John Smith teaches his legendary low single | 6x World & Olympic Champion

John Smith shows how to get technically sound at hitting the low single -the move he developed and perfected.
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[@nooodls1]

Learned the “low John single” from our coach in 95’. Our coach taught us pretty good now that I’m watching the OG. I was effective with it.

[@robbybee70]

I'm fairly convinced it's the best shot option there is, obviously different things are better in different situations but for me the blend of what the low single brings to the table makes it 'the best overall' because of how many situtaions it shines in

[@diamonddustin7664]

Any extra tips to pull it off irl?

[@pabloanton4459]

@@diamonddustin7664 go to the gym and train

[@rd9669]

As a fighter hoping to get some matches in this year I can’t tell you how important and nice it is to have a wrestling background no wonder so many ufc fighters were ncaa champs in wrestling. You don’t know how many kickboxing guys don’t know what to do when you get a low sweep and man handle them on the ground

[@pocketssmith5933]

@@robbybee70 I like it. The ankle pick was it for me. Still a low leg attack but along as you stay heavy on his head while penetrating the chances of you getting stuck underneath are slim to none.

[@nicholasneyhart396]

I learned this in school, never got anyone with it. Recently I got into a brawl with my uncle who was extremely drunk at thanksgiving and tried to punch his sister, I tried to bear hug him, he cleared the hands and swung, so I shot a double and got snapped down, but hit this as I was going down to my knees. This is legit guys and you never know when it will be useful.

[@khomatech6428]

you're a good American

[@mrmushin1]

That is got be the most american story i have ever heard

[@dinopalavra876]

Cant get more American than hitting a low single on a drunk uncle at thanksgiving dinner, agreed @@mrmushin1

[@yousufleads]

Alabama

[@nicholasneyhart396]

@@yousufleads Nope, Pennsylvania.

[@d2touge]

6x world champion wrestler with normal ears. I’m listening.

[@P12ooF]

Not everyone gets the ear. Part of it's genetics. Some people won't build fluid after trauma.

[@sweetness535]

its all about how soft your ears are before you start

[@Pric3less1]

@@P12ooF exactly. I’ve been grappling for years now, wrestling Judo and Jiu Jitsu and never really got cauliflower like that. The “rims” of my ears are hard but not visibly deformed.

[@P12ooF]

@@Pric3less1 yea I get dry skin and scabs in my ear lobe but not coliflower. I'm a purple belt. Think it has something to do with how much colegen you have and what not.

[@Pric3less1]

@@P12ooF damn what I meant by rim was lobe lol sorry I just woke up. You know how that post nap stupidity is lol

[@SafAspirant]

What a legend. Not one Russian ever beat him.

[@sadik5945]

Only him 😂. Finally something to be proud of💀

[@valdivia1234567]

This is an example of why YT is awesome, being able to get a video from a guy of this stature. Fantastic.

[@chaysinmcclain9659]

My all time favorite!! My daughter won junior wrestling 🤼‍♀️ championship and was honored to take a picture, plaque, gold medal in hand with the legend himself #johnsmith💯

[@24Mossberg]

I’m 73 years old. I can do this mentally, but physically, it’s a non-starter. Good stuff though!!!

[@alexmanousos1]

I bet you have a lot of knowledge! What age did you stop wrestling?

[@alaahabbal3953]

at 73 years old why you want to do this !!! carry a gun !

[@brownjatt21]

@@alaahabbal3953 seeing as his profile name is Mossberg. Think it's safe to say he has a gun as well lol.

[@xy5844]

try TRT sir!!!

[@ChriseFTW]

@@alaahabbal3953 Wrestling isn’t just for self defense, amazing hobby

[@Local515GSXR]

Meeting this man in person and being able to have and share a small experience as this, was a memory I will never forget.. seeing this brought me back 12+ years ago, thank you coach smith from a former High Altitude wrestler

[@stuartpappas7658]

Coach Smith is so old school and so awesome I love his breakdown of the takedown he's truly an amazing teacher and coach

[@DavidMccallister65]

Great teaching. I'll never forget taking a shot in a tournament in the 8th grade and I was too high and my opponent knee me DEAD in the eye. His freaking knee socked me right in the eye socket and I fell back in a daze. The match wasn't stopped and I had to keep wrestling but by the end of the round, I could feel the weight of my black eye hanging down. Needless to say, I didn't see out of that eye for over a week. Worst black eye that I ever had. I lost that match to points but took silver in the tournament.

