Knees

First Ordering: Intended Target of Attack

Locks that target the knees 

Andrew's Notes: While attacks on the knee are not lethal, they tend to result in some of the highest injury rates in submission grappling. Many of these injuries are life altering, may require expensive and invasive surgery to attempt to repair, and may never fully heal. Practitioners are advised, that when beginning their study of these techniques, to focus on learning them in a controlled technical session for a length of time, prior to engaging with them live, and to tap very early when caught to them. When attacking with them, the practitioner should bear in mind their opponent's skill level, and be merciful in open mats, and non competitive environments. 

A particular issue that I have noticed, is that many inexperienced practitioners assume that they can avoid tapping to Heel Hooks, until they feel physical feedback, however Heel Hooks have a very narrow application window before they become destructive. Such that, any feedback phase can be completely lapped, resulting in immediate and agonizing breaking forces.