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Toe hook

Climbing / Popular

Pull with the top of the foot to hold body tension on overhangs.

What coaches agree on

  • A toe hook anchors your body so you can safely let go with a hand — or take weight off your arms entirely — while you make the next move.
  • Reach for a toe hook over a heel hook when you need extra distance: a straight toe-hooking leg extends much farther than a bent heel-hooking one.
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  • Pull your toes back toward your shin to lock the hook's shape onto the hold, then load it by straightening your leg and moving your hips away from your foot — the opposite of how you'd weight a normal foothold.

Common mistakes

  • Hooking with just the tip of the toe instead of pressing more of the foot — up near the laces — into the hold; the toe alone is too weak to hold body weight, and no amount of shin-strength training fixes a hook that's barely making contact.
How To Toe Hook (Climbing Technique)
Intermediate

How To Toe Hook (Climbing Technique)

Coach's take: Clear categories, a concrete execution cue, and even off-wall training advice -- this is how you teach a technique.

3.9
Master the Basic Toe Hook
Beginner

Master the Basic Toe Hook

Coach's take: This is exactly how you should teach a technique — the why behind every cue.

3.7
How to toe hook
Beginner

How to toe hook

Coach's take: Gets the basics right, just doesn't go very deep.

3.0