A fireman's carry is also called a fireman's throw, despite the fact that a wrestler performing the move neither throws nor carried his opponent. Rather, it's a move in which one wrestler gets between his opponent's legs and topples him over and onto his back. This can be a dangerous move because of its tendency to put you at risk of being pinned at the same instant you've been taken down. As with most wrestling moves, the best defenses against a fireman's carry happen before your opponent begins to throw the technique.
Step 1
Keep your stance aligned, with your shoulders in line with your hips. You'll have to lean forward to protect your legs, but avoid bending at the spine. When you bend at the spine, your weight leans forward. Being pulled forward and down in that direction is part of how a fireman's carry works. If you're not already leaning in that direction, it's harder to make it work on you.
Step 2
Keep your hands free. Your opponent must grip one of your wrists in one of his hands to perform a fireman's carry. Without it, he'll just be squatting between your legs looking stupid. If your opponent grabs one of your wrists, slap it off immediately -- or return the grab and launch a fireman's carry of your own.
Step 3
Adopt a staggered wrestling stance, one with a lead leg and a front leg. A fireman's carry is much harder to do against a staggered stance than against a square stance with the feet even. This can slow your lateral motion, so this approach is best used against an opponent you know likes to use the fireman's carry.
Step 4
Sprawl when your opponent shoots for the throw. In a sprawl, you kick both legs back hard and fast, and land on your opponent's back with your upper body. This will simultaneously pull your hips out of reach for the fireman's carry, and give you a real chance of dropping him to the ground while he's extended for the throw.
Tips and Warnings
- Drill fireman's throw takedowns and defenses hundreds of times against a training partner. The best way to develop a sense of when somebody's about to throw one is to throw the takedown and defend against it.
References
- Made Man: Olympic Wrestling Techniques
- "Coaching Wrestling Successfully"; Dan Gable; 1999
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