Assisting Students: Defending 50/50 Heel Hooks

Defending against a heel hook from the 50/50 position involves several key steps to prevent the submission and create an opportunity to escape:

1. Initially, focus on hand fighting to prevent the opponent from securing a strong grip on the heel. If possible, address the elbow position to weaken their grip.
2. In a late-stage defense scenario, point your foot and bring your hips forward to beat the opponent's knee line.
3. While doing this, hold the opponent's elbow and kick through to disrupt their grip maintenance.
4. Keep your hips forward and maintain elbow control until you can safely return to a defensive posture.
5. Once past the opponent's knee line, you're in a better position to slip out of the heel hook attempt.
6. Creating distance is crucial, so if the opponent tries to re-establish a grip, focus on slipping and reaching to prevent them from closing the distance.
7. If you need to defend against a heel hook, concentrate on crossing your feet ankle over ankle and getting your knee to the floor first to shorten your leg and reduce the leverage.
8. Use your shin to create distance, which will help in defending against the heel hook. Switch your legs if necessary to maintain this distance.

By following these steps, you can effectively defend against a heel hook in the 50/50 position and work towards escaping the submission attempt.