Olympic Wrestling Technique Tips With Bekzod Abdurakhminov
The Olympics is the highest level of competition in the sport of wrestling. It only happens once every four years and there isn’t as many weight classes as there are for the world championships which means more wrestlers are competing per weight class. Olympic wrestlers are the best of the best and to get to this level, you must have flawless technique.
Bekzod Abdurakhminov is an Uzbekistan freestyle wrestler who has won two bronze medals at the world championships and was an Olympian in 2016 where he defeated Jordan Burroughs 11-1. He has some amazing technique. Check out these three videos of Bekzod sharing different moves he likes to hit.
Post The Arm
One thing you can pretty much guarantee will happen during a wrestling match is your opponent will reach up to try to collar tie you. One great way to set up a double leg is to anticipate the reach so when they do, you can post it up and use it to create an opening to shoot a double leg. In this video, Bekzod demonstrates how he likes to hit this move.
A couple key points to hitting this takdown. First, you need to post up the arm as soon as your opponent reaches for you. If you wait until they have a collar tie locked on it is too late. If they do get to that point, you can always clear the tie off and reset, chances are they will reach up again as they get closer. Another thing to pay attention to is Bekzod is taking an outside step shot on the same side as he is posting. You could take a center step, but in this situation, an outside step is quicker. Lastly, when Bekzod posts the arm up, you can see that he is only moving it and inch or two. Just as it is important for you to post the arm up, you must also lower you level to go under the arm.
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Front Headlock Throw By
Another great takedown is a throw by from a front headlock position. In this video, Bekzod shows getting to the position by blocking a shot, but you can also hit this throw by after snapping your opponent down.
The first key point to hitting this throw by is to keep a lot of pressure on your opponent’s head and neck. Pressure keeps weight on your opponent’s hands so they can’t lift them off the mat to drag out of the front headlock. In addition to pressure, you have to keep your opponent moving. If you stop moving, it will allow them time to defend the front headlock.
Watch how Bekzod chases the far leg to get his opponent to circle and while he is doing that, he is continuing to snap the head down. If you are chasing the far leg, your opponent’s natural response will be to keep circling to try to face you. If they happen to not try to face you, then you will be able to just spin behind for the easy take down. Once you get your opponent circling, throw the head and arm by hard, almost like you are trying to stir a big pot. Watch how Bekzod throws the head and arm by and then attacks the hips. This move is all about circling and snaps, the more you focus on those two things, the easier the throw by will be.
Limp Arm From A Whizzer
One very common position for wrestlers get in is a side by side whizzer position. This often happens after you shoot a single leg and to defend it, the defensive wrestler uses a whizzer to pressure down on the arm. This can be a difficult position to get out of, but with the right technique, you can actually score from here. In this video, Bekzod shows how he likes to limp arm out from a tight whizzer.
The biggest difference in they way Bekzod limps out of the whizzer compared to most people is he is grabbing the wrist and dragging it through when he limp arms. This makes it easier for Bekzod to secure the takedown. Another thing to notice in the video is Bekzod posts up with his outside leg. This helps him to pressure back into his opponent yet still have a stable base.
If you would like to learn more high level wrestling technique from Bekzod Abdurakhminov, be sure to check out his video series titled “The Takedown Passport by Bekzod Abdurakminov”. This is a four part video series where Bekzod goes over two on ones, arm drags, front headlocks, low single legs, and many more setups and takedowns.