Keenan Thinks Ankle Locks From 50-50 Guard Are Being Abused
Keenan Thinks Ankle Locks From 50-50 Guard Are Being Abused
Keenan Cornelius said he thinks competitors are abusing ankle locks in the 50-50 guard and should be penalized.
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Legion AJJ founder Keenan Cornelius said he thinks competitors are abusing ankle locks in the 50-50 position and should be penalized.
The lapel-guard guru took to Instagram to express his frustration after Subversiv 3, which fielded a team from Legion AJJ.
“After watching the Subversiv event last night, I think it should actually be a penalized point — it should be a negative point to go to 50/50 to do ankle locks in a submission only match that scores you for submission attempts,” Keenan said in a post on his Instagram story.
The team-versus-team Subversiv tournament follows the Fight To Win scoring format, which ranks submission attempts as the top judging criteria if the match goes to a referee decision.
“It’s just like the easiest way to retreat from a fight that you don’t want to be in and still win,” Keenan said.
During one of the first round matches at Subversiv 3, Team Legion representative Jacob Kassama, a purple belt, was caught in a 50-50 ankle lock for the last two minutes of the match he lost against Fight Sports black belt Lucas Santos.
We have seen some nasty foot lock attempts on the Fight to Win stage from 50-50, but very few of them end in submission.
Watch: Ronaldo Junior's Aggressive Foot Lock Attempt at Fight To Win 150
Especially in matches where heel hooks are illegal, 50-50 has often been called a stalling position. In IBJJF formats where competitors score advantages for submission attempts, we have often seen ankle locks used from 50-50 to gain a lead on the scoreboard.
“Whether it’s IBJJF for the advantage or Fight To Win where they give you the legitimate submission attempt points, this is ridiculous,” Keenan said. “Ankle locks should not be awarded points.”
