Master the Ankle Lace (Part 1)

This is part one of a three part series on the Ankle Lace. I honestly think that the ankle lace is one of the most underrated holds in the US.  I had a very general understanding of this move until I began visiting the Olympic Training Center regularly from 1997-2000.  The one-on-one time I spent with Bruce Burnett lead to me developing a high level Ankle Lace series.  Once I nailed this series down most of my turns came from it.  I turned many US and foreign wrestlers with this Ankle Lace series.

img_0068_0The Ankle Lace can be a lethal weapon when developed at the youth and high school level.  Many high level US wrestlers don’t understand this hold so you can guess what happens when a younger wrestler gets it down.  There are years that I focus on my Ankle Lace Series more than others but I always try to get my Fargo wrestlers to get it down.  The wrestlers that get the series down and truly sink their teeth into it always have success with it in Fargo.

If you master, what I call, the Base Position and Lock Transition you can build a highly effective Ankle Lace series.  My complete series is quite extensive, at first glance, but if you master the previously mentioned positions it can all come together quickly.  Watch these videos to see teaching demonstrations for each of these core positions.

The Base Position:

Lock Transition:

You can’t master the Ankle Lace without understanding how to control your opponents hips and get the lock.  These two drills are a good starting point to understanding these two essential skills.

Two of the most common mistakes wrestlers will make:

  • The shoulder will be too high and they won’t effectively pin down and control the hips
  • The Left hand will come below the knee too soon.  This hand does not come off the knee until you are exploding to the lock transition.

Once you get this down then you can start to learn turn variations, multiple setups, and more.  There are many different ways you can get into the Ankle Lace and varying reactions you will deal with from your opponent.  Almost every situation will end up bringing your opponent back to the base position.

The best thing about the Ankle Lace is that if you miss it you are not getting stepped over, reversed or pinned.  Those are real dangers when going for a Gut Wrench.

If you are interested in more information on my complete Ankle Lace Series visit this page Complete Freestyle & Greco-Roman Series.

Master the Ankle Lace Part 2 – Click Here

Master the Ankle Lace Part 3 – Click Here 

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