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Coaching Youth Wrestling, Third Edition, stresses fun, safety, and effective instruction, helping you create an environment that promotes learning, helps your kids enjoy their wrestling experiences, and motivates your wrestlers to come out year after year.
Ideal for coaches of wrestlers ages 8 to 14, Coaching Youth Wrestling teaches you how to convey folk-style wrestling skills to your athletes in an engaging and positive manner. Its focus on teaching fundamental wrestling skills and techniques through matchlike activities sets it apart from other wrestling coaching books. And it's the only one written with the expertise of USA Wrestling.
Sequenced and specific chapters help you learn, retain, and reference in a flash. And skill-teaching activities and more than 20 age-appropriate coaching tips are sure to bring focus and fun to your practices.
You'll get an in-depth look at wrestling fundamentals and the most effective teaching methods with updated and expanded information on coaching top and bottom techniques, coaching attacks and counterattacks, and teaching basic skills. A straightforward discussion of weight classes and safety considerations prepares you to help your wrestlers make weight using safe, age-appropriate methods.
The expertise of USA Wrestling, combined with essential coaching skills such as communicating with parents and officials, motivating players, and preparing for matches and practices, make this book a must-read as you prepare to meet the challenges and enjoy the rewards of coaching young wrestlers.
Welcome to Coaching
Welcome From USA Wrestling
Activity Finder
Key to Diagrams
Chapter 1 Stepping into Coaching
Chapter 2 Communicating as a Coach
Chapter 3 Understanding Rules and Equipment
Chapter 4 Providing for Wrestlers' Safety
Chapter 5 Making Practices Fun and Practical
Chapter 6 Teaching and Shaping Skills
Chapter 7 Developing the Seven Basic Skills
Chapter 8 Coaching Top and Bottom Techniques
Chapter 9 Coaching Attacks and Counterattacks
Chapter 10 Coaching Competitions
Chapter 11 Developing Season and Practice Plans
Appendix A Related Checklists and Forms
Appendix B Wrestling Terms
Appendix C Wrestling Activities
About the Author
Coaching Youth Wrestling was written by the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) in conjunction with USA Wrestling. ASEP has been developing and delivering coaching education courses since 1981. As the nation's leading coaching education program, ASEP works with national, state, and local youth sport organizations to develop educational programs for coaches, officials, administrators, and parents. These programs incorporate ASEP's philosophy of “Athletes first, winning second.”
USA Wrestling is the national governing body for the sport of wrestling in the United States and the central organization for the coordination and support of amateur wrestling programs in the nation. USA Wrestling works to increase appreciation for and participation in the international styles of wrestling (freestyle and Greco-Roman) as well as folk-style wrestling. USA Wrestling has more than 159,000 members, including athletes of all ages, coaches, officials, and parents.
Rules of wrestling competitions explained
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level.
Weight Classes
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level. Pairing weight classes with age groups helps keep wrestlers of similar maturity levels grouped together, and maturity may be as important a consideration as weight. You will encounter other methods as well.
Tournament organizers may sometimes group wrestlers less formally in an attempt to even out the number of wrestlers per competitive group. For example, if 24 wrestlers weighing 100 to 105 pounds, five wrestlers weighing 98 to 99 pounds, and 3 weighing 106 pounds weigh in, the pairing officials may split these 32 wrestlers into three groups instead of having such unbalanced numbers. This helps everyone get in a similar number of matches and keeps the tournament from dragging on at the end while one or two weight classes have many more matches than the others. In any case, the pairing officials will work to avoid mismatches because of excessive weight difference. Be vigilant and ask for change if there is too much disparity among athletes. The main concern of all officials and coaches should be the safety of the wrestlers and an enjoyable competition.
USA Wrestling has established youth age groups and assigned match time limits and weight classes for each group. Some state associations have expanded these to provide a framework for younger children. See table 3.1 for a list of the age groups and weights for youth wrestling as recommended by USA Wrestling.
Competition
Wrestling matches are opportunities for wrestlers to translate the skills they have learned in practice into a competition with other wrestlers. Youth wrestling has two principal forms of competition: tournaments and dual meets.
In tournaments, wrestlers from many clubs or teams compete in each weight class. Often there is more than one wrestler from the same club. Team scores are not usually kept in tournaments at the youth level, but there are awards for the wrestlers who win or place in the competition. USA Wrestling tournaments do not include team scoring except at the national championship level for older age groups. As competition moves to high school teams, tournament scoring becomes important.
Dual meets are competitions between two teams. Each team enters one wrestler per weight class, and he or she wrestles an opponent in that weight class from the other team. Team scoring is the idea behind dual meets, and the winning wrestler is awarded three to six points depending on the nature of the win. Individual points are totaled, and the team with the most points wins the dual competition.
Entering Competition
Although weight classes are different for different ages, the system for entering athletes into competitions is the same for all levels. In a dual meet, each team may enter one wrestler in each weight class. The same is true for invitational tournaments, where teams are invited and each enters one wrestler per weight class. However, in open tournaments, a school or club may enter as many wrestlers as it wishes, and wrestlers can sometimes enter as individuals, without club or team membership.
Clubs that host tournaments can make fliers available at other competitions, send fliers to the coaches of other clubs, and advertise in wrestling publications or on Web sites. Ads should specify location, rules to be observed, age groups competing, time and place of weigh-ins, and time and place of the competition. Generally, only statewide championships and USA Wrestling regional and national competitions require preregistration. Events sanctioned by USA Wrestling require that competitors hold an athlete membership card, and this must be presented when making an entry. This may be true of other governing bodies as well. Athletes register upon arriving at the site, and then go to the weigh-in room.
Weigh-Ins
A weigh-in is held before a competition to ensure that each athlete's body weight is within the limits of his or her weight class. This usually occurs at least an hour before the event's scheduled start time to allow tournament administrators time to organize the wrestlers into their weight classes and set up brackets. In some cases, weigh-ins are highly structured with all the wrestlers from a specific weight class standing in line to be weighed.
