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Underhooks
Utilizing underhooks is one of my personal favorite ways to attack takedowns. Not only are there many attacks from underhooks but many of the attacks are not risky to go for. Another reason I love utilizing underhooks is because many of the attacks from an underhook are easy to chain together.
In terms of using them in submission grappling and jiu jitsu many of the attacks from an underhook offer minimal back exposure making the user less likely to get caught in a back take.
The main disadvantage with underhooks however is when one struggles to get to an underhook a huge part of their offense is stifled, making getting to an underhook an essential art to understand.
I've made an entire YouTube playlist breaking down underhooks so let's take a look at the various parts of an underhook.
Fundamentals
Let's start with the fundamentals of an underhook explained in this video by chael sonnen
I would talk more about the fundamentals of an underhook but this video covers it greatly.
Entries
The next part I want to get into is getting to an underhook.
Getting to an underhook is an essential thing to master when one plans on utilizing an underhook. There are many ways to get to an underhook but here are some videos explaining how to get to one.
These are just a couple of ways of getting to an underhook. But regardless of what entry you use to get to an underhook the key element is about getting past your opponents guarding arm. Your opponent's guarding arm is on the same side as the one you want to get your underhook on. A general rule for hand fighting in general is that you want to get past your opponents elbows before you begin your real attack. And this rule not only applies to underhooks but also arms drags the Russian two on one and other offensive hand fighting positions.
Getting past your opponent's elbow should be your second goal with hand fighting; your first should be to establish feints, collar tie snaps, and other offensive actions to disrupt your opponent. Once you use those tools you can transition to your tie up position such as an underhook.
Attacks from an underhook
In this section I want to go over four main attacks from an underhook, the punch single leg, ankle pick or knee pick, the high crotch or high c, and the hip toss
However before you attack one of the first maneuvers you want to use when attacking with an underhook is called a throw by. A throw by is basically suddenly elevating your underhook throwing it in the air. What this does is it prevents your opponent from tightening up their overhook if you go to attack. Clearing a direct path for your own attack
Here are some raw footage examples of wrestlers utilizing a throw by from an underhook to get to different attacks.
But now let's get into the specific attack options you have from an underhook.
The first attack I want to go over is the punch single leg explained in this video below.
This attack from an underhook is one of the most fundamental and basic attacks from an underhook. As seen in the video it revolves around utilizing a throw by and stepping behind the opponent to create a clear path to your opponents legs from your underhook on the same side.
Here's another video explaining the same technique
The next attack from an underhook is an ankle pick or knee pick. As seen below.
This attack revolves around pressuring your opponent with your underhook by pushing it towards the leg you are attacking and pulling their ankle or knee towards you, removing their posting leg. This attack can be done from collar tie as well but it also offers little to no back exposure specifically when attacking with a knee pick.
Here are two clips of grappler Gordon Ryan utilizing the knee pick.
In both examples with Gordon Ryan he obtains an underhook with his right arm before attacking his opponent's opposite side leg at the knee.
Now a key difference to note between an ankle pick and a knee pick is the amount of back exposure that can potentially happen when going for an ankle pick. In general a rule to follow is that an ankle pick will potentially expose your back more than a knee pick making the knee pick generally a safer option.
This next attack from an underhook is what's called a high crotch or high c, seen in the vid below.
https://youtu.be/1NANkR91Mp0?si=aQhmiHJzXIVDK6v-
As demonstrated in the video the guy doing the high crotch will first use their underhook to pressure and push their opponent. And because your opponent doesn't want you to push them to set up an attack they will likely push back at you. However this technique relies on that very action from them by using the momentum of them pushing back at you. you can use the momentum of them pushing back at you to allow them to fall right into your high crotch. And this is a concept used all the time in wrestling that I will probably cover in a future breakdown.
The next example of an attack from an underhook is the hip toss as seen in this video with Henry cejudo.
https://youtu.be/HmojkDqXIK4?si=F6ZHS2CnXbA8qSiC
There are many attacks from an underhook but the hip toss is probably the most high risk out of all of them. The reason is that not only do throws inherently require much commitment to be successful but in many cases if a throw fails to takedown your opponent it will be hard to recover or chain the failed throw into a different attack. But however the underhook plays a distinct role in this throw.
