Issue 097

January 2013

More lifts, tilts and trips. This time FO shows you how to land an indomitable double-leg

Pete Irving is a professional welterweight fighter and Fighters Only’s resident fight expert.

A major mistake in shooting doubles is to consider that taking hold of the legs is the objective. This mentality leads to athletes pausing once this is accomplished and then considering the finish. An integral part of the shot is knocking the hips back by driving through the shot. I recommend warming up by simply shooting doubles without finishing to ensure you are not underpenetrating (stepping short of the target) which leads to a failure to knock the opponent’s hips back, and subsequently being sprawled on, or worse, exposing the neck to an attack.

Choosing the finish in advance in a live situation is an error. The opponent’s reaction to the initial hit should signal to the athlete who has drilled correctly which type of finish to employ: a lift, tilt or trip. The following are examples of those finishes.

DOUBLE-LEG-PICK-UP: LIFT

1. Pete (left) and Joel square off.

2. Pete level changes from the legs, not the waist.

3. Pete steps in between Joel’s legs, hitting him in the stomach with his shoulder.

4. Grasping the back of the thighs with a false grip (using more wrist than hand), Pete drives upwards with his legs.

5. Pete swings Joel’s legs aside.

6. Pete turns Joel to the mat.

7. In this variation, Pete keeps Joel’s ankles elevated to stop him from scrambling up. 8. Pete wraps up a leg lace to tilt him on his shoulders or attack with a leglock.

LATERAL DRIVE: TILT

1. Pete and Joel square off.

2. Pete level changes.

3. As Pete hits Joel’s hips, Joel’s rear leg moves back slightly.

4. Pete’s lead leg overtakes Joel’s trail leg, providing a barrier to tilt him over.

5. Pete flares the nearside leg.

6. Pete drives across Joel’s stance, pushing with his head against Joel’s hip, tipping him over the leg.

7. Pete keeps his trail leg posted on the mat as he pins, in order to elevate Joel’s ankles and beat the initial scramble.

TRIP FINISH

1. Pete and Joel square off.

2. Pete level changes.

3. Pete shoots between Joel’s legs.

4. Pete continues to drive and get lower still by sliding the lead knee to the mat. Note the grip slides lower still to the backs of the calves.

5. Pete hooks his trail leg around Joel’s lead leg to prevent him from stepping back.

6. Pete uses the weight of his body to push Joel over. Note that he keeps Joel’s heels elevated to prevent the scramble.