The abdominal stretch has to be one of the most basic women’s wrestling submission holds. It’s easy to apply and a properly applied abdominal stretch can indeed be rather spectacular. I don’t think I have ever seen a lady wrestler submit to the abdominal stretch, but it is being used all the time in ladies’ professional bouts anyway.

The attacker stands behind the victim and hooks her left leg around the victim’s left leg. She then grabs hold of the victim’s right arm (sometimes the hold commences with the grabbing of the arm and then proceeds to the hooking of the leg), and catches it under her own left arm, forcing the victim to lean to the left in an attempt to alleviate the pressure of the hold. The attacker can them press down with her left leg while leaning backward to place pressure on the victim’s abdominal area.

The cool thing about the abdominal stretch is that it leaves the attacker’s right hand free. She can use it to apply an abdominal claw or to slip her fingers under the leg-hole of her opponent’s leotard and to pull it upward. She can also dig her elbow into her opponent’s side.

Possible escape: if you’re caught in a properly executed abdominal stretch, you’re just going to have to ride it out or you’ll have to surrender. If you’re in a tag-match, your tag-team partner may bail you out.

Rating: even though it does look fairly spectacular and efficient, the abdominal stretch is mostly used as a hold to weaken the victim, setting her up for something worse to come.

Courtesy of sleeperkidsworld.com