By using your underhook to elevate and throw your opponent it makes it much harder for them to lock their hands and counter your throw with a bodylock.
The key element with all of these techniques is that as long you maintain your underhook you can chain these attacks together seamlessly. Meaning if you try one attack and it fails as long your underhook is maintained you can seamlessly transition to another attack immediately after the first one fails.
Other attacks
Now I want to get into some other attacks from an underhook. The first subject I want to cover in the other attacks from an underhook is the pinch headlock. The pinch headlock is a position that requires you to have an underhook on one side. This position can be easily obtained from an underhook and can be utilized as options to attack from an underhook. The pinch headlock can also be used to make your underhook more secure and stable. So here is a video talking about using the pinch headlock to set up a duck under.
https://youtu.be/poDBw78dnAU?si=lVi6oPSoejKBX0RR
The next attack from a pinch headlock is what is right now my personal favorite setup to a throw. And here is the video where I originally learned this technique.
https://youtu.be/0MRi94zwJq8?si=ZydZq-CDvcu-mbLm
The reason this technique in particular is right now my favorite setup to a throw is because many times when you end up trying to setup a throw if the throw fails you do not have any follow up attacks to go for, however this technique completely solves that issue.
You first attempt one kind of throw by elevating your underhook and if that throw fails you can actually use your opponent's defense against the first throw to help set up a second throw, using your higher arm to go for what I call a headlock throw.
Moving on from the pinch headlock this next attack shown by tito ortiz is really a simple one shown in this video below.
https://youtu.be/Yvum9Lvsy-0?si=5n6MHGRQxOUE7kIG
While this video is mainly about using an underhook and collar tie to obtain a front headlock the main thing to take away from this video is the beginning where tito explains how each technique is used to set up another attack. If he puts his opponent into a pinch headlock and his opponent pulls away he will attack with a knee pick. If his opponent knows he is going for a knee pick he will attack a single leg on the same side as his underhook. And if his opponent knows he is attacking a same side single leg then he will pull his opponent into a front headlock as shown in the video. Each attack can be easily chained together as I mentioned earlier. And when you are able to easily chain a failed attack into another attack your attacks will inherently become less risky to go for because you have a plan b already in place before your opponent goes to defend against your first attack.
The next option from an underhook is actually a variation of an arm drag shown by MMA legend Dan Henderson in this video below.
https://youtu.be/1d_Aujmva_4?si=P_5b0vUK6lnTV_E1
While this technique isn't a takedown it serves as a good alternative attack from an underhook that you can use to chain together with a different attack.
The next attack I want to get into is actually a move commonly used in the art of judo.
This attack is known as an uchi mata, and as shown in the video below it not only serves as a common throw in judo but also as a core position to set up a number of different moves.
https://youtu.be/DJ6Rs3Snjj4?si=fAubq4UMShMFoAMU
This video goes into not only the uchi mata throw itself but also the other offensive actions you have from the uchi mata position.
The uchi mata is basically a variation of a hip toss, but rather than using your hips as a wall for your opponent to roll over you use your leg on the same side as your underhook.
Although the uchi mata itself is a throw it can also be used as a position to set up other techniques which transitions to the next technique I want to show.
This next technique was shown in the previous video but this next video made by YouTuber Ramsey Dewey goes more in depth in the technique.
https://youtu.be/8BjdzYSCgl0?si=QFC74TtPI1erkZ9Z
This technique is about using an ankle pick or knee pick as an alternative finish to the uchi mata. You use your leg on the same side as your underhook to not only go for the uchi mata throw but to also alternatively clear a path to your opponent's opposite leg making way for your ankle pick or knee pick. Now in my opinion this technique works better with an ankle pick because an ankle pick requires less pressure from you in order to finish. There are two types of takedown finishes in grappling: running finishes and quick finishes. Running finishes are where you use your forward momentum to run your opponent into the ground, such as running the pipe, driving into a high crotch or running into your opponent with a knee pick. Quick finishes are where the takedown itself quickly takes your opponent to the mat giving little opportunities to counter or scramble, a perfect example of this would be a blast double leg, a quick mat return or a definitive throw.
Now in the case of this uchi mata set up to an ankle pick you want to use the ankle pick to score a quick finish because it is much harder to maintain consistent forwards pressure for a knee pick when you have one leg In the air for the uchi mata.
