underhook

[ironchef]

Hi Burton,

I know you like the underhook more than overhook.
Like wrestlers like to get the inside position with the underhook.
I find it easier to get the overhook and do more techniques with it. It seems a lot harder to get the underhook and do techniques.
Is the underhook that much more an advantage over the overhook? It seems to be very difficult to get an underhook against a well trained opponent.

Thanks,
Ironchef

[Jim McRae]

Ryôri no Tetsujin:
In the classes here in Honolulu, both Burton and Herb teach almost as many techniques from the overhook as they do from the underhook. As you may know, a lot of the underhooking techniques in the JKDU curriculum come from Greco Roman wrestling, particularly from the techniques that Randy Couture has shared with us. Some of the advantages of the underhook that make it (at least) as useful as the overhook are:
1) it allows you to get to your opponent's back easily (by swimming under or shot-putting the arm)
2) it sets up the pinch headlock (and the associated throws)
3) it's an excellent reversal for the overhook
4) it is a good way to hold and hit/knee
5) it's a good way to set up single leg takedowns
6) there are a lot of JKD and Greco-Roman throws that specifically call for an underhook (death grip, puda capala, helicopter, etc)

In sparring, I find that if I am closing the distance on my opponent and initiating a clinch, I tend to get an overhook (this may be because I am taller than most of my opponents). However, once I am in the clinch, or if my opponent initated the clinch, I will often get an underhook (again, I am taller, so my opponents must bring their elbows up and away from their bodies to reach my head, exposing the underhook). Here are a few ways to initiate the underhook from inside clinching range:
1) From a right collar-tie, it is often easy to swim under the opponents right arm (the one on your neck) with your left arm to get an underhook (you can do this by either clubbing the head down with your right hand or wam-pak-saoing his right elbow).
2) If you have your opponent's right arm overhooked with your left and he positions his head on the "wrong" side (his head is to your left), you can underhook his left arm with your right and abandon the overhook.
3) You can get the underhook from inside the thai clinch by plumbing (or wam-pak-saoing) your opponent's right elbow to the outside with your right palm and then underhooking that arm with your left arm.
4) As you probably know, when you have your opponent in the thai clinch, it is easy to draw his arms out with knees to the body/groin/face and then transition to the underhook.
But hey, you're right, if the guy is an experienced grappler, he will keep his elbows in and make it difficult to underhook him.
5) From a right collar tie, shrug your opponent's right arm off to get an outside 2-on-1, then underhook with your left arm (by swimming over the top of his right arm and weaving back under).

Take care and train hard,
Jim McRae

[Burton]

Good answer Jim,
The underhook takes a lot of practice to get the feel of it, but once you do it is very valuable. If you are underhooked, you can manipulate the opponent's body more than from an over hook, and you can drop to leg attacks from an underhook. If you have the overhook, you can't drop without first letting go of the overhook, and then changing levels. The underhook has many options, as Jim pointed out, and if you are overhooked you basically give your opponent the underhook. We need to work both, especially with stickfighting where you will often first overhook the stick arm to control it. Keep working on both, and feel how to use them both interchangeably. Best way to train it is to spar it!