Inside Trip Off The Body Lock For MMA With Benson Henderson
When we look at MMA, we notice that the grappling is unique and different; unlike traditional grappling sports (BJJ, Wrestling, Judo…), where it is pure grappling on an open mat, MMA allows us to strike and use the cage walls to our advantage.
Most MMA fighters coming from grappling sports are surprised when they get into MMA and cannot find success as they are neutralized when the opponent glues them to the cage, strikes them, and uses the gloves to secure wedges and establish their own control over them.
So we know that MMA grappling is a unique skill we must develop if we want to succeed, and it doesn’t matter if we are strikers or grapplers. The training program of an MMA athlete involves a lot of cage work and unique skills to make us very effective under the rules.
In the next section, we will look at one of the best grappling skills to develop in MMA - The body lock. Unlike the traditional sports where the body lock is not as effective, in MMA, it is an essential skill to develop.
The body lock allows us to control the opponent and quickly push him to the cage, where we can glue his back to the wall and chop down his base for easy takedowns. Even when the opponent escapes the cage, we can keep the body lock on and use it to take him down or establish a better position.
Remember, we are talking about grappling for MMA, and fighters who can make that distinction will successfully carry on their fighting skills from the mat to the MMA cage. Still, it is not just grapplers who benefit from MMA grappling; strikers too can close the skill gap against grapplers pretty quickly, only focusing on this small aspect of grappling that will keep them safe in the cage.
In this video, Benson Henderson will show us how to chain our takedowns off the body lock and get an inside trip takedown.
Who Is Benson Henderson?
Benson Henderson is a professional MMA fighter and a former UFC and WEC lightweight champion. Benson became one of the most famous figures in MMA after beating some of the best fighters on the planet - Frankie Edgar, Donald Cerrone, Nate Diaz, and Jorge Masvidal. Over the years, Benson had many ups and downs, but he always showed up and gave the fans a show. Nowadays, Benson is still fighting at 37 at Bellator MMA, where fans can still enjoy an old-school legend like him.
Want More From Benson Henderson? Click Learn More!
Inside Trip Set Up From The Body Lock
In this video, Benson Henderson will show us a technique out of his Body Lock series where he will fake the outside throw into the inside trip when the opponent steps back in defense.
So, we start in the body lock position, where we have one hand under the arm and the second arm wraps around the opponent’s hand for the body lock. Now, we will step around his leg on the over hook side and threaten a throw, but as he defends the throw by stepping back, we will go for an easy inside trip on the second leg.
Notice that as the opponent steps back, we have the opportunity to perform an outside throw again on the second leg that stays behind. Also, when you look for the outside throw, don’t forget to spin your opponent, making him step forward so we can have a smooth entry on the throw.
Now for the mechanics of the inside trip - when we go for the inside trip, we open our hips so we can sneak our way in between his legs and sit on our knee, trapping the foot and closing our hips (rotating our hips, so they are frontal) as quickly as we can for a successful takedown.
Now to wrap up the whole setup for the takedown, let’s break it down into simple steps:
- Pull our opponent, so he steps in closer
- Threaten the outside throw
- As the opponent pulls his leg back, go for the inside trip on the second leg and get the takedown
Learn More From Benson Henderson
If you liked this technique from the body lock, you can get the entire series and fill in the gaps so you can take everybody down off the body lock; check out “Working The Cage And Walls In MMA” available exclusively on Dynamic Striking.