Golden Rule of Wrestling: Don’t shoot with your head down
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One of the Golden rules of wrestling that my former wrestling coach, @john_galt_speaking , told me was “Don’t shoot with your head down.”
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@benaskren , who had wrestled in the Olympics broke the rule this weekend. In the sport of wrestling a shot is tactical movement to get to the hips of the opponent. A wrestler will have a lower stance and the classic movement is to drop their level first to get underneath then penetrate the opponent’s stance to get control of the hips. If someone shoots with their head down then the defender’s response, a sprawl, will be easier.
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In fighting a wrestler has to get past a variety of strikes (punches, kicks, knees) before they can get the hips. This makes the rule even more important. If you shoot with your head down you are vulnerable to blows that you will not be able to see coming. This is where set ups are crucial.
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In the case of Ben Askren his opponent, @gamebredfighter , jumping into a flying knee. Askren’s first response was to dive down… right into his opponent’s knee, which resulted in a KO.
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Prior to this fight Askren was undefeated, so it is unfair to comment on his fight IQ. His diving shot tactic had worked well in the past, however Masvidal was ready for this tactic and had the perfect answer.
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Askren’s tactic worked for many years until now when it didn’t work. It is a good reminder to grapplers to set up their takedown, keep the head up and to enter the hips correctly.
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Animation: @danirarte