Medical personnel should check each athlete thoroughly for skin infections before he or she is allowed to weigh in. When cleared, the athlete reports for the weigh-in. USA Wrestling requires, as do some other organizations, that athletes weigh in wearing uniforms or shorts because officials may be women, and girls and women may enter some competitions. When the wrestler comes to the scale, the official confirms that the medical clearance is complete and then directs the wrestler to step on the scale. Digital scales are used most often now. When using a digital scale, the readout should not be visible to the athlete. This is done to keep the athlete from moving around on the scale in an attempt to affect the result. If a balance scale is used, the official should direct the athlete to stand in the middle of the platform and stand still. Most associations and leagues give an athlete just one chance on the scale. If athletes are over the allowed weight, they are not allowed to compete. It is the responsibility of the athlete and the coach to be sure that the stated weight is correct before presenting for weigh-in.
Match Structure
A match is made up of three timed periods. The time can vary depending on local rules. For example, USA Wrestling specifies three 2-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest between each period for all age categories (see table 3.1); however, some tournament organizers use 1-minute periods for the younger age groups. Before the start of a competition, check the rules to make sure you know what the time periods are for each age group.
The first period starts with both wrestlers standing. At the end of the first period, the official determines which wrestler gets to choose how to start the second period. If it is a dual meet, this protocol is decided before the first match, and the teams alternate who gets the choice. In a tournament, the athletes wear colored ankle bands to help the official and scorers identify athletes. The official flips a colored disc, and the wrestler with the winning color gets the choice.
The wrestler with the choice at the start of the second period has four options. Athletes can choose to defer the choice to their opponent so they can make the choice they want in the third period. They can choose to start in the neutral position, both wrestlers standing. They can choose to start down so that they can escape or get a reversal while they are still fresh. Finally, they can choose to start in the top position so they can work to get the fall, again, while fresh.
A match is over if one wrestler achieves a pin, or fall (see chapter 9 for more information on pins). Matches are also stopped if one wrestler gets ahead of the other by 15 or more points, a technical fall. Disqualification for misconduct, stalling, or other severe violations of the rules also stop a match. Although wrestling is one of the martial arts, or combat sports, any hold or maneuver applied with the intent to injure the opponent is prohibited.
Starting a Match
All youth wrestling matches begin with the two wrestlers on their feet, facing each other in a neutral position, with no advantage to either one. The duration of a match is specified according to the wrestling style and the age group involved.
Substitutions are not allowed during a match; however, for a dual meet, it is possible for two athletes to weigh in at the same weight so that you can choose which athlete to use when it is that weight group's turn to compete. Wrestling does not have a time-out in the way we understand them in basketball or football. There are no stops to be used strategically, to compose the team, or simply to catch a rest. It is possible for an athlete to ask for a time-out for injury. Injury time-outs have time limits, and once the time is reached, the athlete must compete or withdraw. The time limit is most often one and a half minutes. Different organizations allow a different number of injury time-outs. Coaches and wrestlers must know the rule for the specific competition before it begins. In college wrestling, for instance, only one time-out is allowed, and if the athlete asks for a second, the match is terminated.
The official will stop a match when blood is present so that the bleeding can be stopped and the wrestlers and the mat cleaned and disinfected. There is no time limit for blood issues, and the match will continue until it becomes clear that the bleeding is interfering with the match too much. The official can choose to stop the match at that point, and the wrestler who is not able to continue will take a loss.
Scoring
Depending on the starting position for each period, the wrestlers try to score takedowns, escapes, reversals, and near falls to control their opponents on the mat, to turn them over, and then to pin their shoulders for a fall. The successful execution of these maneuvers is rewarded with match points. To understand how the various maneuvers are scored, see table 3.2.
In folkstyle team competitions, wrestlers earn team points that contribute to the team's score. For team scoring, a win by a decision (victory by 1 to 7 points more than the opponent) is worth 3 points; a major decision (victory by 8 to 14 points), 4; a technical fall (victory by at least 15 points), 5; and a fall, 6. The loser receives no points. Winning by injury default, forfeit, or disqualification counts the same as a fall.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Take-down moves for youth wrestlers
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg—called the single leg.
Single Leg
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg-called the single leg. Regardless of the setup used for the single leg, teach your young wrestlers to first move themselves or their opponent or both so that they have an angle to attack from (see figure 8.10a). As discussed in chapter 7, gaining an angle provides several advantages. Attacking from an angle takes your wrestler's attack across the powerful center of the defender's body, rather than directly into it. Also, the defender's sprawl-dropping the hips and thrusting the legs back-is much less effective if your wrestler attacks at an angle.
Next, your wrestler should change levels and make an inside penetration step that ends up with the head positioned against the opponent's chest (see figure 8.10b). The step should be deep enough that when your wrestler drives forward onto the inside knee, his or her weight moves all the way through the space the defender was in. While penetrating, your wrestler should grasp the single leg with both arms straight, locked behind the knee, and step up with the outside leg first and then the inside (see figure 8.10c).
From this position, there a several ways to finish. The one your wrestlers should use depends on what the defender does
• When your wrestler has a leg up and the head on the opponent's chest and the opponent defends with a whizzer, your wrestler should execute a technique called running the pipe. While pushing down on the defender's thigh with the chest and into the opponent with the head, the attacker should pull up with the arms as hard as possible, making a powerful lever (see figure 8.11). When teaching this, have your wrestlers watch the defender's foot. When the pressure is correct, they will be able to see the foot being pushed into the mat.
• If the defender is trying to use a whizzer by driving an arm between your wrestler's outside arm and body and levering as hard as possible, the defender's pressure plus your wrestler's pressure make the defender vulnerable. Your wrestler can step across with the inside foot over to the defender's foot on the mat (see figure 8.12a). Next, your wrestler can step back and change levels by forcefully dropping, pulling the leg through between the attacker's own, and continuing the downward pressure with the upper body (see figure 8.12b).
• If there is no whizzer, your wrestler can quickly drive into the defender (see figure 8.13a), creating enough space to step the inside leg over and outside of the single leg to clear it (see figure 8.13b) and then lift the single leg straight up into the armpit (see figure 8.13c). Teach your wrestlers to keep moving in these situations in order to keep the defender thinking about having to avoid tripping instead of trying to counterattack. They should try to get the defender hopping around and time their move so that just as the defender hops up, they can sweep his or her foot with their outside leg (see figure 8.13d), bringing the opponent to the mat (see figure 8.13e).
