Rychag Kolena
Рычаг колена
Literally: knee lever
Also known as: Kneebar
A knee-joint lock from sambo applied by gripping the heel and straightening the leg; in judo, leg locks are banned.
Quick Facts
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Gripping the leg too low, where a short lever makes straightening difficult, or too high, where the lock fails; insufficient fixation of the opponent's leg, which lets him turn the leg and escape; and twisting the leg sideways instead of applying pressure in the plane of the knee's bend.
About
Rychag kolena (рычаг колена), literally knee lever, is a painful lock on the knee joint in which force is applied against its natural direction of movement. According to D. L. Rudman's textbook, it is performed by gripping the heel and straightening the opponent's leg, and what decides it is correct body placement as a fulcrum, not brute force. Rudman describes three positions: between one's own legs, from below with thigh pressure, and from above. The aim is to overpower the knee and make the opponent submit. Leg locks are entirely banned in judo, while both sport and combat sambo permit them widely. The pressure must be applied in the plane of the knee's natural bend; twisting the leg sideways is dangerous and the rules forbid it. Knee and ankle ligaments are fragile, and in leg locks only a short time passes between first pain and real injury. Rychag kolena differs from the related technique uzel nogi in that it is a direct lever that straightens the leg, whereas uzel nogi is created by threading one's own limb between the opponent's legs.