Alias · Leg Locks
Ashi hishigi
Also known as Kneebar — the canonical term used on this site.
Training background: Japanese judo term for knee hyperextension.
Japanese — 足挫 leg crush
Ashi hishigi is the judo-derived name for the kneebar — the leg-lock submission that loads the knee joint by hyperextending it against the natural range of the leg, using the attacker’s hips as the fulcrum.
Etymology. Ashi (足) means “leg” or “foot”; hishigi (挫) means “crush” or “wrench.” The combined term — leg crush — covers the broader judo category of leg-attack submissions that load the knee, ankle, or hip through compression and rotation. The Kodokan judo kansetsu-waza (joint-lock) classification recorded the technique under this name; in modern no-gi grappling the term has narrowed to refer specifically to the straight kneebar, distinct from the rotational heel hooks (also classified under ashi hishigi in legacy judo literature). The Japanese name remains in active use in judo and judo-influenced submission curricula.
Mechanics. The configuration isolates the knee by entangling the opponent’s leg between the attacker’s legs and trapping the foot under the attacker’s armpit. The attacker’s hips form the fulcrum; arching the back drives the knee into hyperextension against the natural range of motion in the joint until the structure reaches its failure point.
Cross-reference. BJJ and English-speaking no-gi use “kneebar” or “straight kneebar”; wrestling uses “leg bar.” Full mechanical coverage on Kneebar.