Double Leg
Using a double leg simply means that a wrestler attacks both legs. The double leg is effective against an opponent who is in a square stance because both legs are equally close to the attacker. It may be initiated straight on or from an angle. If a wrestler is not able to get an effective angle for a single leg, he or she might want to initiate a double-leg attack from straight on. A double leg could also be more effective against wrestlers who are highly skilled in defending single-leg attacks. To return to the baseball analogy from chapter 7, a good pitcher doesn't have just a fastball. Even if he can throw it 100 miles per hour, he still needs a curveball and slider, depending on the batter he is facing.
Your wrestler can use a tie-up, as discussed in "Tie-Ups" on pages 82 through 86, to get through the defender's arms and must use good movement so that he or she can initiate the attack from an angle. Then, when your wrestler is close and has the opponent's arms neutralized, he or she should automatically change levels and start the penetration step (see figure 8.14a). The step should go right at the defender, with the foot landing between the feet (see figure 8.14b). As your wrestler drives forward onto the knee, the head must stay up and outside the body. With good penetration and follow-through, the outside leg steps up, and the arms should wrap at the knees (see figure 8.14c).
There are several ways to finish a double-leg takedown:
• If your wrestler has deep penetration and the opponent is caught on his or her heels, your wrestler can drive straight through and send the opponent to his or her back (see figure 8.15).
• Your wrestler can use a penetration step, step up with the outside leg after the penetration step, lift with the near arm, and pull in with the far arm to collapse the knee (see figure 8.16a). Your wrestler drives to that side to finish the takedown. The opponent will either land on a hip or turn facedown as he or she goes down (see figure 8.16b).
• If your wrestler's hips are in close enough, he or she can lift the defender off his or her feet and finish to the mat easily from that point. If this is the case, straightening the legs will bring the opponent right off the mat. However, if the defender is able to sprawl at all, it may be tough to finish this way. Ideally, if the defender is leaning over the top of the attacker (the defender's center of gravity resting above the attacker's hips and shoulders) and the attacker's legs are loaded (bent), as shown in figure 8.17a, the attacker can stand up with the opponent over his or her shoulder (see figure 8.17b). But, if the opponent has sprawled back, the opponent's center of gravity will be spread in front of the attacker. This creates leverage and makes it more difficult for your wrestler to lift the opponent. Remind wrestlers to think of picking up a box or other heavy object. If they hold it tight to the torso, it is much easier to lift than if they try to pick it up while it is two feet in front of their body.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Plan of attack for bottom wrestlers
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent’s attempts to gain a pin.
Bottom Techniques
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent's attempts to gain a pin. Often, top wrestlers are described as having the advantage, and they really do. If they are well coached, they will make the bottom wrestler carry their weight, and they will drive forward, using their leg and hip muscles.
The base position, discussed on page 113, is the bottom wrestler's starting position. If a wrestler gets broken down and the pressure continues, it becomes apparent there isn't much he or she can do while laying facedown on the mat. Indeed, you will hear other coaches encouraging their bottom wrestlers to "Get off your belly." Coaches really mean "Get back to your base." The base position is important because when the abdomen is off the mat and the hips are up, the bottom wrestler can start trying to escape or gain a reversal.
Just as there are several concepts that you can work on with your wrestlers when they are on top, there are also specific concepts that wrestlers should learn when they are the bottom wrestler:
• Keep the hips from going to the mat.
Once down, the bottom wrestler must try to get elevation. If the bottom wrestler hasn't allowed the top wrestler to drive him or her all the way down, the bottom wrestler has a sort of head start. If the bottom wrestler is all the way down, not only does he or she have a lot of work to do to simply gain elevation, but it is doubled or maybe tripled because of the opponent's weight and pressure. Coach your wrestlers to resist going all the way down, whether by a breakdown or takedown, and to think about coming back up instantly.
• Create space.
The bottom wrestler must work to create space between his or her hips and the top wrestler's hips. Almost all escape and reversal techniques depend on getting separation between the bottom and top wrestlers' hips. This concept can be applied in many situations. If the defender starts working to separate the hips from the attacker's on the way down, the attacker will be in a weaker position when he or she hits the mat. That said, if the defender can get even one foot down on the way to the mat, her or she can start walking the hips away so there is already separation when they both hit the mat. In addition, skills to be learned later, such as sit-outs, switches, and hip-heists, are all designed to achieve this separation.
• Get back to the base position.
Bottom wrestlers must work quickly to get the hips up back into the base position after a takedown. Statistically, most near fall or pin situations happen in conjunction with takedowns. This may be because young wrestlers often try to catch their breath or take a few seconds before they start working from the bottom once in the bottom position after a takedown. However, if the bottom wrestler continually works to get the hips up off the mat and does so as quickly as possible after a takedown, the top wrestler will be busy trying to counteract that rather than focusing on getting set for a pinning combination. This is a concept, and maybe a matter of attitude, that you can drill until it becomes instinctive for your wrestlers. If young wrestlers can grasp this early, they will find more success while in the bottom position.
• Feel the pressure.
Bottom wrestlers must feel where the top wrestler's pressure comes from. Many techniques are based on meeting the top wrestler's pressure and then using it to help the bottom wrestler come up to the feet by meeting the resistance.
• Work quickly.
Bottom wrestlers should work quickly so that they do not give the top wrestler chances to settle into dominating positions.
• Know when to use torque.
Bottom wrestlers must learn to feel when to use torque with the hip-heist. The hip-heist, or rotating the hips 180 degrees or more while also spinning the body 180 degrees or more, is a powerful twisting movement that becomes a key part of many techniques.
• Wrestle defensively.
Teach your wrestlers to think of bottom wrestling as a type of attack on the top wrestler, meaning that if young wrestlers are taught to think of it as defense, they will learn the concept of wrestling defensively. Bottom wrestlers must have a plan, so help them plan their attack from the bottom so that they know what they will do before the top wrestler assumes his or her position. The top wrestler's position can dictate the best technique for the bottom wrestler. When top wrestlers are fairly high on the bottom wrestler's back, it's likely that they will work on arm chops or spiral rides. When top wrestlers are well back, it is more likely they will try one of the ankle picks.
The young wrestler's plan when in the bottom position should include several options to cover a variety of situations. For instance, your wrestler might be thinking about an inside stand-up and going through the steps in his or her head, but if the top wrestler comes on high, your wrestler should be able to switch to a limp-arm stand-up or another technique.
