Question born out of pure ignorance about attacking a leg

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Hubris Rex

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Okay, I hope I can get this to make sense, apologies for poor grammar and tragic amount of run on sentences. But, I literally know zero about the technical details of this.

So, in those fights were one guy is on the ground (he got rocked, or slipped, etc) and his legs are in that sort of 'I'm gonna up kick you' position, and the other dude isn't jumping on him but sort of wading in there and pushing his legs around (really sorry, but I can't think of a specific example but I know I've seen it) why doesn't he just grab his leg and uhmmm you know, ju jitsu it?

I just feel like I've seen this a lot, and I'm always confused because they seem quite vulnerable in that position.

The only thing I can think of is the dude standing up doesn't know how to 'jits' his leg or that kind of attack is really risky...or I need to drink less when watching UFC.

Thanks in advance for any responses.
 
Why doesn't he just "'jits' his leg"? Do you even train? :icon_neut

Edit: Okay, i'll give you a somewhat serious answer. Guard passing isn't easy, especially when you're sweaty and having to be wary of upkicks. Chances are that if a fighter is happy to lay on his back tempting the other guy to engage with his guard he probably has a good guard, so the risk/reward balance of engaging a guy with a good guard or waiting for the referee is heavily favored to the latter rather than the former.
 
Last edited:
Einarr said:
Why doesn't he just "'jits' his leg"? Do you even train? :icon_neut
Click to expand...

Nope, I probably would have asked the guy training me, lol. I get most of my info from Joe Rogan's commentary and you guys.

Okay, why doesn't he kneebar? heel hook? can't think of another one...
 
Hubris Rex said:
Okay, I hope I can get this to make sense, apologies for poor grammar and tragic amount of run on sentences. But, I literally know zero about the technical details of this.

So, in those fights were one guy is on the ground (he got rocked, or slipped, etc) and his legs are in that sort of 'I'm gonna up kick you' position, and the other dude isn't jumping on him but sort of wading in there and pushing his legs around (really sorry, but I can't think of a specific example but I know I've seen it) why doesn't he just grab his leg and uhmmm you know, ju jitsu it?

I just feel like I've seen this a lot, and I'm always confused because they seem quite vulnerable in that position.

The only thing I can think of is the dude standing up doesn't know how to 'jits' his leg or that kind of attack is really risky...or I need to drink less when watching UFC.

Thanks in advance for any responses.
Click to expand...

Just spitballing here, but it's because the guy on the ground has two legs. You grab one of his feet, he blasts you in the chin with the other one, and then when he's doing his post-fight victory interview you're on the canvas picking up chicklets.
 
Because in mma it's not good to end up on bottom. Many people believe if you fail to "jitz the leg", then they'll always wind up on top of you and can then beat your face to a bloody pulp. Also, the addition of someone being able to kick you with the free leg would make it more difficult to get that initial grip I'd believe.
 
Hubris Rex said:
Nope, I probably would have asked the guy training me, lol. I get most of my info from Joe Rogan's commentary and you guys.

Okay, why doesn't he kneebar? heel hook? can't think of another one...
Click to expand...

Standing against someone's open guard is not a position where either or those submissions are available. The best bet would be either an ankle lock or a toe hold, but you'd have to do something to deal with the other leg, otherwise you're getting kicked in the mouth.
 
Hubris Rex said:
Nope, I probably would have asked the guy training me, lol. I get most of my info from Joe Rogan's commentary and you guys.

Okay, why doesn't he kneebar? heel hook? can't think of another one...
Click to expand...

Grabbing a leg and falling back for a leglock is a high risk/high reward tactic. Watch Ken Shamrock's fights and see how many times he ends up in a bad position from doing just what you're suggesting, even Toquinho sometimes loses position going for his signature heelhook. Besides, most jiujiteiros who aren't leglock specialists would be looking for the pass and to secure side control (from where you can strike effectively, control your opponent and apply submissions) rather than the leglock. And if the guy feels he has a worse chance on the ground than he does standing he won't want to engage on the ground anyway.
 
Cool, thank you for all the replies. I didn't think about the dangers of getting kicked in the grill with the other leg. I've never been in a fight or any sort of physical competition (I'm a librarian, we tend to be a docile lot.)

And I'm guessing 'jitz-ing the leg' isn't technical term. I've been thinking about trying to train and I guess telling them I want to learn to jitz legs probably wouldn't translate well, lol.

Anyways, thanks again, your knowledge is appreciated.
 
Hubris Rex said:
Cool, thank you for all the replies. I didn't think about the dangers of getting kicked in the grill with the other leg. I've never been in a fight or any sort of physical competition (I'm a librarian, we tend to be a docile lot.)

And I'm guessing 'jitz-ing the leg' isn't technical term. I've been thinking about trying to train and I guess telling them I want to learn to jitz legs probably wouldn't translate well, lol.

Anyways, thanks again, your knowledge is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Is the word "attack" not in your vocabulary? (i.e. "why doesn't he attack the leg?")
 
Hubris Rex said:
Is that what went down v. Belcher?
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Yeah, Belcher turned out of the heel-hook and got into Palhares guard (Palhares lost position, ending up on his back) and ground and pounded him, although Palhares attacked the heel-hook off of a Twister attempt not from Belcher's guard.
 
It's a very viable option, no less viable than going for an armbar from side control. There are some good examples of guys who'll immediately go for leglocks whenever they're on top, including Masakazu Imanari.
 
Just falling back for an leglock like that typically requires an element of surprise. If you just grab is ankle and fall back the opponent will defend it very easily and end up on top. Safer to stay on top, land a few punches and look for the pass.
 
to jiu-jistsu [to joo-jit-soo] verb

the new f12 catchphrase
 
Can I use jiujitsu in the following context?

"Israeli solders jujitsued the Palestinians with rockets".
 
Hubris Rex said:
Nope, I probably would have asked the guy training me, lol. I get most of my info from Joe Rogan's commentary and you guys.

Okay, why doesn't he kneebar? heel hook? can't think of another one...
Click to expand...

Because you're giving up top position to try those moves, and that's often a bad idea in an MMA fight. Plus, once you start a scramble on the ground you're giving up a lot of positional control. It's a much safer strategy to try and enter the guard in an advantageous way to punch the guy out.

And keep in mind, it's not like if I get a hold of your leg the fight's done. Leg locks can be defended very effectively, especially in MMA where you can punch the guy trying to throw on the lock. Frankly, since he can kick you, getting a grip on the leg in the first place is pretty challenging. It's just not a good risk/reward situation, even if your name is Paul Harris.
 
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