Counter Double Leg by Bekzod Abdurakhminov
A double leg takedown is a foundational move in wrestling. It often the first takedown taught to beginners and we see it at the highest level of wrestling all over the world. In fact, five time world and Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs can be seen hitting a double leg on his opponents in almost every match. It is one of the moves that has made him so successful over the years.
Traditionally, a double leg is done by taking a center penetration step, but in this video Bekzod teaches us a double leg with an outside step that is set up by your opponent reaching up for a collar tie or to post on your shoulder. Most would not consider this to be a very flashy move, but it is often mastering the very simple and basic techniques that can make a wrestler really excel out on the mat.
Check out this video to see Bekzod’s counter double leg off of an opponent’s reach.
Let’s look at this shot a little more in depth.
One of the great things about this set up and double leg is its simplicity and if you watch pretty much any wrestling match, you always see guys reaching for a collar tie or to post up on the shoulder. Because of this, this double leg is readily available to any wrestler who has practiced this.
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Inevitably, when you are wrestling a match your opponent will reach for a collar tie or to post on your shoulder. In the video, watch how Bekzod does a simple post up on the arm to make room for his shot.
A couple of key points about when you post the arm up. First off, this is all about timing. If you are going to hit this shot, you will need to anticipate the reach coming and already have your feet set up in the correct position. In the video, you can see that on the side that Bekzod is posting with, his foot is back. He is also posting or up blocking his opponent’s arm right when they make contact with him. If you wait until your opponent has a tight collar tie on you, then you are too late. The timing has to be perfect.
If you are wrestling and your opponent reaches for the collar and you miss your opportunity to post before they get it secured, just reset because chances are they will keep reaching for the collar tie over and over, each time giving you another chance.
When you post your opponent’s arm up, be sure to keep your elbow close to your side. Also, look at Bekzod’s hand, his thumb is on the inside and is contacting on the elbow. When you post the arm, you don’t need to try to push your opponent’s arm high. When you watch Bekzod do it, he is only elevating the arm a couple inches to create just enough space to take a shot.
Right when you make contact with the arm, you will step up with the back leg and basically just drop the center knee to the mat. At the same time as you are taking the shot, the opposite arm will reach and secure the far leg. In the video, you can see how this all happens at the same time.
Once in on the shot, the near arm will drop down and secure the leg and from here you can run your favorite double leg finish. Bekzod shows a very standard “up and in’’ finish in the video. Pay attention to his position when he is in on the double leg. His head is up and his hips and feet are under him. This is the best position when you’re in on a double leg because from here you can use your legs and hips to generate the power you need to drive your opponent back. If you head is down and your butt is up, you won’t have the power to drive through your shot and you will get sprawled on.
To be successful at this takedown you must get the timing down perfectly and the best way to do that is to drill it over and over again. Hopefully this slight variation to a common double leg will help you increase you takedowns next season.
If you want to learn more in depth wrestling technique from Bekzod, be sure to check out his four part video series titled “The Takedown Passport by Bekzod Abdurakhminov”. In this instructional series, he covers two on one ties, arm drags, ankle picks, front headlocks, and much more.