Q: How do I escape the armbar when my opponent is crossing his ankes?

A: Crossing the ankles during the armbar is controversial, but is an effective way to shut down many of your opponent’s escapes. For example, the simple escape shown here doesn’t work if your opponent has his ankles crossed.

To escape an armbar where your opponent has crossed his ankles one good option is to fight (very hard) to get onto your knees and drop your weight down over him while protecting your arm by applying placing your arms into a rear naked choke position. Once you are above him then you can stabilize the position, crush him a little bit, and start to extricate your arm an inch at a time.

If he is crossing his ankles and also controlling your leg then you need to use your free leg to kick his arm off of your leg before getting your knees underneath you

It is a tough position to escape though…