Improve Your Offense With These Throws

A majority of wrestlers offense comes from taking shots and other attacks like front headlocks or ankle picks. One area that is sometimes neglected is upper body throws. Even though throws won’t be a wrestler’s primary form of offense, it is still important to have a couple different throws available when you need them. Here a some great upper body throws you can learn to be more effective when it comes to upper body offense. 

Reverse Arm Throw

If you like to use Russian ties when wrestling on you feet, a reverse arm throw is a great move to add to your offense. It is very common when you have a Russian tie for your opponent to reach across and grab your elbow to defend it. You can actually use that to your advantage to setup this throw. In this video, Olympian Georgi Ivanov shows his variation of the throw.

This throw starts with a Russian tie with a small variation; you need to reverse your grip on the bottom hand. The next step is to pull your opponent behind you to load them up for the throw. Watch how Georgi maneuvers his pulls his opponent behind him in order to hit this move. 

Once your opponent is behind you, you will do a quick level change and a slightly turn your body as the back knee goes down to the mat. Keep the arm tight with both your arms and even use your head to pinch it. Then, the knee that is on the mat is going to drive forward and will give you more power to throw your opponent. 

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Hip Toss From A Sweep Single

This next throw is a hip toss that is set up by shooting an outside sweep single. This is a great way to set a throw up because if you need to throw your opponent and just pressure into them, they know exactly what you are doing and your throw will be easily defended. Setting it up with a sweep single helps to disguise it so your opponent won’t see the throw coming until it is too late. In this video, Olympic gold medalist and two weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo breaks down the technique of hitting this throw.

The first set in hitting this move it to attempt an outside sweep single from an inside tie position. Watch how Cejudo keeps a tight grip on the arm even when he shoots in for the leg. He is anticipating that his opponent will sprawl and when they do, he is driving into them and stepping up with the inside leg. Once he has stepped in, Cejudo uses a back step to get his hips all the way through which loads up his opponent for the throw. 

If you are having trouble with this throw, there are a couple common problems. First is you need to make sure you keep a tight grip on the triceps throughout the whole move. If you don’t keep it tight, the throw won’t work. Another problem might be you aren’t stepping in deep enough. A deep step puts you in position for a good back step and the back step is what clears your hips through. A third common problem people have when hitting this throw is they don’t get their butt all the way through when they hit the back step. When you clear your hips through, your opponent should be perpendicular to you. 

Elevator Body Lock

In this video, Adam Wheeler shows an elevator body lock. This takedown is a great upper body takedown from the double underhook position. 

When you get double underhooks on a guy and lock it up high, their first instinct is usually to get their hips down and away. To close the gap and lock up lower on the waist, watch how Adam pops the guy up and then quickly lowers his level to lock around the waist. Also, pay attention to how deep his leg is between his opponent’s legs. Once you have the body locked up low around the waist, you can hit a corkscrew finish or lift and elevate the leg and take it over. You may even be able to hit a belly to belly suplex from this position as well.  

Elbow Pinch Lateral Drop

The elbow pinch lateral drop is another great throw from a Russian tie. Much like the previous throw from a Russian tie, this lateral drop is also down when your opponent defends the Russian tie by grabbing your elbow. To start, secure a Russian tie and make sure the arm is tight to your body. Watch how Georgi uses his belly to block his opponent’s arm and then takes the hand that is on the wrist and brings it up to almost an underhook position. Be sure to look the direction you are planning on throwing. When you get it set, pop your hips and throw your opponent. 

If you have trouble hitting this throw here are a couple of things to look at. First, everything has to be tight. If there is space or your grips aren’t tight, you will have trouble with this throw. Another thing to look at is are you stepping in deep enough? You need to step in deep and pop your hips; all your power in a lateral drop comes from your hips. So if you can’t do a normal lateral drop from an over under position, you need to work on that before you start trying to hit this move. Lastly, make sure you are committing to the throw. Most throws are all or nothing, if you aren’t committing to it 100% it won’t work. 

While you might not see a lot of upper body throws, they are very important for a wrestler to know because there will come a time in a match when you will need to hit a big move. The best way to get better at throws is to practice them. Do not wait until you are late in a match to attempt your first ever lateral drop. So be sure to grab your training partner or throwing dummy and get a lot of reps in so when the time comes, you will be confident in your throwing ability. 

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