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Leg Entanglement

Sources and other names

Also called: ashi, ashi garami, entangle, entangled legs, entanglement, foot-entanglement

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7 gi · 24 no-gi

Start with the example · Attacking the legs

Leg entanglement is the umbrella name for the ashi garami family: positions where you wrap your legs around one of theirs and attach at two points. Before it's a submission, it's a pin played from underneath — you've taken one of their legs out of the game.

The chapter

The order is not negotiable: control first, lock second. Grabbing a foot without owning the position is how you get your grips stripped and your guard passed in the same motion.

One entanglement carries a whole menu, which is why the position is worth more than any single lock — the same wrap threatens the ankle, the heel, and the knee depending on what they give.

Attacking the legs

The fight is for inside position and a two-point attachment — ankle and hip. Get that and the locks queue up on their own; skip it and every catch slips away.

1Win inside position, attach ankle and hip
Get your legs inside theirs and connect to the leg at two points — the ankle in your hands or armpit, your legs wrapped to their hip so their upper leg sits in your lap.
WhenThe moment they post a foot in range or leave a leg between yours. Outside their legs you're neutral; inside, the entanglement is simply there.
2Straight foot lock first
From outside ashi — both your legs outside theirs — trap the ankle in your armpit, cross your feet, and lock the foot down. The break comes from flaring your knees, not from pulling with your arms.
WhenTheir foot is trapped but the heel isn't exposed yet. The straight attack on the foot is the one that's usually just there.
3Heel hook when the heel shows
Step over behind their knee to close the entanglement, expose the heel, and catch it with your forearm — feet on their hips so your whole body does the turning.
WhenTheir heel peels free — off the mat, or turning as they try to pull the knee out. Heel exposure plus feet on the hips is the trigger.
4Switch locks when they defend
Every defense to the first lock feeds a second one: when the primary foot goes slack, swap to the Aoki, or sit up and collect the Achilles of their other leg for z-lock and knee bar pressure.
WhenThey key the heel out or start freeing the primary foot. Don't chase the lost grip — the secondary leg and the secondary lock are the answer.

Also worth knowing

Lift and sweep to the topWhenThey step a foot to your hip mid-pass — elevate and throw the leg over; the entanglement is a sweep before it's a lock.
Take the back when they turn awayWhenThey turn away to hide the heel — go straight to the back, feet out of the middle.
Arm drag their defending handWhenThey reach down and grab your ankle to strip the position — the reaching arm is the drag.

Why you keep failing here

“I get the position, but they always slip out before I can finish.”
WhyYou're only pushing. A connection without both push and pull has no tension, and a leg held without tension slides free.
FixPush and pull on their body at the same time, and keep that tension through every grip adjustment instead of resetting between attempts.
“They pull their knee out of my entanglement every single time.”
WhyYour own hips are parked. When their hip moves and yours can't answer, the attachment stretches and the knee slides through the gap.
FixKeep your hips free and follow their movement — the wrap only holds while your hips can chase theirs.
“I catch feet all the time and finish none of them.”
WhyLoose connection. Attacking the foot before your knees are tight to their leg means your arms are doing all the braking alone.
FixClose the connection first, then flare your knees to finish — the power comes from your legs, not the squeeze of your arms.