Olympic champion Nikolai Balobshin details development of signature suplex throw

Five-time world champion and 1976 Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling Nikolai Balobshin explained how he developed and perfected his signature suplex throw technique in the 1970s. In an interview, Balobshin recounted that the move was born during a USSR championship after a coach called him a "pusher," which motivated him to prove otherwise. He described his intense training regimen, performing 100 repetitions on each arm three times daily with maximum resistance on spring-loaded equipment. Balobshin emphasized the importance of the hip drive and eventually mastered the throw in both directions after initially perfecting it only to the left. He noted that his grip was so powerful that training partners said they couldn't breathe, and he extensively drilled the technique on both dummies and live partners.