Technique Spotlight: The Body Lock

For most casual MMA fans, wrestling is a maddening aspect of the sport because it lacks the action you get when two strikers stand toe-to-toe. But it’s not going anywhere because of the role wrestling plays in the sport today. Wrestling may not be flashy, but it is effective; at the end of the day the fighter who can control were the fight takes place, is the fighter whose hand is raised at the end of the night.

When it comes to controlling an opponent, few are more superior than wrestlers. That’s what wrestling is all about at its core. Wrestling is about imposing your will onto your opponent and forcing them to go where you want them to go. One of the most effective tools for establishing control is the body lock.

There’s nothing fancy or complicated about the body lock and that’s the beauty of it; effectiveness through simplicity. It doesn’t get much simpler that clasping your hands around the body of your opponent, which is all the body lock really is.

From the body lock, a fighter can transition to numerous takedown techniques; they can drop their level to a double leg, they can perform a simple throw, or they can get fancy and hit a suplex, but the most effective move off of the body lock is a simple trip.

Again, the body lock to trip combination isn’t going to be on anyone’s highlight reel, but if you are looking to wear your opponent down and get them to the mat, this technique needs to be in your arsenal.

Fighters like Phil Davis, Dan Henderson and Daniel Cormier have all used the body lock and its variations with great success in the sport. And no matter how much the sport continues to evolve, the basics like the body lock will always continue to be successful.

Checkout the ‘Body Lock’ here