Whip Your Opponent to The Mat with Adam Wheeler
As much as we brag about a beautiful shot or pin, there’s just something mystifying about a good toss. Being able to launch your opponent from their feet to the mat not only requires proper strength and technique but also perfect timing. For freestyle and Greco-Roman, this can be your way to build up points emphatically. For folkstyle, this can be your ticket to a five-point move that leads right into the pin.
No matter what variation of wrestling you’re in, the toss is a versatile weapon when you need success quickly. Yet not every toss is the same, as it depends on your set-up and your opponent’s body type. With his patented move the “Wheeler Whip,” Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling extraordinaire Adam Wheeler walks you through his famous toss in the video below.
Wheeler starts off the move by grabbing his partner’s right arm with his right hand and grabbing their right triceps with his left. This is an effective way to begin to close the distance, which you will need in order to hit the toss. From there, Wheeler hits an arm drag by bringing his right hand from the wrist to the triceps and pulling his partner in, cutting an angle as he does so.
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Having an angle like this is crucial for the move as it forces the opponent to move in to square up. Squaring up corkscrews their body and essentially locks their arm in place. While this is going on, Wheeler is bringing his left hand over his partner’s back and latching onto their right armpit. It’s important to note that the your hand positioning here determines how effective the move will go. While having your non-dragging arm wrap around the waist may seem like a good idea in theory, grabbing the armpit gives you more of a handle. Plus, it also affects the nerves right in that area that can also elicit movement.
The throw itself comes from the twisting motion you create on your opponent by pulling the arm drag one direction and pulling their armpit another way. This concept of opposing forces takes the opponent off-balance and lessens the load on their feet. As shown in the video, as Wheeler twists his partner he arches back over his shoulder to finish the whip. Wheeler lands on top of his opponent with one arm still trapped. In consideration of the folkstyle ruleset, this finish is perfect as it does not bring the opponent over the head (which would be illegal) and is considered safer. You can follow up with this move by working for a pinning combination or working for more back points. If you are in jiu-jitsu, trapping the arm could lead straight into an armbar set-up or a Darce choke.
Knowing how to toss your opponent is a lost art when there are countless videos and discussions on double leg and single leg takedowns. However, the Wheeler Whip makes it a piece of cake with a move that uses opposing forces, a clean arm drag, and a safe finish that leaves your opponent staring at the lights.
Adam Wheeler’s patented move is perfect for those who want to win the match with style. Upper Body Takedowns For Wrestling By Adam Wheeler is packed to the brim with GEMS like the Wheeler Whip!