Wrestling

Snap Down Technique in Wrestling: Simple, Low-Risk, High-Reward

Learn the snap down from the underhook with Jon Trenge. Why the underhook snap beats the collar tie, how to chain it off failed leg attacks, and the misdirection finish to take the back.

By Scott Sullivan

FREE PREVIEW Snap Down From the Underhook
Jon Trenge teaches the snap down from the underhook position — why it works better than a collar tie snap and how to chain it off failed leg attacks.
From How To Dominate From The Clinch — part of the Jon Trenge's Complete Wrestling System

Most guys learn the snap down from a collar tie. Head behind the neck, yank down. Jon Trenge says forget it. The collar tie snap barely works because the thing you're pulling on -- his head -- can move. If he slips his head, you've got nothing.

The underhook snap down is a different animal entirely.

Trenge's logic is simple: you can't move your shoulder the way you move your head. When you hook that underhook and pull the shoulder down, he's going to the mat. His body has no choice but to follow.

Here's where it gets good. This isn't a standalone move -- it chains directly off failed leg attacks. You shoot a single or an inside trip, he backs out, and now you're sitting there with an underhook. Perfect position. Just hook it deep and back up. That backward pull drags him right down to his hands and knees.

Once he's down, Trenge teaches a detail most people skip. Grab the chin, keep your elbow tight to your side. If your elbow flares out, he ducks under and you lose him. Elbow tight. That's your security blanket.

And the misdirection finish is the real technique. Once you've got him down, don't go the obvious direction -- his posting hand is there waiting. Switch your hand to the other side of his head and circle the opposite way. It confuses him long enough to take the back before he can roll through.

Works from the clinch too. You break the clinch going for that single, he backs away, your hand becomes a huge hook. Pull him to the center of his triangle -- the dead spot between his feet where he has zero base.

For more wrestling takedown entries and chain attacks, check out our wrestling takedowns fundamentals guide. Get the full system in Jon Trenge's Complete Wrestling System.

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