These concepts come together as your wrestlers use specific bottom-wrestling techniques such as stand-ups and switches.
Stand-Up
A stand-up is a technique for achieving an escape and can be used from the starting position on the mat or during action. The name describes the technique: The wrestler must get to a standing position from the bottom and then complete the escape by turning to face the defender. Although a stand-up is a basic move, when it is done well, it is difficult to counter.
When your wrestler assumes the bottom position with a stand-up in mind, the head should be up with the arms slightly bent and very little weight on the hands (see figure 9.39a). The wrestler's weight should be as far back and as high as possible, and he or she should try to hunch, or curve, the back up high. This elevates the weight before the action starts so there is less distance to travel to get to the feet. And keeping most of the wrestler's weight off the hands counters the effectiveness of an opponent's arm chop.
When the whistle initiates the action, the bottom wrestler explosively thrusts the arms and hands into the mat to drive the head, shoulders, and torso up and back to meet the top wrestler's forward pressure (see figure 9.39b). As the bottom wrestler starts to come up, his or her outside hand should quickly cover the top wrestler's hand that is on the waist and grasp it firmly (see figure 9.39c). As the bottom wrestler comes up, the elbow of the inside arm goes directly to the wrestler's own hip, with the wrist up, to prevent the top wrestler from shooting the hand through that has been on the elbow and locking hands as the bottom wrestler comes up (see figure 9.39d).
The bottom wrestler has several options for the inside arm and chooses one depending on how the top wrestler reacts. If the top wrestler chops, the bottom wrestler can "limp arm" by relaxing the inside arm so that as the chop comes and the bottom wrestler is coming up and grasping the hand on the abdomen, the bottom wrestler lets the limp arm go with the chop. The hand should go to about the hip, with the thumb on the inside (see figure 9.40a), and as the bottom wrestler comes up, the upper body twists a quarter turn away from the top wrestler and the hand is pulled straight up the side of the body, leading with the elbow until the hand is up near the armpit (see figure 9.40b). At this point, the arm is thrust straight up to prevent it from being grasped, while maintaining the cover on the waist hand (see figure 9.40c).
If the top wrestler jams his or her elbow forward, the bottom wrestler explodes and covers the hand as described here. But instead of bringing the elbow in, or limping the arm, the near arm can be driven up and across the bottom wrestler's chest to clear it (see figure 9.41). These techniques work because of the cover on the waist hand. If the top wrestler is able to reach through to attempt a lock around the waist, he or she will be able to grasp only the bottom wrestler's hand that is covering, and this can be dealt with.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Rules of wrestling competitions explained
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level.
Weight Classes
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level. Pairing weight classes with age groups helps keep wrestlers of similar maturity levels grouped together, and maturity may be as important a consideration as weight. You will encounter other methods as well.
Tournament organizers may sometimes group wrestlers less formally in an attempt to even out the number of wrestlers per competitive group. For example, if 24 wrestlers weighing 100 to 105 pounds, five wrestlers weighing 98 to 99 pounds, and 3 weighing 106 pounds weigh in, the pairing officials may split these 32 wrestlers into three groups instead of having such unbalanced numbers. This helps everyone get in a similar number of matches and keeps the tournament from dragging on at the end while one or two weight classes have many more matches than the others. In any case, the pairing officials will work to avoid mismatches because of excessive weight difference. Be vigilant and ask for change if there is too much disparity among athletes. The main concern of all officials and coaches should be the safety of the wrestlers and an enjoyable competition.
USA Wrestling has established youth age groups and assigned match time limits and weight classes for each group. Some state associations have expanded these to provide a framework for younger children. See table 3.1 for a list of the age groups and weights for youth wrestling as recommended by USA Wrestling.
Competition
Wrestling matches are opportunities for wrestlers to translate the skills they have learned in practice into a competition with other wrestlers. Youth wrestling has two principal forms of competition: tournaments and dual meets.
In tournaments, wrestlers from many clubs or teams compete in each weight class. Often there is more than one wrestler from the same club. Team scores are not usually kept in tournaments at the youth level, but there are awards for the wrestlers who win or place in the competition. USA Wrestling tournaments do not include team scoring except at the national championship level for older age groups. As competition moves to high school teams, tournament scoring becomes important.
Dual meets are competitions between two teams. Each team enters one wrestler per weight class, and he or she wrestles an opponent in that weight class from the other team. Team scoring is the idea behind dual meets, and the winning wrestler is awarded three to six points depending on the nature of the win. Individual points are totaled, and the team with the most points wins the dual competition.
Entering Competition
Although weight classes are different for different ages, the system for entering athletes into competitions is the same for all levels. In a dual meet, each team may enter one wrestler in each weight class. The same is true for invitational tournaments, where teams are invited and each enters one wrestler per weight class. However, in open tournaments, a school or club may enter as many wrestlers as it wishes, and wrestlers can sometimes enter as individuals, without club or team membership.
Clubs that host tournaments can make fliers available at other competitions, send fliers to the coaches of other clubs, and advertise in wrestling publications or on Web sites. Ads should specify location, rules to be observed, age groups competing, time and place of weigh-ins, and time and place of the competition. Generally, only statewide championships and USA Wrestling regional and national competitions require preregistration. Events sanctioned by USA Wrestling require that competitors hold an athlete membership card, and this must be presented when making an entry. This may be true of other governing bodies as well. Athletes register upon arriving at the site, and then go to the weigh-in room.
Weigh-Ins
A weigh-in is held before a competition to ensure that each athlete's body weight is within the limits of his or her weight class. This usually occurs at least an hour before the event's scheduled start time to allow tournament administrators time to organize the wrestlers into their weight classes and set up brackets. In some cases, weigh-ins are highly structured with all the wrestlers from a specific weight class standing in line to be weighed.
Medical personnel should check each athlete thoroughly for skin infections before he or she is allowed to weigh in. When cleared, the athlete reports for the weigh-in. USA Wrestling requires, as do some other organizations, that athletes weigh in wearing uniforms or shorts because officials may be women, and girls and women may enter some competitions. When the wrestler comes to the scale, the official confirms that the medical clearance is complete and then directs the wrestler to step on the scale. Digital scales are used most often now. When using a digital scale, the readout should not be visible to the athlete. This is done to keep the athlete from moving around on the scale in an attempt to affect the result. If a balance scale is used, the official should direct the athlete to stand in the middle of the platform and stand still. Most associations and leagues give an athlete just one chance on the scale. If athletes are over the allowed weight, they are not allowed to compete. It is the responsibility of the athlete and the coach to be sure that the stated weight is correct before presenting for weigh-in.
