Pinched Elbow Lateral Drop by Georgi Ivanov
The lateral drop is by far the most crowd-pleasing takedown. There’s just something about this throw that makes it an instant classic in matches, whether it’s how quickly it can be hit from a tie-up or the impressive height you can get from the backstep. Any fans of the movie Vision Quest know how popular the movie is after seeing Louden Swain hit it so many times in practice and against Shute. Beyond Hollywood theatrics, it is still an effective move to hit if you are confident in your upper-body takedowns and backsteps.
Here to show the potential of the throw is Olympic and World Championship wrestler Georgi Ivanov with the pinched elbow lateral drop.
The 2-on-1
Ivanov starts his lateral drop set-up by getting his opponent into the 2-on-1 Russian tie. You can either force contact yourself with an armdrag to pull them in close or peel their arm off if they attempt to collar tie in order to get into this position. Either way, your 2-on-1 needs to be off at an angle away from your opponent’s centerline with significant pressure on their elbow. Extend their arm to delay their chances of squaring up. The benefit of this tie is that it makes your opponent think that you’re working towards the outside rather than inside their pocket.
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Pinching the Elbow
One of the moves Ivanov’s opponent uses for defense is to pull on the far elbow, possible for a re-Russian. Your opponent may think that you will continue applying pressure on the shoulder to stay on the outside, but you can use their pull to your advantage. Rather than maintaining pressure, Ivanov steps in deep and grabs an underhook on his opponent’s opposite side. While it may seem contradictory to move back into the pocket after working on a tie that’s focused on staying outside of it, the key here is the elbow pinch. Ivanov keeps his opponent’s elbow (and, by proxy, their arm) wedged between his arm and stomach. This prevents the opponent from trying to pummel back with their own underhook given that the arm is at an awkward angle.
Finishing the Drop
Before hitting the lateral drop, Ivanov looks to the direction he is intending to throw. It goes back to the premise of “the body goes where the nose goes,” so he’s using his face as a directional indicator. As he pinches the elbow and steps in, he keeps the underhook tight, pressures in with his hips, and brings his opponent over their trapped arm. Ivanov keeps his stance at near shoulder width, which is suitable for a lateral drop as opposed to a throw that exposes the back. Once he hits the throw, he doesn’t let his opponent turn over or get away. Instead, he keeps the trapped arm and threads his legs to get on top for a pin or submission.
Make your throws more memorable with the pinched elbow lateral drop from Georgi Ivanov. By trapping the arm, stepping in deep with an underhook, and using their momentum to take them off their feet, you can turn a simple 2-on-1 tie into a picture-perfect takedown. Check out The 2-On-1 Encyclopedia By Georgi Ivanov!