[@ItsDaOneMac]

EVERYTHING in this demonstration, is EXACTLY how my coach taught me my low single back in high school. Jason Allen, used to be an athlete under John Smith, and came to coach my school in the early 2000’s. To this day, It has been engrained in me, and even at 36, I still hit this move with complete effectiveness. It turned my whole takedown offense around back then, and even when I still go compete or coaching kids today, this move STILL works beautifully.

[@JohnSmith-tz7iy]

Man I wish I had this video back when I was wrestling. I studied the hell out of John's matches on youtube to learn to low single. Definitely my favorite wrestler of all time.

[@philippinepalestra]

One of my favorite wrestlers! It's also great to see how the vertical alignment between shoulder and knee is maintained at low level upon attack!

[@Anti-McDojo]

Ang galing nyo naman. Freestyle Wrestler din po kayo?

[@philippinepalestra]

@@Anti-McDojo Opo. 🤼

[@Anti-McDojo]

@@philippinepalestra , may mga gym po ba catering Freestyle or Greco-Roman Wrestling dito sa Manila? Maganda macheck sana after vaccination and after pandemic sana.

[@philippinepalestra]

@@Anti-McDojo Ah yes. Update kita kung ano ang mga bukas o magbubukas pa. Medyo nawala rin ako sa sirkukasyon, hehe. Thanks.

[@Anti-McDojo]

@@philippinepalestra , well appreciated Sir. Thanks a lot po.

[@TheDxbrown]

I love this takedown for BJJ, because it’s low risk and you can shoot it before they get grips to slow you down.

[@Kungfukenny187]

It is for sure! My coach uses it a lot, it sucks because you can't sprawl against it!

[@GrimReapiN]

Susceptible to scissor sweeps due to weight distributed far forward. Try having a partner attempt the takedown and perform scissor sweeps and half guard entires. Have fun!

[@kdavid123186]

@@GrimReapiN ooo when wrestlers do this to me I never react fast enough to get half guard. But I will try it. Thanks

[@CDs_YouTube_]

🙂 ,,,,,,,,, 👍🏼

[@oneDonly]

@@Kungfukenny187 Point your toes down and lift your knee. My coach was smaller than my and would always go for my ankls.

[@fulltonesmusic]

My high school wrestling team was struggling.. we all went to a clinic with John and learned, then relentlessly riled this single... it completely transformed us.

[@davidkingyogato1097]

This is gold! Thank you 🙏

[@Alex-xi3bw]

This also works surprisingly well in BJJ when you're in seated guard and they're just standing in front of you

[@yakovdavidovich7943]

Ah, that's an interesting idea... I don't usually like dropping all the way down for a takedown from standing, but you suggest an niche application I hadn't thought of. Thanks.

[@ncilmo]

This is why it's called the John Smith Low Single!!! That Master At Work!!! Beautiful!!

[@LIONTAMER3D]

The best single places the ear to knee, on the outside, while turning. I'm amazed that after THOUSANDS of years, wrestlers haven't figured that out.

[@Sam-tg6ee]

@@LIONTAMER3D I’m pretty sure a 6x world champ knows more than you bud.

[@LIONTAMER3D]

@@Sam-tg6ee you'd like to think that, wouldn't you? so would i...

[@Sam-tg6ee]

@@LIONTAMER3D you make no sense. He’s a 6x world/Olympic champ. What are you bro? 😂

[@LIONTAMER3D]

@@Sam-tg6ee bro? doing the exact same thing, just changing head position, he'd get better results =/ not an opinion...

[@lucaneiri5405]

I learned this when I was 13 at Cornell university wrestling camp and he used your name. I used this move across all combat sports, even as a big guy. Thank you

[@nigelcicero9093]

This was one of my favorite moves, I typically did it from a collar tie since I could just level change under the tie. Great video!

[@bobe3250]

Thank you John,! Love hearing you teach.

[@timirish2563]

Coach Smith is the best teacher the sport has ever had. It's almost as if he invented modern wrestling.