Match Structure
A match is made up of three timed periods. The time can vary depending on local rules. For example, USA Wrestling specifies three 2-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest between each period for all age categories (see table 3.1); however, some tournament organizers use 1-minute periods for the younger age groups. Before the start of a competition, check the rules to make sure you know what the time periods are for each age group.
The first period starts with both wrestlers standing. At the end of the first period, the official determines which wrestler gets to choose how to start the second period. If it is a dual meet, this protocol is decided before the first match, and the teams alternate who gets the choice. In a tournament, the athletes wear colored ankle bands to help the official and scorers identify athletes. The official flips a colored disc, and the wrestler with the winning color gets the choice.
The wrestler with the choice at the start of the second period has four options. Athletes can choose to defer the choice to their opponent so they can make the choice they want in the third period. They can choose to start in the neutral position, both wrestlers standing. They can choose to start down so that they can escape or get a reversal while they are still fresh. Finally, they can choose to start in the top position so they can work to get the fall, again, while fresh.
A match is over if one wrestler achieves a pin, or fall (see chapter 9 for more information on pins). Matches are also stopped if one wrestler gets ahead of the other by 15 or more points, a technical fall. Disqualification for misconduct, stalling, or other severe violations of the rules also stop a match. Although wrestling is one of the martial arts, or combat sports, any hold or maneuver applied with the intent to injure the opponent is prohibited.
Starting a Match
All youth wrestling matches begin with the two wrestlers on their feet, facing each other in a neutral position, with no advantage to either one. The duration of a match is specified according to the wrestling style and the age group involved.
Substitutions are not allowed during a match; however, for a dual meet, it is possible for two athletes to weigh in at the same weight so that you can choose which athlete to use when it is that weight group's turn to compete. Wrestling does not have a time-out in the way we understand them in basketball or football. There are no stops to be used strategically, to compose the team, or simply to catch a rest. It is possible for an athlete to ask for a time-out for injury. Injury time-outs have time limits, and once the time is reached, the athlete must compete or withdraw. The time limit is most often one and a half minutes. Different organizations allow a different number of injury time-outs. Coaches and wrestlers must know the rule for the specific competition before it begins. In college wrestling, for instance, only one time-out is allowed, and if the athlete asks for a second, the match is terminated.
The official will stop a match when blood is present so that the bleeding can be stopped and the wrestlers and the mat cleaned and disinfected. There is no time limit for blood issues, and the match will continue until it becomes clear that the bleeding is interfering with the match too much. The official can choose to stop the match at that point, and the wrestler who is not able to continue will take a loss.
Scoring
Depending on the starting position for each period, the wrestlers try to score takedowns, escapes, reversals, and near falls to control their opponents on the mat, to turn them over, and then to pin their shoulders for a fall. The successful execution of these maneuvers is rewarded with match points. To understand how the various maneuvers are scored, see table 3.2.
In folkstyle team competitions, wrestlers earn team points that contribute to the team's score. For team scoring, a win by a decision (victory by 1 to 7 points more than the opponent) is worth 3 points; a major decision (victory by 8 to 14 points), 4; a technical fall (victory by at least 15 points), 5; and a fall, 6. The loser receives no points. Winning by injury default, forfeit, or disqualification counts the same as a fall.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Take-down moves for youth wrestlers
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg—called the single leg.
Single Leg
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg-called the single leg. Regardless of the setup used for the single leg, teach your young wrestlers to first move themselves or their opponent or both so that they have an angle to attack from (see figure 8.10a). As discussed in chapter 7, gaining an angle provides several advantages. Attacking from an angle takes your wrestler's attack across the powerful center of the defender's body, rather than directly into it. Also, the defender's sprawl-dropping the hips and thrusting the legs back-is much less effective if your wrestler attacks at an angle.
Next, your wrestler should change levels and make an inside penetration step that ends up with the head positioned against the opponent's chest (see figure 8.10b). The step should be deep enough that when your wrestler drives forward onto the inside knee, his or her weight moves all the way through the space the defender was in. While penetrating, your wrestler should grasp the single leg with both arms straight, locked behind the knee, and step up with the outside leg first and then the inside (see figure 8.10c).
From this position, there a several ways to finish. The one your wrestlers should use depends on what the defender does
• When your wrestler has a leg up and the head on the opponent's chest and the opponent defends with a whizzer, your wrestler should execute a technique called running the pipe. While pushing down on the defender's thigh with the chest and into the opponent with the head, the attacker should pull up with the arms as hard as possible, making a powerful lever (see figure 8.11). When teaching this, have your wrestlers watch the defender's foot. When the pressure is correct, they will be able to see the foot being pushed into the mat.
• If the defender is trying to use a whizzer by driving an arm between your wrestler's outside arm and body and levering as hard as possible, the defender's pressure plus your wrestler's pressure make the defender vulnerable. Your wrestler can step across with the inside foot over to the defender's foot on the mat (see figure 8.12a). Next, your wrestler can step back and change levels by forcefully dropping, pulling the leg through between the attacker's own, and continuing the downward pressure with the upper body (see figure 8.12b).
• If there is no whizzer, your wrestler can quickly drive into the defender (see figure 8.13a), creating enough space to step the inside leg over and outside of the single leg to clear it (see figure 8.13b) and then lift the single leg straight up into the armpit (see figure 8.13c). Teach your wrestlers to keep moving in these situations in order to keep the defender thinking about having to avoid tripping instead of trying to counterattack. They should try to get the defender hopping around and time their move so that just as the defender hops up, they can sweep his or her foot with their outside leg (see figure 8.13d), bringing the opponent to the mat (see figure 8.13e).
