Wrestling Beast's blog

Submission wrestling can be difficult to grasp for someone without previous experience. The object of the exercise is to submit your opponent, but how does a newbie learn to do that? Watching professional wrestling is somewhat helpful, but many of the common moves have no practical place in a competitive match or are way too dangerous. Amateur wrestling concentrates on pinning someone, achieving advantageous positions and escaping from disadvantageous ones.

Watching MMA fights can lead to some instruction, but unless you have some training, pulling off those moves can be dangerous or futile. A rear-naked choke is designed to slow down the blood stream so your opponent will tap out before he loses consciousness. It is not a breath/windpipe choke, and you must pay close attention to how it is applied and how your opponent reacts. True blood loss to the brain leads to brain damage or stroke, so you need to know how to use it.

Joining an MMA dojo is an excellent way to learn how to submit people and avoid it yourself. However, you may not have one near where you live, you cannot afford to join, or you just don't like the structure of a martial arts class. Japanese Jui-jitsu dojos are another option, but Judo is generally a standing up martial art. Any martial arts experience, such as Karate, is helpful.

So, how do you start to learn submission? By learning how you can make people submit. Think of ways to cause someone else pain within the parameters of the rules agreed upon. Most joints only go so far in one direction. Push and pull them to find out how far your opponent's go. If body blows are okay, then pound away. If you are fighting an experienced opponent, ask them to show you some moves. Bearhugs and body scissors look nice, but are not very effective unless you make contact with ribs or the spine. Head scissors should squeeze the neck or jaw. Nelsons can be very effective if you lock one in.

If you are a big guy like me, you can use your weight to control your opponent and make him give up opportunities. Obviously you need to be on top and stay on top of your opponent. Let him waste energy trying to squirm out from under you. A gut like mine can be used to slam opponents or to suffocate them. Keep an opponent in a hopeless situation long enough and they may submit just to get out of it. But the most important thing is to practice, preferably with multiple opponents.