[@HumanoidCableDreads]

When I learned single legs in highschool our coach told us to get so low you could shine their shoes, for some reason that always stuck with me.

[@isaiahlynch4113]

This was just recommended and its crazy cause we went over this tonight

[@Ronon805]

Always listen when the legends speak on their trade! Great share, thank you.

[@rudybecerra6526]

Absolute favorite takedown. Legend!!

[@heatto162]

John's technique for take downs helped me go to states and place multiple times 👍 good stuff!

[@vincentwinkleblech3614]

John's Setup was " It is coming and there is NOT a damned thing you can do about it " ! Loved watching him Wrestle

[@TheRabunFamily]

Legendary Low Single! Thanks for the Video!

[@HulkVahkiin]

Let the OG teach you, it's gold.

[@seangentry74]

Wow.... he did a couple of seminars at our HS in FWBHS in Fl back in the early 90's... crazy. I use the smith single in bjj.

[@teamgitusome]

johns a legend and he invented this shot

[@MRGIBBSOHIO1269]

Learned this in 1993 at 14yrs old and used it many of times. Executed correctly it is unstoppable.

[@jobbybohnson6818]

Excellent sir

[@LECityLECLEC]

beautiful thanks for sharing!

[@soomaeng2]

This is awesome technique. very useful advice!

[@trentmigues9058]

cool beans ‼️‼️ ima work on this in practice today

[@BadWolfMMANashville]

The absolute GOAT!!

[@AlgerJ24]

Love that mentality.

[@simonsingh9798]

Beautiful explanation I had no idea how many mistakes I was making

[@kristoffrosty]

I practiced this at my house and pretended I was in a live, it’s cool because it’s fast paced and I also set it to where if I stop for even a second I have to restart. I also do this for Kolat’s sweep single and I’m a big fan

[@tennofabiost.clements1715]

Really interesting stuff.

[@gibrancosta4291]

Awesome technique!

[@wergar_the_warwolf6834]

His partner looks like robbie lawler from the side

[@olleholmlid5327]

💀

[@mplussant]

…John Smith & Cael Sanderson: wrestling gods…I am in awe!…

[@theloveofreading3563]

This is nice. Can't wait to try it in Jiu Jitsu class.

[@anyfightinggamezfine69]

Its amazing how ppl think of wrestling as being a brute sport but techniques like this are king

[@x-Musashi-x]

Simple. Deadly. I’ll drill this today. Ty so much.

[@farrierss1724]

Simple, beautiful, effective. Should be in every bag.

[@bjork5178]

John Smith taught me this when i was in 10th grade at a wrestling camp. Ive gotten 30+ takedowns with this since then. Thanks John! He doesnt show it in this video but when he taught me he really emphasized the placement of the posting hand so if they step over your attack hand you can use your posting hand to attack the other leg. It worked for me in competition a few times

[@williamoleary9330]

thank you

[@djardine2314]

Low level single finishes was my go to shot in all levels of wrestling. This is a shot best for elusive athletes not stout strong athletes.

[@Kyoku78]

Humble and the best

[@sohamgupta4090]

Legend

[@Somechonchon]

So this is the guy that appears in most of the example questions at school? Now I just need to see Jon Doe.

[@pookiesfriendrayray7086]

Underrated comment lol

[@timholmes2062]

Sitting here watching this with my three grandkids that are 45 and six and you’re saying the same thing a different language, but I told him you were a lot better than I am so we’re trying to single leg tonight

[@samuelortiz105]

So much in such little time. The window is small make getting out of it that much harder.

[@jakehxllxws259]

In my humble opinion, the GOAT

[@gangmotherfuckinggang4118]

This is my favorite takedown of all time

[@jobari122]

Single in to doubles was my bread and butter

[@user-th9ek3jl7b]

Used it as a hail mary in a Grappling Tournament to secure last second points and it worked well

[@LeelosAdventure]

Really great takedown for bjj too

[@Hormoz.]

Legend 🫡

[@redman4076]

Master Class 👍🏽💪🏽💯

[@davidmoore5231]

I need to add this to my BJJ game, it looks simple and effective.