Double Leg
Using a double leg simply means that a wrestler attacks both legs. The double leg is effective against an opponent who is in a square stance because both legs are equally close to the attacker. It may be initiated straight on or from an angle. If a wrestler is not able to get an effective angle for a single leg, he or she might want to initiate a double-leg attack from straight on. A double leg could also be more effective against wrestlers who are highly skilled in defending single-leg attacks. To return to the baseball analogy from chapter 7, a good pitcher doesn't have just a fastball. Even if he can throw it 100 miles per hour, he still needs a curveball and slider, depending on the batter he is facing.
Your wrestler can use a tie-up, as discussed in "Tie-Ups" on pages 82 through 86, to get through the defender's arms and must use good movement so that he or she can initiate the attack from an angle. Then, when your wrestler is close and has the opponent's arms neutralized, he or she should automatically change levels and start the penetration step (see figure 8.14a). The step should go right at the defender, with the foot landing between the feet (see figure 8.14b). As your wrestler drives forward onto the knee, the head must stay up and outside the body. With good penetration and follow-through, the outside leg steps up, and the arms should wrap at the knees (see figure 8.14c).
There are several ways to finish a double-leg takedown:
• If your wrestler has deep penetration and the opponent is caught on his or her heels, your wrestler can drive straight through and send the opponent to his or her back (see figure 8.15).
• Your wrestler can use a penetration step, step up with the outside leg after the penetration step, lift with the near arm, and pull in with the far arm to collapse the knee (see figure 8.16a). Your wrestler drives to that side to finish the takedown. The opponent will either land on a hip or turn facedown as he or she goes down (see figure 8.16b).
• If your wrestler's hips are in close enough, he or she can lift the defender off his or her feet and finish to the mat easily from that point. If this is the case, straightening the legs will bring the opponent right off the mat. However, if the defender is able to sprawl at all, it may be tough to finish this way. Ideally, if the defender is leaning over the top of the attacker (the defender's center of gravity resting above the attacker's hips and shoulders) and the attacker's legs are loaded (bent), as shown in figure 8.17a, the attacker can stand up with the opponent over his or her shoulder (see figure 8.17b). But, if the opponent has sprawled back, the opponent's center of gravity will be spread in front of the attacker. This creates leverage and makes it more difficult for your wrestler to lift the opponent. Remind wrestlers to think of picking up a box or other heavy object. If they hold it tight to the torso, it is much easier to lift than if they try to pick it up while it is two feet in front of their body.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Plan of attack for bottom wrestlers
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent’s attempts to gain a pin.
Bottom Techniques
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent's attempts to gain a pin. Often, top wrestlers are described as having the advantage, and they really do. If they are well coached, they will make the bottom wrestler carry their weight, and they will drive forward, using their leg and hip muscles.
The base position, discussed on page 113, is the bottom wrestler's starting position. If a wrestler gets broken down and the pressure continues, it becomes apparent there isn't much he or she can do while laying facedown on the mat. Indeed, you will hear other coaches encouraging their bottom wrestlers to "Get off your belly." Coaches really mean "Get back to your base." The base position is important because when the abdomen is off the mat and the hips are up, the bottom wrestler can start trying to escape or gain a reversal.
Just as there are several concepts that you can work on with your wrestlers when they are on top, there are also specific concepts that wrestlers should learn when they are the bottom wrestler:
• Keep the hips from going to the mat.
Once down, the bottom wrestler must try to get elevation. If the bottom wrestler hasn't allowed the top wrestler to drive him or her all the way down, the bottom wrestler has a sort of head start. If the bottom wrestler is all the way down, not only does he or she have a lot of work to do to simply gain elevation, but it is doubled or maybe tripled because of the opponent's weight and pressure. Coach your wrestlers to resist going all the way down, whether by a breakdown or takedown, and to think about coming back up instantly.
• Create space.
The bottom wrestler must work to create space between his or her hips and the top wrestler's hips. Almost all escape and reversal techniques depend on getting separation between the bottom and top wrestlers' hips. This concept can be applied in many situations. If the defender starts working to separate the hips from the attacker's on the way down, the attacker will be in a weaker position when he or she hits the mat. That said, if the defender can get even one foot down on the way to the mat, her or she can start walking the hips away so there is already separation when they both hit the mat. In addition, skills to be learned later, such as sit-outs, switches, and hip-heists, are all designed to achieve this separation.
• Get back to the base position.
Bottom wrestlers must work quickly to get the hips up back into the base position after a takedown. Statistically, most near fall or pin situations happen in conjunction with takedowns. This may be because young wrestlers often try to catch their breath or take a few seconds before they start working from the bottom once in the bottom position after a takedown. However, if the bottom wrestler continually works to get the hips up off the mat and does so as quickly as possible after a takedown, the top wrestler will be busy trying to counteract that rather than focusing on getting set for a pinning combination. This is a concept, and maybe a matter of attitude, that you can drill until it becomes instinctive for your wrestlers. If young wrestlers can grasp this early, they will find more success while in the bottom position.
• Feel the pressure.
Bottom wrestlers must feel where the top wrestler's pressure comes from. Many techniques are based on meeting the top wrestler's pressure and then using it to help the bottom wrestler come up to the feet by meeting the resistance.
• Work quickly.
Bottom wrestlers should work quickly so that they do not give the top wrestler chances to settle into dominating positions.
• Know when to use torque.
Bottom wrestlers must learn to feel when to use torque with the hip-heist. The hip-heist, or rotating the hips 180 degrees or more while also spinning the body 180 degrees or more, is a powerful twisting movement that becomes a key part of many techniques.
• Wrestle defensively.
Teach your wrestlers to think of bottom wrestling as a type of attack on the top wrestler, meaning that if young wrestlers are taught to think of it as defense, they will learn the concept of wrestling defensively. Bottom wrestlers must have a plan, so help them plan their attack from the bottom so that they know what they will do before the top wrestler assumes his or her position. The top wrestler's position can dictate the best technique for the bottom wrestler. When top wrestlers are fairly high on the bottom wrestler's back, it's likely that they will work on arm chops or spiral rides. When top wrestlers are well back, it is more likely they will try one of the ankle picks.
The young wrestler's plan when in the bottom position should include several options to cover a variety of situations. For instance, your wrestler might be thinking about an inside stand-up and going through the steps in his or her head, but if the top wrestler comes on high, your wrestler should be able to switch to a limp-arm stand-up or another technique.
These concepts come together as your wrestlers use specific bottom-wrestling techniques such as stand-ups and switches.
