Brown belt · Control · Core
Saddle (inside sankaku) control: breaking the knee line
The saddle traps one of their legs between yours with your feet locked on their far hip. Use it to pin the knee past your hips before you ever reach for a heel.
Step by step
- Their attacked leg sits between your thighs. Your inside leg runs between their legs, your outside leg crosses over their hip.
- Lock your feet on their far hip side and pinch your knees together on their thigh, just above the knee.
- Scoot your hips toward their butt until their knee is clearly past your hip line. That's the knee line broken.
- Pin their far leg: your bottom foot pushes it away, or your hand blocks it, so they can't step over or kick your locked feet apart.
- Hug their attacked leg to your chest and start the hand fight for the heel. Don't grip the heel until the knee is pinned.
Details that make it work
- Hips close, knees tight. Space between your hips and their butt is how they slide their knee out.
- Their far leg is the escape tool. Manage it first.
Common mistakes
- Grabbing the heel while their knee is still free.
- Locking your feet so loosely that one kick opens the triangle.
Drill it
Positional: start in the saddle, partner tries to clear their knee. No submissions. 4 × 1 min, switch roles.
If it fails, or what comes next
- Inside heel hook from the saddle Submission · Leg entangle
- Straight ankle lock Submission · Leg entangle
Set it up from
How to defend it
Leg lock defense from the saddle: hand fight & escape: The escape sequence when they have you in the saddle: hands, then triangle, then knee. Use it the instant they lock the saddle, and tap if the heel grip is…
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