5x World Champion Diego Pato Teaches His Painful Leg Lock System

Diego Pato, the 5x IBJJF World Champion at 66kg and one of the most decorated lightweights in the history of the sport, sits down for a hands-on breakdown of the leg lock system that has made him one of the most feared competitors on the mat. Pato has a reputation for the most painful heel hooks and straight foot locks in the game, and in this video he finally explains why.

The core of Pato's system is what he calls "the bite" — a straight ankle lock applied with pressure from the forearm and hips directly onto the shin bone, not just the joint. Instead of finishing the ankle lock outright, Pato uses the bite to force a reaction: the opponent twists and spins to escape the pain, and that exact movement is what walks them straight into an inside or outside heel hook. Pato demonstrates the grip, the forcing mechanism, and the transition step by step.

Pato also breaks down a real example from competition, describing how he used this same bone-first approach to finish Dante Leon: the shin damage from the ankle lock softened the leg up before the heel hook finished the match easily. He shares his favorite entry into the system from the Reverse De La Riva guard, stepping through to a leg entanglement and forcing the ankle lock from a spot the opponent can't kick away from, and explains why the setup works especially well in No-Gi, where sweat makes grips slip.

The video closes on Pato's philosophy behind the system: the difference between attacking a joint, which gives a warning before it gives out, and attacking the bone, which does not — making the decision to tap or not entirely the opponent's own risk to take. Pato has also just filmed a full instructional dedicated to this exact system, expected soon on BJJFanatics.com.

KEY CONCEPTS IN THIS VIDEO:

🕒 TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro: meeting Diego Pato and the reputation behind his leg locks
1:12 - Pato's core system: connecting ankle locks to heel hooks
1:52 - The straight ankle lock and "the bite" on the shin
2:36 - Forcing the reaction into the heel hook
4:50 - Real match breakdown: the finish over Dante Leon
5:36 - Favorite entry: Reverse De La Riva to leg entanglement
7:30 - The bone vs. joint mindset
9:57 - Wrap-up and what's next for Diego Pato

For all your BJJ Gear and Apparel Needs Visit - https://www.kojofightwear.com/
Are you a BJJ Fanatics Insider? If not, you are missing out! Join now at: https://bjjfanatics.com/products/insiders-club
Bernardo Faria is a 5x World Champion. Bernardo started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Juiz de Fora - MG, Brazil at the age of 14 in 2001. After receiving the Black Belt from his first instructor Ricardo Marques in 2008, He moved to Sao Paulo to join BJJ legend Fabio Gurgel and his Alliance team. After many years of training and winning many major titles, Bernardo moved to NYC in 2013 to train and teach at Marcelo Garcia Academy. In 2015 Bernardo achieved his dream of winning the IBJJF World Championship Open class title and his division, doing the double Gold and becoming the 1st in the IBJJF Ranking and also chosen as the best athlete of 2015.

Bernardo Faria has now taken on the mission to share some of the lessons, techniques, experiences and more that he has learned along in his 16 years and counting as a BJJ student, teacher and world class competitor.

Subscribe to his channel, and join him in this amazing BJJ Journey. We promise that you will also improve your BJJ with his awesome Video Lessons, Episodes of his "5 Minutes BJJ Talk" and more

www.fujisports.com - 15% OFF Coupon Code: FARIA15

www.bjjfanatics.com - 10% OFF Coupon Code: YOUTUBEFARIA

www.fujimats.com - 10% OFF Coupon Code: FARIAMAT10

http://bernardofaria.com
https://www.facebook.com/bernardofariabjj/
https://www.instagram.com/bernardofariabjj/
https://twitter.com/bernardofariajj