Stand-Up
A stand-up is a technique for achieving an escape and can be used from the starting position on the mat or during action. The name describes the technique: The wrestler must get to a standing position from the bottom and then complete the escape by turning to face the defender. Although a stand-up is a basic move, when it is done well, it is difficult to counter.
When your wrestler assumes the bottom position with a stand-up in mind, the head should be up with the arms slightly bent and very little weight on the hands (see figure 9.39a). The wrestler's weight should be as far back and as high as possible, and he or she should try to hunch, or curve, the back up high. This elevates the weight before the action starts so there is less distance to travel to get to the feet. And keeping most of the wrestler's weight off the hands counters the effectiveness of an opponent's arm chop.
When the whistle initiates the action, the bottom wrestler explosively thrusts the arms and hands into the mat to drive the head, shoulders, and torso up and back to meet the top wrestler's forward pressure (see figure 9.39b). As the bottom wrestler starts to come up, his or her outside hand should quickly cover the top wrestler's hand that is on the waist and grasp it firmly (see figure 9.39c). As the bottom wrestler comes up, the elbow of the inside arm goes directly to the wrestler's own hip, with the wrist up, to prevent the top wrestler from shooting the hand through that has been on the elbow and locking hands as the bottom wrestler comes up (see figure 9.39d).
The bottom wrestler has several options for the inside arm and chooses one depending on how the top wrestler reacts. If the top wrestler chops, the bottom wrestler can "limp arm" by relaxing the inside arm so that as the chop comes and the bottom wrestler is coming up and grasping the hand on the abdomen, the bottom wrestler lets the limp arm go with the chop. The hand should go to about the hip, with the thumb on the inside (see figure 9.40a), and as the bottom wrestler comes up, the upper body twists a quarter turn away from the top wrestler and the hand is pulled straight up the side of the body, leading with the elbow until the hand is up near the armpit (see figure 9.40b). At this point, the arm is thrust straight up to prevent it from being grasped, while maintaining the cover on the waist hand (see figure 9.40c).
If the top wrestler jams his or her elbow forward, the bottom wrestler explodes and covers the hand as described here. But instead of bringing the elbow in, or limping the arm, the near arm can be driven up and across the bottom wrestler's chest to clear it (see figure 9.41). These techniques work because of the cover on the waist hand. If the top wrestler is able to reach through to attempt a lock around the waist, he or she will be able to grasp only the bottom wrestler's hand that is covering, and this can be dealt with.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Rules of wrestling competitions explained
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level.
Weight Classes
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level. Pairing weight classes with age groups helps keep wrestlers of similar maturity levels grouped together, and maturity may be as important a consideration as weight. You will encounter other methods as well.
Tournament organizers may sometimes group wrestlers less formally in an attempt to even out the number of wrestlers per competitive group. For example, if 24 wrestlers weighing 100 to 105 pounds, five wrestlers weighing 98 to 99 pounds, and 3 weighing 106 pounds weigh in, the pairing officials may split these 32 wrestlers into three groups instead of having such unbalanced numbers. This helps everyone get in a similar number of matches and keeps the tournament from dragging on at the end while one or two weight classes have many more matches than the others. In any case, the pairing officials will work to avoid mismatches because of excessive weight difference. Be vigilant and ask for change if there is too much disparity among athletes. The main concern of all officials and coaches should be the safety of the wrestlers and an enjoyable competition.
USA Wrestling has established youth age groups and assigned match time limits and weight classes for each group. Some state associations have expanded these to provide a framework for younger children. See table 3.1 for a list of the age groups and weights for youth wrestling as recommended by USA Wrestling.
Competition
Wrestling matches are opportunities for wrestlers to translate the skills they have learned in practice into a competition with other wrestlers. Youth wrestling has two principal forms of competition: tournaments and dual meets.
In tournaments, wrestlers from many clubs or teams compete in each weight class. Often there is more than one wrestler from the same club. Team scores are not usually kept in tournaments at the youth level, but there are awards for the wrestlers who win or place in the competition. USA Wrestling tournaments do not include team scoring except at the national championship level for older age groups. As competition moves to high school teams, tournament scoring becomes important.
Dual meets are competitions between two teams. Each team enters one wrestler per weight class, and he or she wrestles an opponent in that weight class from the other team. Team scoring is the idea behind dual meets, and the winning wrestler is awarded three to six points depending on the nature of the win. Individual points are totaled, and the team with the most points wins the dual competition.
Entering Competition
Although weight classes are different for different ages, the system for entering athletes into competitions is the same for all levels. In a dual meet, each team may enter one wrestler in each weight class. The same is true for invitational tournaments, where teams are invited and each enters one wrestler per weight class. However, in open tournaments, a school or club may enter as many wrestlers as it wishes, and wrestlers can sometimes enter as individuals, without club or team membership.
Clubs that host tournaments can make fliers available at other competitions, send fliers to the coaches of other clubs, and advertise in wrestling publications or on Web sites. Ads should specify location, rules to be observed, age groups competing, time and place of weigh-ins, and time and place of the competition. Generally, only statewide championships and USA Wrestling regional and national competitions require preregistration. Events sanctioned by USA Wrestling require that competitors hold an athlete membership card, and this must be presented when making an entry. This may be true of other governing bodies as well. Athletes register upon arriving at the site, and then go to the weigh-in room.
Weigh-Ins
A weigh-in is held before a competition to ensure that each athlete's body weight is within the limits of his or her weight class. This usually occurs at least an hour before the event's scheduled start time to allow tournament administrators time to organize the wrestlers into their weight classes and set up brackets. In some cases, weigh-ins are highly structured with all the wrestlers from a specific weight class standing in line to be weighed.
Medical personnel should check each athlete thoroughly for skin infections before he or she is allowed to weigh in. When cleared, the athlete reports for the weigh-in. USA Wrestling requires, as do some other organizations, that athletes weigh in wearing uniforms or shorts because officials may be women, and girls and women may enter some competitions. When the wrestler comes to the scale, the official confirms that the medical clearance is complete and then directs the wrestler to step on the scale. Digital scales are used most often now. When using a digital scale, the readout should not be visible to the athlete. This is done to keep the athlete from moving around on the scale in an attempt to affect the result. If a balance scale is used, the official should direct the athlete to stand in the middle of the platform and stand still. Most associations and leagues give an athlete just one chance on the scale. If athletes are over the allowed weight, they are not allowed to compete. It is the responsibility of the athlete and the coach to be sure that the stated weight is correct before presenting for weigh-in.
