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Bear hug
Bruno Sammartino holds "Superstar" Billy Graham in a bear hug (1977)
Classification	Clinch hold
Style	Wrestling
AKA	Bodylock

The bear hug is a grappling maneuver often seen in sports, such as wrestling. It also exists outside sports, such as street fighting, martial arts personal defense, military hand to hand combat, and affectionate hugging. Bear hugs when done with maximum force can be dangerous even deadly, and thus rare in sports competition, although the simulacrum of a full-force bear hug is common in professional wrestling.

Sports

In the sport of wrestling, a bear hug is a grappling clinch hold and stand-up grappling position where the arms are wrapped around the opponent, either around the opponent's chest, midsection, or thighs, sometimes with one or both of the opponent's arms pinned to the opponent's body. The hands are locked around the opponent and the opponent is held tightly to the chest. The bear hug is a dominant position, with great control over the opponent, and also allows an easy takedown to the back mount position.

The bear hug is a classic submission move not widely seen anymore, when done for real with maximum effort. Traditionally the hugger would apply the move and wait for the huggie to submit, or pass out. The ref would occasionally check the limpness of the huggies arms before calling the match. The move was dangerous. The hugie can loose the ability to breath long enough to cause injury or death. A strong enough huger can break the hugies lower rib cage, puncturing vital organs.

In the 1960s and 70s, the bear hug was the signature closing move of Bruno Sammartino who remained undefeated as World Heavyweight Championship for over 10 years. Nobody could defeat his massive arms. In the 1977 title match against "Superstar" Billy Graham, in front a live audience, Superstar slowly stripped Sammartino's arms from around his waist, the first time anyone had seen it done.

A variation of the bear hug is the inverted bear hug, where one wrestler spins the other upside down with head towards the floor and feet towards the ceiling, holding them in the middle as in a regular bear hug. It was a trademark closing move of Canadian strongman Doug Hepburn during the 1950s.

Non-sport

Outside the context of sports, bear hug execution varies, defined only by observers who consider it a bear hug. Examples include street fighting self-defense, military hand to hand combat, martial arts personal defense, affectionate hugging.

See also

• Bear Hugger, a Super Punch-Out!! character
• Collar-and-elbow position
• Double collar tie
• Double underhooks
• Over–under position
• Pinch grip tie

References

1. ^ Babcock, Louie (March 23, 2012). "If Submission Moves Were Real, Part 4: Breaking Down the Bear-Hug". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
2. Pyda, Bill (Spring 2001). "Shouts for Bruno". Western Pennsylvania History. 84 (1): 13–21.
3. ^ Hepburn, Doug (2003). Strongman: The Doug Hepburn Story. Vancouber, BC: Ronsdale Press. p. 117. ..and finally the submission hold that would become my wrestling trademark: the inverted bear-hug. When it came time for me to end a match, I would press my opponent into the air with both hands, spin him upside down and hug him until he quit.
4. Ross, Robert G. (2007). Personal safety and self defence. London: Teach Yourself. pp. 97–103.
5. Close Combat. U.S. Marine Corps. 1999. pp. 68–70.
6. Fairbairn, W. E. All-In Fighting. Paladin Press. p. 30-38.
7. Lee, Bruce (1976). Bruce Lee's Fighting Method: Self-defense Techniques. Ohara Publications. p. 62-65.
8. Cane, William (1996). The Art of Hugging. St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 76–78.

• Grappling hold
• Wrestling
• Bears in popular culture