[@JoeBidementia]

I didn’t know Robbie Lawler had a twin 🤔

[@bullgravy6906]

Can’t remember the wrestler, but he was a high rated heavyweight prospect all full of fire and brimstone. On his tour of OSU he adorably claimed he could pin John Smith just using his weight and maybe a little skill. Coach Smith then volunteered the guy for some examples for other recruits and what to learn at OSU, and for the next 45 minutes Smith made his life a living hell. The guy told the story on a local station and commented that was why he committed to OSU

[@mattakiss5572]

what a beast

[@tyhatfield7156]

Totally love this I’ve always respected this person I kind of did all my wrestling like that you know those are all good things turks but I would’ve looked for is probably a nice Cradle but all those other things perfect those are things that 100% good

[@jimmywantwingy]

wow using the head to control the knee. i've always rammed through my shoulder.

[@Erenyaegerbernardin]

He looks good after all these years.

[@magicalfrijoles6766]

Retired at 27. I feel like he had a few more World Championship golds in the tank.

[@ingableshadow]

The goat

[@ToddVance]

As a bjj guy... I am trying to learn as much of this stuff as I can. How is this different from an ankle pick?

[@brittanymiller5022]

Nice

[@PUREGRAPP]

The best low-shot wrestler ever.

[@tyhatfield7156]

And then one other thing I did the closing go in high school they also did the spinning single

[@MackTrainingAcademy]

Low single works so well even against the biggest of guys. Just dont let them end up landing directly on top of you during the shot.

[@pyramid_scheme_termination3655]

Seems like something good for mma with ground and pound

[@aidenfisher5679]

Good stuff. From actual use & experience.

[@lawsonransom8318]

I like a variation of this move, which I called "outside single leg sweep." Very similar except your lead right leg steps more out to your right (near your opponents left leg/foot) as you simultaneously reach out and grab/pick the ankle with your right hand rotating on your front foot/ to a knee plant and sweeping or whipping your back leg (left) around to the outside behind you snatching the opponent's foot right out from under him and popping back up standing next to him with his foot in your hand. There is no resistance and you wind up standing up holding his foot in the air with him on one leg and you return him to the mat for 2 points. You can also do the exact same move to the opposite side as well. If you master this 1 single move, you will never need another takedown, and never get caught in a sprawling position. The set up from a lock up is to circle back and away pulling your opponent to step forward with his weight onto the leg you want to attack while simultaneously holding his same side wrist in a downward outside thumb grip so he is forced to pull his arm up and outward to break your grip exposing his front leg while his weight is on it. I got this takedown eveytime I shot it. It's like a modified outside ankle pick and a thing of beauty shot from a set/lock up or from a distance.

[@WilliamsWrestlin]

Any videos?

[@lawsonransom8318]

@@WilliamsWrestlin nah, I haven't wrestled since the 80's

[@charleshammer2928]

Dave was truly a wrestling legend and almost exactly my age. I followed his entire career, the man truly enjoyed wrestling. Screw that crazy coward John DuPont for murdering him.

[@csl9843]

nice

[@Jah33d]

Jones is shooting for that low single in a heartbeat 😂😂

[@MrByaeger]

I teach a version of this , but we stay gripped on the heel, head outside and drive the shoulder clear through the shin . It can , and will seriously hyper-extend the knee so I don't recommend it for sport . It's a self defense move in case you happen to already be on the ground

[@richardjustice4328]

I love wrestlers and love wrestling can’t help but feel that it’s dying out to jujitsu. Thoughts?

[@josephbonkoski1920]

As someone who started in gi jiu -jitsu and now only does no gi, I probably spend about half my time just focusing on wrestling for no gi. They've basically fused together into a new sport that I just call grappling.

[@josephbonkoski1920]

so no, I don't think wrestling techniques will ever die, they're way too effective

[@ralphylad]

You do still have a really good club where you get a wrestling coach who trains the Gi and can adapt it.

[@josephbonkoski1920]

@@ralphylad Very true, our head coach and owner specifically spent time learning wrestling from college coaches in order to make his MMA game more whole. And from him it's kinda trickled down into all of our styles. Still though, if you look at the modern no gi meta, it's essentially just wrestling with some straight forward submissions that are super high control and finish percentage. (triangle, RNC, Kimura traps, heel hooks.) I think a fusion sport will emerge that still employs a lot of traditional wrestling techniques, hand fighting, singles, doubles, high crotch, ankle picks, they're all widely used by no gi practitioners. Certainly at a lower mastery level than say a college wrestler, but at much higher proficiency than your traditional BJJ gi guy who plays a lot of judo grip fighting and such.

