Last updated: June 9, 2026
Quick Definition
The saddle is a leg entanglement in which a grappler triangles their own legs around one of the opponent’s legs, above the knee, with the trapped foot turned to the inside. It is the primary position used to attack the inside heel hook.
What is the saddle position?
The saddle belongs to the family of leg entanglements that grew out of the modern leg-lock era in no-gi grappling. A grappler gets it by crossing one of the opponent’s legs over the centerline of their own body and pinching their knees together around the thigh, locking into a figure-four above the knee. The opponent’s foot ends up tucked toward the inside, close to the attacker.
A reader will usually meet the term in fight commentary, an instructional, or a training session, often paired with names like honey hole or 411. What makes it worth knowing is the control it gives. From the saddle, the attacker strips away the opponent’s ability to hand-fight and shuts down most escape routes, which is why Lachlan Giles describes it as a position built around attacking the inside heel hook rather than scrambling for it.
Two legs matter in the position. The “primary” leg is the one locked inside the triangle. The “secondary” or free leg is the opponent’s other leg, which a skilled grappler will also try to control before hunting a finish.
How the saddle controls the leg
Control in the saddle comes from where the lock sits. The figure-four closes above the opponent’s knee, on what coaches call the knee line, and the attacker’s hips angle slightly away so rotational pressure can be directed into the knee and ankle. Lock too low, around the calf, and the opponent simply slides free.
Because the trapped foot sits inside and close to the body, the attacker can isolate the heel without giving the opponent room to spin out. Robert Diggle, a noted leg-lock instructor, teaches grapplers to treat the saddle like a pin and settle into it the way they would settle into mount, rather than rushing the submission. The position holds the leg; the submission comes after.
Why it has so many names
Few positions collect as many aliases. Inside sankaku comes from the Japanese for “inside triangle,” a nod to the figure-four lock. Honey hole spread through John Danaher’s competition team and stuck in coaching language. The numbers 411 or 4-11 come from the 10th Planet system, where the entangled legs resemble the figure “4.” Cross ashi, short for cross ashi garami, simply describes the crossed-leg shape. All four point to the same position, so a grappler hearing any of them is hearing about the saddle.
Saddle vs 50/50 vs ashi garami
Most confusion about the saddle comes from telling it apart from neighbouring leg-lock positions, and the deciding factor is where the trapped leg sits. The breakdown below follows the categorisation popularised by coach Ryan Villalobos and used across leg-lock instruction.
| Position | Where the trapped leg sits | Primary submission |
| Saddle (inside sankaku) | Crossed deep over the centerline, foot tucked inside | Inside heel hook |
| 50/50 | Symmetrical, both grapplers entangled the same way | Heel hook for either side |
| Ashi garami (outside) | Trapped foot stays on the outside of the body | Straight ankle lock, outside heel hook |
A quick way to tell them apart: a foot on the outside points to an ashi garami variation, a mirrored position where either grappler can attack is 50/50, and a leg crossed deep with the foot tucked inside is the saddle.
Is the saddle position legal?
The saddle relies on knee reaping, which means crossing a leg over the centerline of the opponent’s thigh. Reaping is restricted under several gi-focused rulesets because of the load it places on the knee, so the legality of the position tracks closely with the legality of the heel hook.
Under IBJJF rules, heel hooks are banned in every gi division at every belt. In no-gi, the IBJJF legalised heel hooks and reaping for adult brown and black belts starting January 1, 2021, while keeping them off-limits for white through purple belts and for masters divisions. ADCC, by contrast, allows heel hooks and reaping with no belt restriction, which is why the position anchors so much elite no-gi competition.
| Ruleset | Heel hook / saddle status | Belt levels |
| IBJJF gi | Heel hooks banned | All belts |
| IBJJF no-gi | Heel hooks and reaping legal (since Jan 1, 2021) | Adult brown and black only |
| ADCC | Heel hooks and reaping fully legal | No restriction |
One technical wrinkle, noted by BJJ World, is that the bare saddle position can be legal even in rulesets where the heel hook is not, since the rules govern the submission and the reap rather than the leg configuration on its own. In practice, though, the saddle lives almost entirely in advanced no-gi.
The saddle in MMA
Most major MMA promotions follow unified rules that allow heel hooks, so leg entanglements like the saddle carry over from grappling into the cage. The control it provides can pin an opponent’s leg long enough to threaten an inside heel hook, a submission capable of ending a fight in seconds.
The catch is that MMA adds strikes and a fence. Committing to the saddle means giving up posture and accepting some ground-and-pound risk, so fighters who use it tend to be specialists with a deep grappling base rather than casual dabblers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the saddle the same as the honey hole?
Yes. Honey hole, 411, inside sankaku, and cross ashi are all names for the same leg entanglement.
What submission comes from the saddle?
The inside heel hook is the signature finish. Depending on the ruleset and the grip on the free leg, toe holds, and kneebars are also options.
Can a white belt use the saddle?
In open training, yes, with a careful partner. In IBJJF no-gi competition, the reaping and heel hooks tied to the position are not legal until adult brown belt.
Is the saddle better than 50/50?
Neither is strictly better. The saddle is a stronger one-way control position, while 50/50 is symmetrical and gives both grapplers attacking options.
Sources
- Taipei BJJ. “Heel Hook BJJ: How to Attack and Defend.” Accessed June 2026.
https://taipeibjj.com/heel-hook-bjj-attack-defend-submission/ - Sweet Science of Fighting. “9 Fundamental Leg Lock Positions To Master Leg Locks.” Accessed June 2026.
https://sweetscienceoffighting.com/leg-lock-positions/ - BJJ World. “A Wicked Legal BJJ Foot Lock From The Saddle.” Accessed June 2026.
https://bjj-world.com/legal-saddle-bjj-foot-lock/ - Evolve Daily. “Where And When Are Leg Locks Allowed In BJJ?” Accessed June 2026.
https://evolve-mma.com/blog/where-and-when-are-leg-locks-allowed-in-bjj/ - IBJJF. “New Rules Updates.” Accessed June 2026.
https://ibjjf.com/news/new-rules-updates - You Jiu Jitsu. “Heel Hooks Now Legal in IBJJF No Gi.” Accessed June 2026.
https://youjiujitsu.com/heel-hooks-now-legal-in-ibjjf-no-gi/ - SUBMETA. “Saddle by Lachlan Giles.” Accessed June 2026.
https://submeta.io/@lachlangiles/courses/saddle
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