Limp Arm From Underhook by Bekzod Abdurakhminov
There are many positions in wrestling that are very common for wrestlers to end up in. One of those is an overhook/whizzer position. Wreslters can end up here if they have just shot a single leg and their opponent uses a whizzer to defend it or it could simply come from a wrestler getting an underhook and their opponent defending it with an whizzer.
Using a whizzer is a very effective defense, but luckily there are ways to not only get out of it but also to score a takedown from it. In this video, two time NCAA All-American and two time world medalist Bekzod Abdurakhminov shows a limp arm counter out of a whizzer position to a takedown.
As you can see in the video, this counter can be done in both the standing position or down on the mat. There are a couple of key points to hitting this counter successfully. The first point is you have to be in the correct postion. Look at how Bekzod’s body is positioned in relation to his opponent’s when they are down on the mat. They are almost parelell and his outside foot is post on the mat so he can use it to drive into his opponent. Be sure both of your knees are not on the mat. If you don’t have your foot posted, your opponent will be able to use the whizzer and pressure your shoulder down to the mat. Keeping your foot posted and keeping some space between your hip and your opponent’s will help keep this from happening.
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The second point is look at where Bekzod’s arm is; he has it almost straight across his opponent’s back ready to limp arm out when he feels the right pressure. He is also pressuring back into his opponent trying to bait them into pressuring back into him.
The next key point is securing the wrist. Watch how Bekzod reaches under and secures his opponents wrist before he attempts to limp arm out. If you try to limp arm out of a whizzer and don’t have the wrist secured, it will be difficult for you to get the takedown because your opponent will just turn and face you or they may even score on you.
Be sure to keep control of the wrist through the entire movement. If you let go of it too soon, your opponent will be able to pull their arm back and block you from spinning behind. When you limp arm out, be sure to really focus on driving the arm forward too. The more you drive it forward, the eaiser it will be to secure the takedown.
Most of the time this move will be done down on the mat, but just like Bekzod shows in the video, it can be done from the feet. It is pretty much the same steps when done with standing, the only difference is if you are in the position on your feet, just know that your opponent has a many more options to take you down from and overhook while on the feet. So if you do get to this position while standing, be you will need to be a bit more cautious. Do not stay it the position for a long time. The quicker you limp arm out, the less of chance you will have of being taken down from the overhook.
Lastly, if you are down on the mat in a whizzer situation, never try to step over the whizzer to get behind them. If you do, all your opponent will have to do is raise their hips and pressure down on the overhook and you will be flat on your back fight to not get pinned.
Limping out of a whizzer is a foundational skill that all wrestlers should know because it is a position that wrestlers get in in almost every match. Be sure to drill this move from both the standing position and down on the mat. Start slow and light. To hit this successfully, you need to get the timing and pressure down perfectly. As with all moves in wrestling, the more you drill them, the better you will get. So take time and really focus on using this technique to get better in this position.
If you liked this video, be sure to check out Bekzod Abdurakhminov’s entire video series called “The Takedown Passport by Bekzod Abdurakhminov”. This is a four part video series where he covers two on ones, arm drags, front headlocks, low singles, and much much more.