now in the 50/50 position.
Follow this link if you want to learn about cross-side and same-side grips.
Saddle
The last variant we’ll cover is the Saddle position. This is also a fairly popular one, as many grapplers find it relatively easy to attack from it. You’ll also be able to learn it quickly, like the 50/50 and Outside Ashi.
Start in the Ashi Garami position to transition into the Saddle position in BJJ. The next step will be to switch your grip to the cross side and bring your outside leg to the inside. Finally, you underhook the opponent’s leg while locking a Triangle with your legs. You’re now in the Saddle position.
Notice how all the variants begin with you being in the Ashi Garami position. That’s why I told you that you should learn it first; look at the number of opportunities you have by knowing how to get into this cornerstone position.
What’s the difference between 50/50 and Ashi Garami?
The difference between the 50/50 and Ashi Garami is that the first utilizes a cross-grip and the other same-side grip. Another difference is your leg placement. In the 50/50, your legs will be on the inside while you lock a triangle between them. The Ashi Garami uses one leg on the inside and one on the outside.
What’s the difference between Cross Ashi and Outside Ashi
While Outside Ashi uses a same-side grip, Cross Ashi uses a cross-side grip. Another difference between the two is your leg placement; in the Outside Ashi position, both your legs will be on the outside. On the other hand, your legs will lock the opponent’s legs from the inside.
Best submissions (leg locks) from Ashi Garami
Attacking from the Ashi Garami isn’t as complicated as many trainees first think. However, you want to start learning submissions right after you become comfortable with the standard Ashi.
This part will be about offensive moves you can go for from this cornerstone position. Learning all of them will help you become more comfortable with being on the offensive, thus, making you a far better grappler.
So let’s dive in.
Straight Ankle Lock
The Straight Ankle Lock is one of BJJ’s simplest leg locks. White belts can use as well, making it more attractive in the lower levels. So here’s how you perform it:
You want to start in the Ashi Garami position. Then, you want to lock the opponent’s ankle by locking it. To lock it, you bring both your hands and get a tight grip between them. The last step is to lean on your shoulder (and not on your elbow) and squeeze—then wait for the tap.
This is the simplest variation of the Straight Ankle Lock from Ashi Garami. You can complicate it to make it more effective eventually. Here’s how you complicate it:
Kneebar
The Kneebar is one of BJJ’s most popular leg locks. It’s as widespread as it is because it’s exceptionally effective. Unfortunately, you can cause so much damage with it that you might hurt your opponent if you’re not careful. It’ll be best if you’re more cautious when applying pressure.
The primary guideline with the Kneebar is to isolate the opponent’s leg and then hyperextend the knee. You can cause a lot of pressure if you perform it correctly.
Follow this link to learn how to perform the Kneebar perfectly!
Heel Hook
The Heel Hook is an exceptionally effective submission you can go for from the Ashi position. It creates immense pressure on the opponent’s heel, forcing him to tap out.
If you want to learn everything about the Heel Hook and how to perform it flawlessly, follow this link.
You want to start in the Ashi Garami position and isolate the opponent’s heel. You do so by separating and locking the heel. You can go about it in many ways, and here’s one of my favorites:
Final words
This has been the Ashi Garami position, one of BJJ’s most practical and useful ones. You’ll skyrocket your leg lock game if you learn to use it while transitioning to all the other variants, such as the Saddle and the 50/50.
I encourage you to keep learning about these pre-leg lock positions, as they’ll help you set them up more often and give you the advantage going forward. In addition, you’ll be able to cause immense pressure if you learn to attack with the Ashi, as you can go for many submissions, such as the Kneebar, Toe Hold, and Heel Hook.
You’d also enjoy reading about the best leg lock positions if you enjoyed reading this article. So give it a read to keep expanding your knowledge!