How to finish the straight ankle lock: Natã Tenca shows the detail that makes it hurt
A world champion who submitted every opponent on the way to the title, the Atos black belt walks VF Comunica through the straight ankle lock adjustment many people miss
The straight ankle lock, known in Brazil as the “botinha,” is one of the first leg submissions people learn in Jiu-Jitsu. Even so, a lot of people squeeze and can’t get the tap. Natã Tenca, a 2026 brown belt world champion who submitted every opponent on the way to the title, showed VF Comunica the adjustment that changes the move.
The lesson was filmed at the American Nationals, in Las Vegas, where he had his first matches as an Atos black belt. Vitor Freitas, who introduced him as maybe the “most lethal” athlete of his generation with this submission, was the test dummy.
The forearm bone on the Achilles tendon
Tenca’s first concern is which part of his arm touches the opponent’s foot. “This hard part of my arm, I’m going to put it against his heel, the Achilles tendon,” he explained. That is why he doesn’t wrap the foot too deep, so the soft part of the forearm isn’t the part making contact. “This here is muscle, this soft part. So I need this bone against his Achilles.”
With the arm in place, he slides the grip up until the foot is locked under his armpit.
Elbow tight, lapel in hand
The next step locks the position. “As soon as I wrap it, I close my elbow, I open my lapel with my other hand and feed it to the hand that is wrapping,” he said.
The legs work too. On the attacking side, Tenca avoids leaving his foot resting on the opponent’s hip and prefers to place a hook, which helps him fix the height of the grip. “If it’s too high here on the calf, I put the little hook in and adjust,” he said. The other foot keeps the distance and breaks the grips of an opponent who grabs the collar to defend.
Belly down
Tenca says he can finish from his side, but it depends on who is on the other end. “If the guy is flexible, he won’t tap,” he said. The answer is to turn. “When I turn belly down, I have all my body weight to break his foot. I feel it’s much stronger.”
“Where my elbow is, I’m going to put my shoulder”
The last adjustment is the one that made Vitor Freitas yell during the recording. “I put my elbow on the mat, and look what I do now. Where my elbow is, I’m going to put my shoulder,” Tenca showed.
For him, people who can’t finish usually get it wrong at the start of the move, not at the end. “The detail, I think, is what I said: the blade of the arm on his Achilles, and closing my elbow really tight, because if it’s here it won’t hurt,” he said, showing a loose grip.
Natã Tenca’s straight ankle lock, step by step
- Wrap the foot with the forearm bone on the Achilles tendon, without going too deep.
- Slide the grip up to the armpit and close the elbow.
- Open your own lapel and feed it to the wrapping hand.
- Use a hook on the attacking side to adjust the height, and the other foot to keep the distance.
- Turn belly down.
- Put the elbow on the mat and bring the shoulder to where the elbow was.
In training, the usual care with foot locks applies: apply it slowly and let go as soon as your partner taps.
Who is Natã Tenca
A student of André Galvão, Tenca received his black belt on the day he became a brown belt world champion. “Every day I tie the black belt. Sometimes I’m training, I look down and go: wow, I’m a black belt,” he said.
Full video on YouTube
The demonstration is in the American Nationals vlog on the VF Comunica YouTube channel (in Portuguese).
Which straight ankle lock detail works best for you? Leave your opinion in the comments.
