Seat Belt Turn by Hudson Taylor
If you know how to leg ride, you have a considerable advantage over your opponent. What used to be a position reserved for long-limbed wrestlers has exploded into a dominant ride that stretches anyone out for a more systematic pin. However, like all things, there is a downside to this unique technique. As people began to get exposed to leg riding on a consistent basis, the emphasis on beating this tedious ride increased, specifically with hip pressure and clearing the legs. The proverbial cat-and-mouse game of establishing the leg ride vs. defeating the leg ride continues on with the next generation of wrestlers.
Melodramatics aside, you do not have to settle for your leg ride being defeated if the opponent hip heists. To demonstrate how to do this, former Columbia University wrestling coach Hudson Taylor explains in the video below how to hit the seat belt turn from the leg ride.
Establishing Legs and the Defense
In order to weave your legs in for a leg ride, you need to create space between the opponent’s arms and hips. Taylor does this well by starting a spiral ride immediately. He brings the hand that was grabbing the opponent’s elbow under their armpit while using his other hand to pull the opponent’s hips open. This gives him the space necessary to slide his near-side leg in and tuck his foot beside their shin. While this is a good start, the opponent knows that they need to prevent Taylor from bringing in his other leg. A common defense, as shown in the video, is to hit a hip heist on the side with the trapped leg in order to break their base. This is a bad position to be in, as your opponent now has higher hip positioning and can look to swim their leg out and follow through on top.
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Seat Belt Turn
Once Taylor is down on his hip, he does not look to posture back up. Instead, he brings his far-side arm over the opponent’s shoulder and brings his near-side arm under the armpit to lock. As he points out in the video, as long as his leg is laced around his opponent’s leg, he still has control. From there, Taylor can pull his opponent across to the mat. You can pinch your knees together and hold your opponent for back points. However, there is a follow-up move you can use.
Pin Your Opponent
Getting back points is great, but finishing the match is the better way to put an exclamation point on it all. After you expose your opponent’s back, they will be looking to turn to their stomach away from you. Taylor’s approach is to wait for them to post on their arm and follow them up on top, sliding his arm in for a power half-nelson. As his opponent turns back over, he slides his legs out to get perpendicular.
Improve your leg riding skills by knowing what to expect defensively. The seat belt turn, as shown by Hudson Taylor, is an easy counter to your opponent’s hip pressure and keeps you right on track for the victory. If you want more Hudson Taylor check out Magic Mat Work by the man himself!