[@mattp8287]

As someone who started out in pure jiu jitsu, and thought that jiu jitsu was elite wrestling is very very very and I mean VERY dominant. I live in a very popular wrestling area and white belts who’ve only wrestled in highschool or below come in and take down higher belts with absolute ease. They also have great control and grappling ability. They honestly move like blue belts tbh and it’s much easier to IMO to learn submission defense then it is to catch up on wrestling. Look at all of the dominant fighters in the UFC today… all high level wrestling only backgrounds. (Colby khabib usman volk) just to name a few

[@montramedia]

How to incorporate in mma any ideas ?

[@family_girl_1238]

I had a wrestling meet yesterday for middle school and the high school coach was there and I'm really short so everyone is way taller than me so he told me to do this move and I really hope it works

[@joshdennis8841]

Drill drill drill until you can do it with your eyes closed!!! This can be extremely effective for smaller stature wrestlers. I do BJJ and this is going to open up a lot of things for me. I’m small stature myself at 5’7

[@ShiroiKiba]

I'm a shorter dude too, little brother (was 5'8" and wrestled 71s); your shorter height (and shorter levers) are an advantage unto themselves. Shorter limbs means an easier time getting into positions, and also means a lower center of gravity (so fractionally quicker sprawls; every fraction of a second counts). If you use those to your advantage, bigger guys struggle to handle it. If I have one piece of advice to help? Whatever you're doing, do it with conviction. No half-hearted attempts, and don't get "caught between" techniques. Also, scrambles are your best friend; even if you can't secure the takedown, try to put yourself in a position that you're familiar with and one that they're unfamiliar with. A lot of those "mat bullies" don't know what to do with themselves when they no longer have the initiative. Make them so uncomfortable that they feel like they're getting dragged to the deep end of the pool, and drag them under when the opportunity presents itself. My final tip is to work on your spatial awareness; in every position you can actually FEEL how your opponent's weight rests, where their limbs are, and whether their center of gravity is off. In practice, try to find somebody with similar skill level and both of you try a top-bottom position, but do it with both of your eyes closed. Do it lower effort so you and your partner have time to understand what exactly is happening. Best of luck on your wrestling journey. You'll figure out what works for you in time. It takes hard work, but there's no need to rush. Be thankful for every uncomfortable position you've ever been in because they're only uncomfortable due to lack of familiarity.

[@chuckschauer8973]

Good on low single to heal, however met opponents don’t go to a hip. More on how to finish it, and when to take head outside.

[@dylanmarsh3513]

my coach does this shit on me so much

[@anothermarcus]

Brilliant, this man is so technical! Here this whole time I thought it was all about steroids .

[@garyquirk9405]

Niccce 🧐👌

[@YouTuber-ep5xx]

Damn. Didn't realize there was that much detailed technique. All I see is two guys trying to dominate each other.

[@christianmonturanoii6539]

Let's roll I do jiu-jitsu but wrestling one of the next best arts for fighting after bjj and maybe Sambo because there now submissions in wrestler but it teaches good body position and mat sense. Wrestlers are the hardest to deal with vs any other art for bjj. They learn faster. But pull a wrestler in guard they usually don't know what to do

[@finoluigiantonio2158]

Best

[@robtomben]

I feel like he used to come "out the back door" as a finish. I'm surprised he didn't show that.

[@kadirkapici]

Helal

[@otcuwrld9941]

What shoes is the coach wearing

[@kris1089]

Brutes, but I dunno which shoe, brute died out sadly they use to make all sorts of wrestling equipment threw 1975 to 2005

[@kalebstuckey570]

Wrestling shoes

[@Nanossteam]

Anyone who's been involved in sports probably knows the feeling of someone diving to your knees is just a scary feeling. It's cool to see that he uses that psychology to his advantage by placing his head near the knee

[@luxuryhomes8889]

hello darkness my old friend....

[@ChrisFlips2022]

who else is here for gym in quarantine for school