One of the first leg locks I ever learned was the Rolling Toe Hold from open guard. From the instant I saw it I was in awe. Growing up watching the WWF during the Attitude Era I immediately recognized the toe hold. Both MMA fighter turned pro wrestler Ken Shamrock and Olympic Gold Medalist turned pro wrestler Kurt Angle used a variation of the toe hold as  finishing holds. If it was good enough for these two guys then of course I had to learn it! I drilled and drilled this move until it got to the point that I could no longer even start to set it up because I had done it to three quarters of the guys in my gym. Recently my training partner Mike “Lobes” Frausto started doing this move during his free rolls which is motivating me to dust the cobwebs of my Rolling Toe Hold. 

I really liked the Rolling Toe Hold because if done correctly you end up in a very offensive position where you have control of both legs. When you roll you obviously are controlling one of your opponent’s legs with your hands. The other leg also can swing over and end up pinning your opponent to the mat which makes it very difficult for your opponent to counter your movements. Be on the look out in the future for a blog post about some ways that you can improve your toe holds. While at first it looks like a very simple move to perform there are several small modifications that you can make that will take your toe hold from being ehhh to being Ken Shamrock level!

If you have any questions about the Rolling Toe Hold or any other leg lock please stop by the best Jiu Jitsu school in all of the San Fernando Valley…10th Planet Van Nuys!