Move of the Day
Inside Sankaku from Leg Pummel
Pummel inside, lock the saddle, and choose heel exposure without diving at feet.
Inside sankaku (saddle / 411) is a control, not a heel-hook button. From a standing or ground entanglement, you pummel your inside knee through, lock a triangle on their near leg, and only then decide: outside heel, kneebar, or back-take. Brown and black belts get hurt when they skip the control and hunt the foot.
The steps
- 01From half butterfly or a failed pass, pummel your inside knee across their far thigh.
- 02Sit through so your hips face their far hip. Lock the figure-four on their near leg (saddle).
- 03Control the far hip with a belt or waist lock so they cannot roll away cleanly.
- 04Expose the heel only after the saddle is tight — or take the back if they turn away.
- 05If you are in the gi and heel hooks are off, finish the kneebar or climb to the back.
Details that matter
- Know your academy's legal techniques. This email is about control. Finish inside the rules you actually compete under.
- If they hide the heel, do not crank the knee on a bad angle. Re-pummel or take the back.
- Your head position matters as much as the lock. Stay off the centerline so you do not get stacked.
Phone walkthroughs will land on the BJJ Everyday YouTube when they are filmed. The written steps above are the complete drill.
Related moves
- Sit-Up Sweep Timing vs a Standing Passer
The hip bump is not a youth-belt move — it is a timing problem against a standing opponent.
- Loop Choke from Opponent’s Turtle
When they turtle to hide, feed the collar and walk the loop over their neck.
- Reverse De La Riva to Back Take
When they smash your DLR, invert the hook and climb to the back instead of resetting.
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