The shared spiral: All joint locks are divided into linear locks and twisting locks. arm bar (juji gatami) and knee bar would be good examples of linear locks, where the joint is hyperextended in a straight line. Twisting locks rotate the joint in directions it cannot follow – figure four toe holds and kimura would be good examples. The heel hook is a classic example of a twisting lock. Many people experience failure with the heel hook due to THE PROBLEM OF THE SHARED SPIRAL. There are two aspects to this problem. The first is that many athletes make the mistake of applying the direction of force of both the ashi garami they use to control the leg they are attacking AND the heel hook IN THE SAME DIRECTION, thus they are only able to apply a turning force in one direction upon the joint, rather than applying them in OPPOSITE directions so that they can apply a true tearing force. The second aspect is that your opponent will want to turn in the same direction as your heel hook's rotational force to relieve pressure – so that you spiral together. It is crucial that you create a spiral force on the leg, BUT THAT YOU PREVENT OR limit YOUR OPPONENT'S ABILITY TO DO THE SAME. This is done by the sophisticated use of ashi garami controls, switching from one ashi garami to another, or using some form of ashi garami that enables you to interfere with your opponent's ability to turn with you. Your goal is to slow and control your opponent's spiral and ultimately STOP it – even momentarily- so that a breaking force can be applied long enough to get the job done. Here, Katya Leontyeva gets to an ashi garami variation and then works to slow down her opponent's strong turning defense until she can finally stop it long enough to apply a powerful force in the opposite direction of her ashi garami to get an impressive win.
