Alias · Leg Entanglements
4/11
Also known as Cross Ashi Garami — the canonical term used on this site.
Training background: positional shorthand
Numerical shorthand for the cross-ashi leg configuration
4/11 is the numerical shorthand name for cross-ashi (the saddle) — the leg entanglement position in which the attacker’s legs are diagonally inside the opponent’s hips, with the inner thigh pressed into the underside of the trapped leg.
Etymology. The “4/11” name comes from the visual geometry of the position: the attacker’s lower body forms a configuration that resembles the numbers four and eleven side-by-side when seen from above. The label is a leg-lock-systems-era abbreviation used in no-gi instructional material and competition commentary from the 2010s onward, when the saddle/cross-ashi position became central to the inside-heel-hook attack system. The numeric shorthand sits alongside other names for the same position: “saddle,” “honey hole,” “inside sankaku.”
Mechanics. The configuration commits inside space in two directions simultaneously — the attacker’s hips are diagonally inside the opponent’s hips, giving cross-ashi its leverage on both inside and outside heel hooks. The closed leg loop and the chest connection prevent the opponent from retracting the trapped leg.
Cross-reference. “Saddle” and “honey hole” are the most common alternate names. Full mechanical coverage on Cross Ashi Garami.