Utilizing underhooks is one of my personal favorite ways to attack takedowns. Not only are there many attacks from underhooks but many of the attacks are not risky to go for. Another reason I love utilizing underhooks is because many of the attacks from an underhook are easy to chain together.
In terms of using them in submission grappling and jiu jitsu many of the attacks from an underhook offer minimal back exposure making the user less likely to get caught in a back take.
The main disadvantage with underhooks however is when one struggles to get to an underhook a huge part of their offense is stifled, making getting to an underhook an essential art to understand.
I've made an entire YouTube playlist breaking down underhooks so let's take a look at the various parts of an underhook.
Fundamentals
Let's start with the fundamentals of an underhook explained in this video by chael sonnen
I would talk more about the fundamentals of an underhook but this video covers it greatly.
Entries
The next part I want to get into is getting to an underhook.
Getting to an underhook is an essential thing to master when one plans on utilizing an underhook. There are many ways to get to an underhook but here are some videos explaining how to get to one.
These are just a couple of ways of getting to an underhook. But regardless of what entry you use to get to an underhook the key element is about getting past your opponents guarding arm. Your opponent's guarding arm is on the same side as the one you want to get your underhook on. A general rule for hand fighting in general is that you want to get past your opponents elbows before you begin your real attack. And this rule not only applies to underhooks but also arms drags the Russian two on one and other offensive hand fighting positions.
Getting past your opponent's elbow should be your second goal with hand fighting; your first should be to establish feints, collar tie snaps, and other offensive actions to disrupt your opponent. Once you use those tools you can transition to your tie up position such as an underhook.
Attacks from an underhook
In this section I want to go over four main attacks from an underhook, the punch single leg, ankle pick or knee pick, the high crotch or high c, and the hip toss
However before you attack one of the first maneuvers you want to use when attacking with an underhook is called a throw by. A throw by is basically suddenly elevating your underhook throwing it in the air. What this does is it prevents your opponent from tightening up their overhook if you go to attack. Clearing a direct path for your own attack
Here are some raw footage examples of wrestlers utilizing a throw by from an underhook to get to different attacks.
But now let's get into the specific attack options you have from an underhook.
The first attack I want to go over is the punch single leg explained in this video below.
This attack from an underhook is one of the most fundamental and basic attacks from an underhook. As seen in the video it revolves around utilizing a throw by and stepping behind the opponent to create a clear path to your opponents legs from your underhook on the same side.
Here's another video explaining the same technique
The next attack from an underhook is an ankle pick or knee pick. As seen below.
This attack revolves around pressuring your opponent with your underhook by pushing it towards the leg you are attacking and pulling their ankle or knee towards you, removing their posting leg. This attack can be done from collar tie as well but it also offers little to no back exposure specifically when attacking with a knee pick.
Here are two clips of grappler Gordon Ryan utilizing the knee pick.
In both examples with Gordon Ryan he obtains an underhook with his right arm before attacking his opponent's opposite side leg at the knee.
Now a key difference to note between an ankle pick and a knee pick is the amount of back exposure that can potentially happen when going for an ankle pick. In general a rule to follow is that an ankle pick will potentially expose your back more than a knee pick making the knee pick generally a safer option.
This next attack from an underhook is what's called a high crotch or high c, seen in the vid below.
https://youtu.be/1NANkR91Mp0?si=aQhmiHJzXIVDK6v-
As demonstrated in the video the guy doing the high crotch will first use their underhook to pressure and push their opponent. And because your opponent doesn't want you to push them to set up an attack they will likely push back at you. However this technique relies on that very action from them by using the momentum of them pushing back at you. you can use the momentum of them pushing back at you to allow them to fall right into your high crotch. And this is a concept used all the time in wrestling that I will probably cover in a future breakdown.
The next example of an attack from an underhook is the hip toss as seen in this video with Henry cejudo.
https://youtu.be/HmojkDqXIK4?si=F6ZHS2CnXbA8qSiC
There are many attacks from an underhook but the hip toss is probably the most high risk out of all of them. The reason is that not only do throws inherently require much commitment to be successful but in many cases if a throw fails to takedown your opponent it will be hard to recover or chain the failed throw into a different attack. But however the underhook plays a distinct role in this throw.
