Leg Locks for Self Defense

I like to imagine a few of the types of folks read that title. There’s the social media commentator who didn’t read this far jumping up from his couch to yell iD JusT pUNch hiM iN ThE FAcE!!! Gotta love those folks, they have prob never punched anyone. There’s definitely some lanky kid in unicorn spats who can tie himself in a knot thinking I’m going to justify his disregard of the top game and unwillingness to lift weights. There may even be an old school black belt who would actually PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE thinking I’m about to spill some sacrilege.

But no, I wont point out the myriad of times legs locks have been used in professional fight sports to win when punching the face is strongly encouraged. Or counter with the number of times said face punching or simply not quitting with a broken leg won the day. Not to mention the poor choice of losing control of hands in a weapons based environment, although for some reason collar ties don’t seem to draw as much ire.

What I do want to say with my click bait title is this. The main causes of death according to the CDC isn’t getting “kilt in da streets” , its heart disease followed closely by cancer and then accidents. I mean I don’t even see inverted guard on the list!

There is a tendency to want the very best answer to a question, the fastest route, the most efficient use of time. There’s nothing wrong with that, I want that too. But I don’t want to lose the big picture. If you don’t work a job, have a lifestyle, or live in a place that puts you in contact with criminals on a regular basis its is magnitudes more important that you stay healthy and don’t crash your car than anything else. Its not even close.

So, if you want to spend a year learning how to most efficiently destroy the ACL, or take some time to learn what all that upside down stuff is about, go for it! The important part is, and will always be, that we stay active. Stay engaged. Keep learning. Keep moving. Time on the mat is time well spent. If you get in a fight, just don’t forget where you are.

Here’s a guy most well known for his leg locks in MMA