Ankle Pick Low Single

According to John Smith, you should hit a low single from a distance where you can comfortably palm your opponent's head—this minimizes the number of setups needed and relies more on reading your opponent's movement and instinct.

John Smith emphasizes that you should shoot straight in rather than down, and focus on reaching out to snatch the far ankle with your hand rather than shooting your entire body into the leg.

Once you've penetrated, plant your trail leg with your knee down (not pointing up), keep your head down on the leg throughout the finish, and use your head to cave your opponent in over the shot rather than trying to sweep the ankle with your hand.

John Smith explains that when you penetrate below the knee, it's easy for your opponent to go around you or score defensively, so you need to be technically sound and position yourself by splitting your opponent's body with half your body to the outside.

The Ankle Pick Low Single is a hybrid genus combining low single-leg mechanics with ankle pick finishing, where the attacker drops low to capture the opponent's ankle and pulls it forward while driving the head and shoulder into the opponent's leg to collapse their base. The attack starts with a deep level change targeting the ankle, then transitions into an ankle pick motion — scooping the foot off the mat while the upper body drives forward.

The ankle pick low single represents the fusion of two distinct wrestling techniques, developed by practitioners who chained them together for a more complete attack. The combination has been widely adopted in freestyle wrestling and MMA.

IJF: запрещён — Banned since 2010 leg grab prohibition — direct hansoku-make for touching opp…; IBJJF: разрешён — Legal at all belt levels, scored as takedown (2 points); UWW: ограничен — Legal in freestyle (2-4 points), banned in Greco-Roman (no attacks below waist); Unified MMA: разрешён — Legal takedown technique; ADCC: разрешён — Legal, scored 2-4 points in second half of match; FIAS Sport Sambo: разрешён — Legal — all takedowns permitted; FIAS Combat Sambo: разрешён — Legal; NCAA Folkstyle: разрешён — Legal, scored as takedown (2 points)

Оценка опасности 3/10. Moderate — single leg is one of the safest takedowns; controlled descent (John Smith methodology)

Стандартная цепочка подготовки: Establish Contact → Create Off-Balance → Execute the Takedown → Follow to Ground.

Стандартные контрприёмы: Sprawl — drop hips back and drive weight down to stuff the takedown attempt / Underhook — establish inside position to control distance and prevent the takedown entry / Post and Circle — post on the attacker's head and circle away to break their angle / Level Change Defence — recognize the shot early and react with appropriate hip defence.

Распространённые варианты: Inside single (shooting to the inside of the lead leg, head inside position); Outside single (attacking from the outside of the lead leg); High crotch (securing the thigh above the knee with head in the hip); Low single (attacking the ankle from outside range without deep penet…).

The ankle pick low single is used in freestyle and folkstyle competition.

Основные ошибки, на которые стоит обратить внимание: Grabbing the ankle from the top instead of cupping under the heel — less control and easier to shake off / Not pushing the upper body back while pulling the ankle, so there's only one force acting / Rising up before the opponent is off-balance, letting them simply step back / Targeting the rear foot when the opponent's weight is on the front foot.

Ankle Pick Low Single также известен как Ankuru Pikku Rō Shinguru, Ankle Pick Single, Low Single Ankle Grab, Hybrid Low Single.