OHH

OHH is the universal grappling abbreviation for the outside heel hook — the rotational leg-lock submission that loads the knee complex through rotation applied to the heel from outside the leg-entanglement position.

Etymology. The abbreviation expands to “outside heel hook” and parallels IHH (inside heel hook), the abbreviation pair for the two rotational directions of the heel hook family. The shorthand OHH predominates in modern submission-grappling and no-gi instructional vocabulary, particularly in submission-only ruleset commentary and post-match descriptions (“won by OHH at 2:34”). The outside variant has historically been more legally restricted than the inside variant in ruleset terms — IBJJF and competitive BJJ banned heel hooks for decades — but submission-only rulesets accepted both directions, with the outside variant remaining the more common attack in pre-leg-entanglement-era wrestling and catch contexts.

Mechanics. The configuration applies rotational load to the heel from outside the leg-entanglement structure (typically outside ashi garami), driving the foot in the direction that loads the knee through external rotation past its structural limit. The outside hook orients the heel correctly for the rotation; without inside-space control on the outside line, the knee’s failure point cannot be reached.

Cross-reference. Full term is “outside heel hook.” The inside variant is “inside heel hook” or “IHH.” Full mechanical coverage on Outside Heel Hook.