Leg Locks in BJJ has never been easier

Ask anyone who watches combat sports, and the vast majority of people will tell you that Rousimar Toquinho Palhares is one of the world's most technical and dangerous martial artists. How did Toquinho manage to make a name for himself, a name that strikes fear in his opponent's soul not only in grappling but also in Mixed martial arts?

First of all, Toquinho's physical appearance is unique. He's short but incredibly thick and muscular (hence the "Toquinho" nickname, which would roughly translate from Portuguese to a tree stump). Being compact provides Toquinho with an enormous advantage over his opponents right at the outset, making him notoriously challenging to take down while at the same time increasing his rate of success when shooting in for takedowns on taller opponents. Toquinho's specialty is the leg lock game, especially heel hunting, an area where he has proven extremely effective, heel-hooking some of his UFC opponents in under a minute!

However, there is also another reason why Toquinho has become famous or rather infamous in the grappling and MMA world. If you have ever experienced a leg lock of any kind – be it a straight foot lock or a heel hook – you know how devastatingly painful it can be. While the vast majority of grapplers let go of the submission once their opponent taps, Toquinho has a history of not respecting anyone tapping, placing his opponents in great danger of sustaining a permanent injury. 

An example of this is one of his most infamous fights against MMA fighter Jake Shields. Toquinho managed to secure a Kimura lock, and Mr. Shields tapped out. However, Toquinho ignored the tap and continued to rotate Mr. Shields' arm until the referee had to step in to break his grip. Toquinho officially won the fight  – but was later stripped of his title, fined, and suspended for his controversial conduct. 

Many years have passed, and you can love or hate Toquinho – but there's no denying that he is a master in getting submissions. His fight record speaks for itself, with 11 out of 16 high-level competition submissions executed by heel-hook. With such a record, few people can dispute his ability to win at the highest levels utilizing superior grappling skills. On the contrary, there is a lot to learn from Toquinho – especially when it comes to Heel hunting, takedowns, and how to perfect and secure leg-lock submissions. The Toquinho of 2020 is different from his old self. He respects and honors the tap and follows the ruleset. However, please make no mistake about it. He is still a very dangerous man, so make sure to tap quickly. Because if Toquinho gets your leg, he will rip it apart, making Rousimar Toquinho Palhares one of the world's most technical and dangerous martial artists. 

Now thanks to the recent collaboration between Grappling Instructionals and Toquinho, anyone has the unique opportunity to learn from the Master of Leg Locks himself. Check it out: https://www.grapplinginstructionals.com/heel-hunter-toquinho