The Indian Deathlock is a very spectacular submission hold, although I have my doubts regarding its efficiency.

With the defender lying face down on the floor, the attacker first secures a double toed leglock then spinning around, she key-holes it (threads her leg between her opponent’s locked legs) and leans back into a bridge, grabbing her opponent’s chin and pulling it upwards.

Though the stress on the victim is obvious, the attacker herself is in a rather precarious position.  It takes a great deal of effort and energy on her part to maintain the hold, and that kind of ruins the efficiency of this hold. If the defender can hang on and not submit immediately, the attacker will sooner or later have to break the hold unable to maintain it herself.

Regardless of its shortcomings, the Indian Deathlock is a very spectacular hold often used in professional wrestling matches where the accent is on the visual impact. Whenever it results in a submission, it is a real crowd-pleaser.

Possible escape: just hang on and ride it out. If your opponent is not one of those Terminatrix Japanese wrestlerettes, she’ll have to break the hold.

Efficiency: moderately efficient