Wrestling Seven Basic Skills - Position

The first of the Seven Basic Skills of Wrestling is called POSITION or proper body position.

POSITION can be defined as the ability of a wrestler to control specific parts of his/her body in a prescribed position to each other. This is the first prerequisite for the successful execution of any primary maneuver.

Those key parts of the body, and their relationship to each other, are as follows:

HEAD – always up and on top of the shoulders

BACK – keep straight and always over the hips

HIPS – keep low, flexed and over the supporting points on the mat

FEET – shoulder width apart and kept under the wrestler’s center of gravity

KNEES – bent (flexed), but never any farther in front of the body than the chest

CHEST – up and out, always over a vertical plane with the knee

The first skill in the sequence of seven is that of maintaining proper body position. Whether on the mat or on your feet, a successful wrestler is one who keeps his body in a position that provides for maximum mobility and power.

This position is attained by the wrestler keeping his/her head up and rolled back on top of their shoulders. Their arms are bent or flexed with their elbows kept close to their hips. Their back is relatively straight with a slight bend at the waist. Their feet should be spread in a comfortable position – usually about shoulder width apart – and their knees should be bent so that their legs are flexed and ready for action.

Regardless of whether the wrestler is in a square stance or one in which he/she places one foot in front of the other, the same basic principles apply.  The head is up, the arms and legs are flexed, the chest is always above the point of the knee, and the hips are centered above the point of support.

The same is true for the wrestler down on the mat. From a referee’s position, the bottom man is required to start on his knees with his arms straight out in front of him. His initial goal should be to regain proper body position.

Although there are a variety of maneuvers that the bottom wrestler can use that involve moving away from his/her opponent, most successful wrestlers will explode back into the top wrestler.  By doing so, they automatically bring their head up, flex their own arms and drive their hips back over their own feet.

When riding on top, the wrestler will still need to maintain a good body position. Riding too high is caused by not maintaining a proper position. Keeping the center of gravity in control, maintaining good head position, and keeping the head up are all part of a good riding position.

When on their feet, it is usually the wrestler who maintains the best position who is able to score the takedown.  The wrestler who leads with his head down and his chest extended in front of his knees can be easily snapped down by his opponent. If the wrestler over-extends his arms while reaching for his opponent, he/she becomes vulnerable to an arm drag. In both cases the wrestler being taken to the mat has basically given his/her opponent the takedown.

When a wrestler initiates a takedown, it’s important that he/she maintain proper position. A fireman’s carry is difficult to execute if the wrestler’s head is down, his/her elbows are out and their chest extended. The wrestler must regain optimum position for executing the move by driving into their opponent, bringing their hips back under them, getting their head up, pulling their elbows in, making the lift and the turn.

The same proper position applies for a double leg takedown, one of the most basic of wrestling maneuvers. It’s difficult to get the double if the wrestler gets over-extended.

It doesn’t make any difference what maneuver is being executed. Power and Mobility come from good body position, the first skill of seven on the road to becoming a CHAMPION WRESTLER.

In the next post, I will discuss the second skill known as MOTION.

Coach Hatfield