By using your underhook to elevate and throw your opponent it makes it much harder for them to lock their hands and counter your throw with a bodylock.
The key element with all of these techniques is that as long you maintain your underhook you can chain these attacks together seamlessly. Meaning if you try one attack and it fails as long your underhook is maintained you can seamlessly transition to another attack immediately after the first one fails.
Other attacks
Now I want to get into some other attacks from an underhook. The first subject I want to cover in the other attacks from an underhook is the pinch headlock. The pinch headlock is a position that requires you to have an underhook on one side. This position can be easily obtained from an underhook and can be utilized as options to attack from an underhook. The pinch headlock can also be used to make your underhook more secure and stable. So here is a video talking about using the pinch headlock to set up a duck under.
https://youtu.be/poDBw78dnAU?si=lVi6oPSoejKBX0RR
The next attack from a pinch headlock is what is right now my personal favorite setup to a throw. And here is the video where I originally learned this technique.
https://youtu.be/0MRi94zwJq8?si=ZydZq-CDvcu-mbLm
The reason this technique in particular is right now my favorite setup to a throw is because many times when you end up trying to setup a throw if the throw fails you do not have any follow up attacks to go for, however this technique completely solves that issue.
You first attempt one kind of throw by elevating your underhook and if that throw fails you can actually use your opponent's defense against the first throw to help set up a second throw, using your higher arm to go for what I call a headlock throw.
Moving on from the pinch headlock this next attack shown by tito ortiz is really a simple one shown in this video below.
https://youtu.be/Yvum9Lvsy-0?si=5n6MHGRQxOUE7kIG
While this video is mainly about using an underhook and collar tie to obtain a front headlock the main thing to take away from this video is the beginning where tito explains how each technique is used to set up another attack. If he puts his opponent into a pinch headlock and his opponent pulls away he will attack with a knee pick. If his opponent knows he is going for a knee pick he will attack a single leg on the same side as his underhook. And if his opponent knows he is attacking a same side single leg then he will pull his opponent into a front headlock as shown in the video. Each attack can be easily chained together as I mentioned earlier. And when you are able to easily chain a failed attack into another attack your attacks will inherently become less risky to go for because you have a plan b already in place before your opponent goes to defend against your first attack.
The next option from an underhook is actually a variation of an arm drag shown by MMA legend Dan Henderson in this video below.
https://youtu.be/1d_Aujmva_4?si=P_5b0vUK6lnTV_E1
While this technique isn't a takedown it serves as a good alternative attack from an underhook that you can use to chain together with a different attack.
The next attack I want to get into is actually a move commonly used in the art of judo.
This attack is known as an uchi mata, and as shown in the video below it not only serves as a common throw in judo but also as a core position to set up a number of different moves.
https://youtu.be/DJ6Rs3Snjj4?si=fAubq4UMShMFoAMU
This video goes into not only the uchi mata throw itself but also the other offensive actions you have from the uchi mata position.
The uchi mata is basically a variation of a hip toss, but rather than using your hips as a wall for your opponent to roll over you use your leg on the same side as your underhook.
Although the uchi mata itself is a throw it can also be used as a position to set up other techniques which transitions to the next technique I want to show.
This next technique was shown in the previous video but this next video made by YouTuber Ramsey Dewey goes more in depth in the technique.
https://youtu.be/8BjdzYSCgl0?si=QFC74TtPI1erkZ9Z
This technique is about using an ankle pick or knee pick as an alternative finish to the uchi mata. You use your leg on the same side as your underhook to not only go for the uchi mata throw but to also alternatively clear a path to your opponent's opposite leg making way for your ankle pick or knee pick. Now in my opinion this technique works better with an ankle pick because an ankle pick requires less pressure from you in order to finish. There are two types of takedown finishes in grappling: running finishes and quick finishes. Running finishes are where you use your forward momentum to run your opponent into the ground, such as running the pipe, driving into a high crotch or running into your opponent with a knee pick. Quick finishes are where the takedown itself quickly takes your opponent to the mat giving little opportunities to counter or scramble, a perfect example of this would be a blast double leg, a quick mat return or a definitive throw.
Now in the case of this uchi mata set up to an ankle pick you want to use the ankle pick to score a quick finish because it is much harder to maintain consistent forwards pressure for a knee pick when you have one leg In the air for the uchi mata.
