Olympic champion Balboshin details development of signature suplex throw

Five-time world champion and 1976 Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling Nikolai Balboshin explained how he developed his signature suplex throw in the 1970s. After a coach dismissively called him a "pusher," Balboshin became determined to prove himself through perfecting the throw technique. He trained extensively with springs and performed 100 repetitions on each arm after every training session, morning, afternoon and evening. Balboshin emphasized the importance of the hip drive in executing the throw, stating that proper technique meant staying on straight legs while the opponent flew over. He worked extensively with training dummies performing 20-30 repetitions to perfect the hip thrust. Eventually he mastered the throw in both directions, giving opponents no escape regardless of which way they tried to position themselves.