How To Lock Hands On A Double Leg With Alec Pantaleo
When it comes to wrestling, there are a ton of small details that go into every technique that are all pretty much invisible to untrained people just spectating. Where its head position on the subtle differences of placement when it comes to ties, there are so many little details in wrestling that if you told a normal person about them they might just go crazy.
That’s part of where the “it’s hard than it looks” statements that people make after trying their first classes come from. Even moves that look pretty simple, like double legs, have a ton of small details that help make sure that a wrestler either completes or defends against it.
While a double leg just looks like a tackle to most people, the number of details that each variation requires is astounding. Luckily we have a top athlete with us to show us one of those details.
In this video, Alec Pantaleo goes over how you can properly lock your hands when you get them on your opponent for a double leg.
Who Is Alec Pantaleo?
Alec Pantaleo is an American Freestyle wrestler and Folkstyle wrestler. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a three–time NCAA DI All-American. He also became a Big Ten Conference champion while competing for the University of Michigan Wolverines. In 2021 and 2018 he won the silver and bronze medals respectively at the US Open National Championships.
How To Lock Your Hands On A Double Leg Takedown
The video starts with Alec talking about the different ways that you should not lock your fingers when you get the double leg. The first way you should not do is just lace your fingers together straight on with your fingers facing the sky. This is a weak grip and can be easily broken. It’s also dangerous and can lead to your fingers being broken.
There is also the lock where you basically make your hands like chainlink. This way of locking for fingers is more common on things like a body lock but on a double leg your opponent is probably going to be strong enough to break the hold. This is because your fingers are only so strong and you're fighting against your opponent’s legs if not their whole body.
Alec says that what he likes to do is get the pinky on one hand and the thumb on the other, points them towards the ceiling and he puts them together. You then get the thumb on the hand where the pinky is facing upwards and you wrap it around the other hand. You then wrap your fingers around the other hand to complete the lock.
Other than that, Alec believes that the best way to lock your hands on a double elg is a butterfly lock. The reason is because when the lock gets pulled on it actually gets tighter. This is a lot better than just grabbing the wrist because once again that just relies on finger strength.
Another thing you need to keep in mind is that you want to bring your elbows together and as close to you as possible. Think about crushing a watermelon with your grip when you lock the double leg.
