Tomahawk Single Leg Finish With Logan Stieber
Just because you are able to secure the leg when you shoot a single leg doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to finish it. You see this happen all the time if you watch high level wrestling. One guy will shoot in on a deep shot only to have their opponent defend it and they end up with nothing. It is a lot of wasted energy to get in on a shot and not score any points from it.
When you shoot a single leg, one of the most common ways people try to defend it is by putting a whizzer in and moving their leg to the outside position. From here, it can be very difficult to finish and often times you will see both wrestlers end up down on the mat and the action is stopped by the referee because of a stalemate, but the reason you took the shot isn’t to get a stalemate, it was to earn a takedown. From this position, one great finish you can use, so you don’t end up in a stalemate, is a tomahawk finish.
Logan Stieber is one of the greatest college wrestlers of all time. During his time at Ohio State, he won four NCAA championships then after college went on to win a world title. Stieber really liked to use an outside sweep single which often put him in the exact situation previously mentioned. In order to finish his single leg, he would use a tomahawk finish. Check out this video where he demonstrates how he likes to do it.
As you can see in the video, this is a great way to finish a single leg when your opponent puts their leg in the outside position. Here are some important takeaways from the video. First, in order to hit this finish, you must secure the leg nice and high. You can actually see at one point Steiber pops the leg up higher. That will also help to take pressure away from the whizzer. The next step is to hit the front trip. When you hit the front trip, you do it anticipating they will pop back up.
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Right when they pop back up, you are going to sweep their planted foot out of the way with your foot and come across with your opposite side forearm and tomahawk chop at the neck. Watch how Stieber faces his opponent right when he pops back up. Also pay attention to how he sweeps the leg and chops the head at the same time. Make sure when you chop at the neck, you are not winding up and clubbing them with your forearm.
This is a very effective way to finish a single leg when your opponent posts it on the outside. If you would like to learn more about takedowns from one of the best college wrestlers in the history of the NCAA, be sure to check out Stieber’s in depth video series titled “World Championship Takedowns by Logan Stieber”.