Collar Drag
Transition · Standing
Pull the collar down and past you while you step to the side, and go behind them.
How to do it
- Take a collar grip on the back of their neck and a sleeve grip.
- Wait for them to lean or step forward into you; if they stand tall, push into them first and drag as they push back.
- Step your foot on the collar side out to the side and back at about 45°, turning your hips, your feet tracing a quarter circle around them.
- As you step, pull the collar down and past your hip, the elbow low, while the sleeve hand pushes their arm away from you. Their head goes where you were.
- Let go of the sleeve, keep the collar, come behind them and lock your hands around the waist.
Key details
- You move, they fall: the drag is a step off the line, not a pull toward you. It uses their forward pressure; against someone leaning back it does nothing.
- Keep the elbow of the collar arm low so the pull goes down, not across.
- Step off the line at about 45°, your feet tracing a quarter circle around them, not straight back.
- The hands pull in opposite directions: the collar to your hip, their arm away from you. That turns their shoulders and opens the back.
- Keep the collar grip until you have the back or the takedown.
Common mistakes
- Pulling without stepping. — They stay square in front of you and simply pull their head back up. — Step off the line first; the pull happens with the step, so they fall into the space you left.
- Dragging while they stand tall. — Their head does not come forward, so there is nothing to drag past you. — Push into them first and drag at the moment they push back.
- Stopping at their side. — From the side they turn back and face you before you lock anything. — Keep moving until your chest touches their back and your hands are locked around the waist.
How to drill it
Ten drags each side on a partner who leans on you; then five with a partner who pushes randomly, so you have to feel the moment.
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