Whizzer
Defense · Standing
A defence that turns their shot at open distance into a front headlock. Use it as soon as they shoot and get an underhook or a single leg. Overhook their underhooking arm high over the shoulder, deep toward the armpit with your hand on their far lat or belt, turn your hip into them and step the trapped leg back and out, keeping the far leg away from their hands. Drive your weight through the overhook onto their shoulder and head from the planted foot, and push the head down and away with the free hand until the shot dies. The whizzer is the hip, not the arm: hanging on the arm gives them your weight. If they switch to a double leg, sprawl.
How to do it
- As they shoot and get an underhook or a single leg, overhook the underhooking arm high over the shoulder, reaching deep toward the armpit, your hand on their far lat or belt.
- Turn your hip into them and step the trapped leg back and out, keeping the far leg back and away from their hands.
- Drive your weight through the overhook onto their shoulder and head, pushing back into them from the planted foot rather than hanging on the arm.
- Push their head down and away with the free hand, so their posture breaks and the shot loses its drive.
- When the shot dies, spin behind or snap to a front headlock.
Key details
- The whizzer is the hip, not the arm: turn the hip into them, so their shoulder no longer drives into your belly.
- Overhook deep, your hand on their far lat or belt: a shallow grip at the elbow is lifted off.
- Keep the far leg back: a leg close to them gets picked up.
- Keep the whizzer active: move the hips, drive the shoulder down, control the head with the free hand.
- Do not hang all your weight on it; stay on a strong base and drive back with the planted foot.
Common mistakes
- A shallow overhook at the elbow. — They lift the elbow and keep driving. — Reach over the shoulder to the armpit.
- Standing square. — Their shoulder drives into your belly and you fall. — Turn the hip into them and sprawl the leg back.
- Only pushing down. — They stay attached and wait for you to tire. — Use the pressure to spin out or snap down.
If they defend
- They lift the leg high to finish. → Hop close, keep the whizzer and turn into them.
How to drill it
Partner shoots slowly for a single; you whizzer and step out, 10 each side. Then live 30-second rounds from the single leg.
Safety
Do not throw your whole weight onto the neck with a whizzer: pressure goes through the shoulder.
What comes next
Where it comes from