Fighting the opponent's Collar Tie (from September 2007)

One of my pet peeves when watching matches, is seeing an athlete allow his opponent to control him by hanging on the head. The reason it bugs me so much is, against the majority of athletes, its just way too easy to not only counteract the collar tie, but use it against your opponent to give you a scoring opportunity.

There are many ways to fight the collar tie. One is the "Clear the Elbow" drill, as we call it. Get his elbow with the same-side hand - put your thumb on top and your fingers underneath. Then shrug your shoulders. At this point, you should already have his offense shut down! If done right, he should not be able to lower that arm for an attack. You now have the advantage. To finish it off, circle into his collar tie, then punch his arm down to the mat while you level change.

There is also the "Snap and Crowd." As he is snapping, you are moving into him, putting your forehead (not the top of the head) in the slot and crowding him. You are getting his elbow, just as above.