The bearhug is a true power-move in women’s wrestling. It’s one of the few moves which are not based on agility and flexibility but rather on raw strength. The attacker puts her arms around her victim’s waist (effectively hugging her) then lifts her off her feet and begins to squeeze. She can shake her around in the hold to tighten it even more. Make no mistake, a well sunk-in bear-hug by a powerful female wrestler is not a joke.

Possible escape: when put into a bearhug, you should take advantage of the fact that your opponent’s arms are tied up and yours are both free. Just slap her on the side of the head and she’ll release you, if for no other reason then to get her hands on you.

Rating: Though it may not be overly spectacular, the bear hug can be an extremely efficient hold. I’ve seen women’s wrestling matches where the bear hug resulted in a submission , so it’s definitely a serious and efficient hold. The fact though that it leaves the victim’s arms free, takes a lot out of its potential. It also takes up a lot of energy on the part of the attacker, which can be costly in the overall economy of a match. It’s one of those holds where it takes the victim less energy to resist the hold than it takes the attacker to keep it up.

Courtesy of sleeperkidsworld.com