An old Submission Hold - The Crucifix

Arm bars, chokes, and leg locks are all very common techniques in submission wrestling and MAA fights. Usually when an opponent tries to submit you, he/she is usually looking for one of these. But then there are unusual submissions which are used. The crucifix is one of these.

With submission fighting becoming ever more popular, people are getting better at it, which in turn allows them to defend better against the common techniques. The crucifix is something that can come as a shock to your opponent as it is something that is rarely done. It is not a new technique. It can be seen in the opening fight of Bruce Lee’s film, Enter the Dragon. Lee uses it to get a submission from his opponent, and win the fight. To carry out the technique, basically you have to hold your opponent’s shoulders back while cranking the head forward towards his/her chest, placing pressure on the neck and spine and forcing the submission. It can be done whilst holding your opponents arms with your legs and pulling his head with your hands. Personally I prefer the method shown in Ken Shamrock’s book, Inside the Lions Den. To carry out the technique, you have to have one of your arms around the back of your opponents head (like in preparation for a guillotine choke) then place it under his/her armpit, keeping your opponents head under your own armpit. From here you wrap your other arm under his/her other armpit (ending up with double under hooks) then you hold your hands together. Leaning or sitting backwards places pressure on your opponent’s neck and forces the submission.

This technique is especially useful when used in defence from a shoot, a pickup technique or when your opponent is working punches to the body from in close. Also, when performing the crucifix in this fashion, if it fails, you should be left in a dominating position, possibly allowing for a guillotine choke.

Marks

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