A nelson hold (sometimes simply referred to as a nelson) is a grappling hold which is executed from the backside of the opponent. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpit, and secured at the opponent's neck. Several different nelson holds exist, and they can be separated according to the positioning of the encircling arm(s).
The term "nelson" is derived from "full nelson", which dates back to the early 19th century. It is supposedly named after the British war-hero Admiral Horatio Nelson, who used strategies based on surrounding the opponent to win the Battle of the Nile and the Battle of Trafalgar. But its true origin remains unknown.
Famous quotes containing the words nelson and/or hold:
“The victors and the vanquished then the storm it tossed and tore,
As hard they strove, those worn-out men, upon that surly shore;
Dead Nelson and his half-dead crew, his foes from near and far,
Were rolled together on the deep that night at Trafalgar!”
—Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)
“I pray my companion, if he wishes for bread, to ask me for bread, and if he wishes for sassafras or arsenic, to ask me for them, and not to hold out his plate, as if I knew already.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)