Hip Toss From Outside Sweep Single Leg With Henry Cejudo

A wrestler needs to be comfortable wrestling and attacking from all positions including upper body. Often, wrestlers will shy away from upper body throws because they aren’t comfortable in a Greco type position, but if you work throws and are able to hit them in matches, it can be a real game changer no matter if you are wrestling folkstyle or freestyle.

Being able to throw is a great skill to have because not only are you most likely going to end up with your opponent on their back and be able to look for the pin or at minimum earn a couple of nearfall points, but also being able to hit a variety of takedowns is really important because it keeps your opponent guessing. Plus, it is always good to have a couple big moves you can hit at the end of a match if you find yourself down a couple points with short time left on the clock. 

A hip toss is a basic throw in wrestling that can be hit from a lot of different positions. It is different from other throws such as a lateral drop, which uses a back arch and popping your hips to throw your opponent. Instead, with a hip toss you use what is often called a drop step or a back step to get your hips through past your opponent to generate leverage and power. 

Most wrestlers know how to do some type of throw, but one problem many have is setting it up properly so your opponent doesn’t know it’s coming because if you're standing straight up and and telegraphing what you are doing, it is very difficult to hit a throw. In this video, Henry Cejudo shows a basic hip toss that starts with an outside sweep single leg. 

Let’s break this video down a little bit, because even though the hip toss is a pretty basic, there are some major points you need to know to successfully hit this throw.

Ready to add some GOLD standard techniques to your game? Click Learn More!

LEARN MORE

First off, you need to know how to shoot an outside sweep single, and like Cejudo says in the video, really try to hit it. The whole attack sequence will work better if you actually try to hit the outside sweep single instead of trying a half effort fake sweep single. Watch how Cejudo stays heavy on the far arm and pulls it down when he drives. If you let go of the arm, it will be difficult to hit the throw.

Next point is don’t stay on the knee when you take a shot. You must drive your feet into your opponent and come up. You can’t hit a hip toss from your knees. Take a step between our opponent’s legs with your outside leg. Then there should be space for you to back step and rotate to get your hips all the way through. If you did it correctly, your bodies should be almost perpendicular to each other and your opponent’s full weight should be on top of you. At this point let them fly!

Be sure to pay special attention to Henry’s head position throughout the entire movement. If your head position is not correct, you will close off space and won’t be able to hit the throw. 

Before you go out and start trying to hit this in competition, make sure you drill it in practice. You don’t want to down by four points with 16 seconds to go in a match trying to remember how to do this set up and throw. If you have never done a hip toss with a back step, be sure to practice just the back step on your own. Then grab a partner and a crash mat and practice the hip toss. Once you feel like you have the hip toss down, then start to practice setting it up with the outside sweep single. This is a great throw with a great set up that can score you a lot of points.

Henry Cejudo is an Olympic Gold Medalist and a two weight UFC World Champion. If you are interested in learning more wrestling from Henry be sure to check out his in depth instructional DVD series titled “Gold Medal Wrestling With Henry Cejudo”. This is a four volume DVD that covers different wrestling drills, all kinds of different shots and finishes, and even fakes and shot setups. 

BUY NOW