Whizzer

What it is

The whizzer is the answer to an underhook: your arm goes over the opponent's underhooking arm and clamps it against your side, with your elbow pulling up and back. It stops the underhook from lifting you and gives you the leverage to turn them. From top half guard it lets you drive the crossface and flatten them back out; standing, it defends takedowns and sets up throws.

When to use it

• In top half guard or during a pass, when they get the underhook and start coming up.
• Standing, when they take an underhook to lift or to shoot for a takedown.
• In a scramble where they are driving under your arm toward your back.

How to do it

1. As their arm comes under yours, bring your arm over the top of it and wrap it at the elbow or upper arm.
2. Clamp the arm tight against your ribs with your elbow pulled back and up, as if lifting their shoulder.
3. Drive your hip forward and into them on the whizzer side, keeping your weight over the trapped arm.
4. Add the crossface with the other arm or shoulder, so their head turns away as the whizzer pulls.
5. Use the lift of the whizzer to flatten them in half guard, or to turn them over into a throw if standing.

Key details

• Elbow up and back, not down. A whizzer that hangs down is just an overhook that they lift through.
• Hips in, weight on the trapped arm. The whizzer alone is not enough without your weight behind it.
• Pair it with the crossface. Whizzer and crossface together flatten almost anyone.
• Standing, keep your hips square and heavy so the underhook cannot turn you.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: leaning over the whizzer. They pull you forward and take the back or roll you over it.
• Mistake: whizzer with no hip pressure. They keep the underhook, come up to their knees and you are in a scramble.
• Mistake: clamping the hand instead of the arm. They slide the arm free and the underhook is back.

What they will try

• They limp arm out of the whizzer by dropping the shoulder and pulling the arm straight down and through.
• They use the whizzer against you with a roll or a hip heist, pulling your arm over as they turn.
• Standing, they switch to a different grip or double leg when the whizzer takes their arm.