The seatbelt is a hold from behind your opponent where you place one hand over their shoulder and the other under their armpit, so your hands grasp diagonally across his chest (much like a seatbelt!)
Takedown One - The Towel Shake
Ever shaken a towel/sheet out before folding it? The action of violently snapping down is crucial to finishing this takedown.
Here, I have Dan in a standard seatbelt grip. We thought it would be funny to do this with the shades down. The Agoge certainly thought so!
Whatever hand is high on your opponent, it’s on that side that you step deep between his legs with. Here, my right hand is high, so my right foot steps deep between his legs. The deeper you can get this step, the better.
Violently pop your hips forward. If you’ve stepped deep enough, you’ll force your opponent’s hips forward as well. Now, his head should be behind his centre of gravity and he’ll be off balance. Towel Shake him, i.e. pull down and back with your hands as you take a step or two back.
Be careful not to run too far backwards. You want to pull him down to the ground in a controlled manner. If he hits the deck before you’re low enough, he can spin to guard, or turn to his stomach and maybe take a single leg. In the video, note how I stay close to Dan, so he can’t put his shoulders on the ground.
Seatbelt Takedown Two - The Starting BlockThe defense against the Towel Shake is to lean forward. Never fear! You can still take your opponent down if he tried this dastardly trick!
Drop down to your knees. Your lower hand should grab your opponents shin, as close to the foot as possible. Your upper hand can grab you opponent at either his hip or just above the knee.
Make sure your shoulder is underneath your opponents hips. Underneath his ass if possible. Any higher and it’s harder to push him over.
Pulling with your arms drive forward like a sprinter taking off or a linebacker. Now, this mightn’t trip your opponent up instantly, in which case you continue to drive forward. Your momentum should force him over.
Once he’s forced over to his stomach, make sure you stop! You need to run just far enough to take him down, but not so far you run over him, or he could trip you up or get back up.
No real reason for this last photo, I just thought it made me look cool.