High Crotch Defense With Ben Askren

Defense is said by main coaches to be the most important aspects of all fighting styles and that includes wrestling. Being able to stop anything that your opponent throws at you and reset the match, or even counter off of it, is the most powerful way to show that you are in control of a match. 

This will make it so that your opponent is less likely to attack, meaning that you get to decide when to use energy. Being able to defend against everything that your opponent can do is also a great way to demoralize your opponent and with wrestling having such a large mental aspect to its game, you will be well on your way to a victory.

In this video, Ben Askren shows a defense to a high crotch that transitions into a few different positions and even a scramble. Ben Askren is a top tier wrestler and wrestling coach but he hasn’t just stuck to wrestling. Askren is also a very accomplished MMA fighter having won both the ONE championship and Bellator welterweight titles and he even competed in the UFC for a short time. 

The video starts off with Askren showing a high crotch defense and talking about why this desnese is so good and important. This defense will help stop all high crotches against you with how good this technique is. The first thing in the defense that Askren points out is how important the shoulder is when completing a high crotch. This means, as the person defending a high crotch, your first goal should be to remove that shoulder from play. 

To Askren, this means that you push on the lat muscles of your opponent. From there you can follow through in a circular motion to the sit out. From here you have different grip options, you can lock the crotch or the body or keep your hands disconnected and hold on. As long as you are holding on tight somehow, Askren says whatever you prefer is fine.  

The simplest thing to do from this position is the hook the leg and come up, which will score you two points. If your opponent is trying to put pressure over you to escape, Askren likes to roll over their top shoulder. This will roll both of you over and secure you two points. If your opponent keeps hold of your leg, you can go through to a cradle. 

Askren then shows a few cradles aftering sitting out on the high crotch. If your opponent tries to fight their way back to a better position, Askren Hooks under his opponents leg into a cradle. Askren emphasizes being patient in this position, as what your opponent does after you sit out will likely dictate your next move. 

The next thing that you can do is what Askren calls the J Jager finish. After sitting the corner, you are going to lock low on the leg and high on the body. As you lock up you are going to drive your opponent onto their shoulder. From there you can turn your opponent onto their shoulder. 

Askren caps off the video by talking about how dangerous the high crotch can be. If you are shooting for a high crotch and you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re better off just going for a single leg. If you are shooting for a high crotch and you don’t know how to finish, especially against someone with a good sit behind, is just an all around bad idea and a good way to give your opponent points. 

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