The kneebar is the king of lower body attacks – it utilizes the leverage of your entire body against the singular joint AND there are hundreds of ways to set it up! The large number of entries and setups can be intimidating to a Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner taking his first steps into the world of leglocking. Especially when taking into account the fact of how many ways you can hit the kneebar. Regardless if you are on top, are on bottom, in a good position, in a bad position, or in a wild scramble – the kneebar is likely available IF you are looking for it. As an added bonus even if you don’t end up with a successful knee bar submission the act of this attack often lands you on top and in a great position to pass the guard.
As an introduction into the world of leglocking let’s examine the Rolling Kneebar Submission from the bottom turtle position. This is a great technique to add to your arsenal because it presents a constant submission threat to your opponent when you are in a bad position. Let’s consider the movements necessary to execute this technique. We will start by assuming our opponent’s left leg is between our legs.
1. Roll over your right shoulder
2. Grab his left inner thigh with your right hand
3. Kick your left leg hard into his left armpit
4. Finish on your left side with his left leg trapped between your legs
This video illustrates the technique executed from a standing position:
There you have the rolling kneebar! For tips on finishing this or any kneebar check out this article from a few months back: spotlight on technique: kneebar