Wrestling Seven Basic Skills – Lifting

The fifth skill in the sequence of seven is that of lifting. More than any other skill, this is the one that distinguishes the champion from the rest of the field.

Every wrestler understands the basic concept of lifting. But all too many fail to understand the technique involved.  Too often the job is attempted by using only the arms, yet the strongest muscles in the body are those found in the hips and thighs.

To properly execute a lift, the arms are used only to secure your opponent. Once that is done they are not moved. The hips are now lowered by bending at the knees and brought into and under your opponent’s center of mass. Once in this position you simply extend your legs, lifting with the power of your hips and thighs.

One of the most exciting confrontations that can take place during the course of a match is when two good wrestlers are struggling in an upright position. The man behind tries to keep control of his opponent and get into a position to lift, while the man in front struggles to break his opponent’s grasp by lowering his level and extending his arms.

Another interesting matchup occurs when one man gets to the side of his opponent after executing a duck-under, but finds himself momentarily stymied. From this position he must get his hips down and into the opponent to finish the lift and score.

The lift also is an integral part of a high crotch takedown. The same principles apply. The arms are used to secure your opponent. The forward thrust of your hips and the straightening of your back provide the upward momentum. In most case, it is the lift that ensures a successful finish.

Having secured a single leg it is often difficult to trip your opponent to the mat until you take most of the weight off his foot. Now it becomes easy to take his support away from him. This is especially true when you try to leg-sweep your opponent from an upper body tie.

Although it may appear as though the lifting is being done with the arms, this is not the case. The real lift is still coming from the legs and the arch in the back.

Lifting is another important maneuver and skill in wrestling. It is often viewed as one of the ultimate maneuvers. The taking of an opponent from his feet and putting him on the mat is what champions do. Lifting represents the major difference in attitude of wrestler who participates in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. However, today, wrestlers who are champions in Folkstyle or high school style wrestle very much the same as our Olympic Style wrestlers.

Of all the basic skills, the ability to lift is probably the ultimate skill in wrestling. It is the fifth and essential basic skill in becoming a champion wrestler.

In the next post, I will discuss the sixth Basic Skill of Wrestling known as the Back Step.

Coach Hatfield

Wrestling Seven Basic Skills – Penetration

The fourth skill in the sequence of seven is that of Penetration. By definition we are talking about a wrestler driving his hips to and through his opponent’s hips when executing a takedown. When penetrating for a takedown the wrestler needs to hold his head up and keep his arms back while he lets his hips lead the way. This is one of the most difficult tasks in wrestling. If a wrestler has properly lowered is his level before he starts to penetrate, he will at least have his head up and his back straight.

The problem now becomes one of keeping his hips coming forward so that he does not get over-extended and bent at the waist. By taking a natural step forward and thrusting his hips, he will be in a position to take another natural step with the other foot. By continuing the process, the wrestler can create a low level, rhythmic striding effect across the mat.

When confronted by the weight of his opponent, it is important that the wrestler concentrate on keeping his hips coming forward after each step. This allows the wrestler to keep his back straight and his head up.

When incorporated into a double leg takedown, deep penetration will put the wrestler completely through his opponent before he can react. It is important to keep in mind that the wrestler’s step should not only be deep but directed to his opponent’s hips. Wrestlers often step to where their opponent was. They must anticipate where his hips are going to be.

With deep penetration, a good arm drag can end up with a secure double leg takedown. With even greater penetration, the arm drag can develop into a back trip. Note that the head needs to be up, the back straight, and it is the power and thrust of the hips that secures the final takedown.

The same basic principles hold true on the mat. Too often, in executing a hip roll, the bottom man will try to wrap his opponent around him as he pulls away. Instead, the bottom man needs to concentrate on coiling himself up into a fetal position, all the time working back up and into his opponent, change direction (using motion), change levels, and uncoil. When he finally uncoils, he will do so after having driven to and through his opponent’s hips.

Another maneuver from the feet that emphasizes the importance of deep penetration is a high crotch takedown. The wrestler’s hips lead on this maneuver, which enables him to secure his opponent’s upper leg. Once in this position, the opponent has very little control over his own hips and therefore cannot lower his level or rotate his body to counter the attack.

All good wrestlers realize that to score they must be able to control and move their opponent’s hips. To do so, they must get their own hips into and under their opponent. To successfully move one’s opponent from a position of stability and to reduce his potential power, a wrestler must eventually make contact with and control his hips.

This type of movement, Penetration, is the fourth of seven basic skills leading to a successful wrestler.

In the next post, I will discuss the fifth Basic Skill of Wrestling known as Lifting.

Coach Hatfield

Wrestling Seven Basic Skills - Changing Levels

The third skill in the sequence of seven is that of changing your level. Of all the skills, this is the one that is most often overlooked or executed at the wrong time. The skill which must precede the successful execution of any move is the ability to change levels in relation to your opponent and the mat. This skill is the one most often overlooked in the development of a good wrestler.

Changing Levels represents nothing more than motion in a vertical plane.

Although many wrestlers consider lowering or raising their head as the equivalent of changing levels, it is the ability to raise and lower your hips while remaining in a good position that is the key to the success of this vertical motion.

Only after properly changing levels can a wrestler successfully move into his opponent.

When going under an outstretched pole, the tendency is to lower your head first and then move forward. In fact, the only proper way to change your level is to bend at the knees – going to a low squat and keeping your head up. Whether the obstacle is a stick or your opponent’s arm, the principle is the same.

When executing a duck-under, an appropriate tug or snap on the opponent’s head will enable a wrestler to go down and immediately pop up behind him. If however, the wrestler bends at the waist, he leaves himself vulnerable to a front headlock. The wrestler can sometimes redeem himself by quickly lowering his level bringing his head up and straightening his back.

The same type of problem often develops when a wrestler tries to execute a head-and-heel takedown. The tendency is to bend at the waist as he reaches forward to secure the far heel, In doing so, the wrestler puts himself in a very poor position and can easily be scored on.

By first lowering his level and bringing the opponent down with him as he goes into a low squat, the wrestler will likely find his opponent’s far heel almost directly in front him with all of his opponents weight pinning his foot to the mat. The slightest bump forward will now put the opponent on his back or on his side.

The successful execution of a standup also is dependent upon a wrestler properly changing his level. Wrestlers are getting to their feet, however, once on their feet, many tend to bend at the waist. They lower their heads and look down at their opponent’s hands. Instead, the wrestler must lower their hips. This gives them more stability while at the same time makes them heavier for their opponent. It also makes it easier for the wrestler to break his opponent’s grip and turn to face him.

When put together, good position, quick circular motion, and a change of levels all add up to one of the most important finishes to a single let takedown. It is important to keep in mind that the only thing that goes down is the wrestler’s hips.

A level change is also extremely important in helping the wrestler successfully counter his opponent’s attacks. On a double leg attack, the defensive wrestler must be able to drop his hips, preferably driving them down through the offensive wrestler’s head or shoulders to cause him to lose good position.

Changing levels is important in almost every wrestling maneuver. Changing levels involves lowering the hips, keeping the back straight and maintaining good position.

The missing link for many maneuvers that could have been successful is the ability to lower one’s level. Before the wrestler will have any success, he must be able to get his hips down before he goes into his opponent.

Changing levels is the third skill in the sequence of seven leading to a successful wrestler. 

 In the next post, I will discuss the fourth Basic Skill of Wrestling known as Penetration.

 Coach Hatfield