Match Structure
A match is made up of three timed periods. The time can vary depending on local rules. For example, USA Wrestling specifies three 2-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest between each period for all age categories (see table 3.1); however, some tournament organizers use 1-minute periods for the younger age groups. Before the start of a competition, check the rules to make sure you know what the time periods are for each age group.
The first period starts with both wrestlers standing. At the end of the first period, the official determines which wrestler gets to choose how to start the second period. If it is a dual meet, this protocol is decided before the first match, and the teams alternate who gets the choice. In a tournament, the athletes wear colored ankle bands to help the official and scorers identify athletes. The official flips a colored disc, and the wrestler with the winning color gets the choice.
The wrestler with the choice at the start of the second period has four options. Athletes can choose to defer the choice to their opponent so they can make the choice they want in the third period. They can choose to start in the neutral position, both wrestlers standing. They can choose to start down so that they can escape or get a reversal while they are still fresh. Finally, they can choose to start in the top position so they can work to get the fall, again, while fresh.
A match is over if one wrestler achieves a pin, or fall (see chapter 9 for more information on pins). Matches are also stopped if one wrestler gets ahead of the other by 15 or more points, a technical fall. Disqualification for misconduct, stalling, or other severe violations of the rules also stop a match. Although wrestling is one of the martial arts, or combat sports, any hold or maneuver applied with the intent to injure the opponent is prohibited.
Starting a Match
All youth wrestling matches begin with the two wrestlers on their feet, facing each other in a neutral position, with no advantage to either one. The duration of a match is specified according to the wrestling style and the age group involved.
Substitutions are not allowed during a match; however, for a dual meet, it is possible for two athletes to weigh in at the same weight so that you can choose which athlete to use when it is that weight group's turn to compete. Wrestling does not have a time-out in the way we understand them in basketball or football. There are no stops to be used strategically, to compose the team, or simply to catch a rest. It is possible for an athlete to ask for a time-out for injury. Injury time-outs have time limits, and once the time is reached, the athlete must compete or withdraw. The time limit is most often one and a half minutes. Different organizations allow a different number of injury time-outs. Coaches and wrestlers must know the rule for the specific competition before it begins. In college wrestling, for instance, only one time-out is allowed, and if the athlete asks for a second, the match is terminated.
The official will stop a match when blood is present so that the bleeding can be stopped and the wrestlers and the mat cleaned and disinfected. There is no time limit for blood issues, and the match will continue until it becomes clear that the bleeding is interfering with the match too much. The official can choose to stop the match at that point, and the wrestler who is not able to continue will take a loss.
Scoring
Depending on the starting position for each period, the wrestlers try to score takedowns, escapes, reversals, and near falls to control their opponents on the mat, to turn them over, and then to pin their shoulders for a fall. The successful execution of these maneuvers is rewarded with match points. To understand how the various maneuvers are scored, see table 3.2.
In folkstyle team competitions, wrestlers earn team points that contribute to the team's score. For team scoring, a win by a decision (victory by 1 to 7 points more than the opponent) is worth 3 points; a major decision (victory by 8 to 14 points), 4; a technical fall (victory by at least 15 points), 5; and a fall, 6. The loser receives no points. Winning by injury default, forfeit, or disqualification counts the same as a fall.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Take-down moves for youth wrestlers
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg—called the single leg.
Single Leg
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg-called the single leg. Regardless of the setup used for the single leg, teach your young wrestlers to first move themselves or their opponent or both so that they have an angle to attack from (see figure 8.10a). As discussed in chapter 7, gaining an angle provides several advantages. Attacking from an angle takes your wrestler's attack across the powerful center of the defender's body, rather than directly into it. Also, the defender's sprawl-dropping the hips and thrusting the legs back-is much less effective if your wrestler attacks at an angle.
Next, your wrestler should change levels and make an inside penetration step that ends up with the head positioned against the opponent's chest (see figure 8.10b). The step should be deep enough that when your wrestler drives forward onto the inside knee, his or her weight moves all the way through the space the defender was in. While penetrating, your wrestler should grasp the single leg with both arms straight, locked behind the knee, and step up with the outside leg first and then the inside (see figure 8.10c).
From this position, there a several ways to finish. The one your wrestlers should use depends on what the defender does
• When your wrestler has a leg up and the head on the opponent's chest and the opponent defends with a whizzer, your wrestler should execute a technique called running the pipe. While pushing down on the defender's thigh with the chest and into the opponent with the head, the attacker should pull up with the arms as hard as possible, making a powerful lever (see figure 8.11). When teaching this, have your wrestlers watch the defender's foot. When the pressure is correct, they will be able to see the foot being pushed into the mat.
• If the defender is trying to use a whizzer by driving an arm between your wrestler's outside arm and body and levering as hard as possible, the defender's pressure plus your wrestler's pressure make the defender vulnerable. Your wrestler can step across with the inside foot over to the defender's foot on the mat (see figure 8.12a). Next, your wrestler can step back and change levels by forcefully dropping, pulling the leg through between the attacker's own, and continuing the downward pressure with the upper body (see figure 8.12b).
• If there is no whizzer, your wrestler can quickly drive into the defender (see figure 8.13a), creating enough space to step the inside leg over and outside of the single leg to clear it (see figure 8.13b) and then lift the single leg straight up into the armpit (see figure 8.13c). Teach your wrestlers to keep moving in these situations in order to keep the defender thinking about having to avoid tripping instead of trying to counterattack. They should try to get the defender hopping around and time their move so that just as the defender hops up, they can sweep his or her foot with their outside leg (see figure 8.13d), bringing the opponent to the mat (see figure 8.13e).
Double Leg
Using a double leg simply means that a wrestler attacks both legs. The double leg is effective against an opponent who is in a square stance because both legs are equally close to the attacker. It may be initiated straight on or from an angle. If a wrestler is not able to get an effective angle for a single leg, he or she might want to initiate a double-leg attack from straight on. A double leg could also be more effective against wrestlers who are highly skilled in defending single-leg attacks. To return to the baseball analogy from chapter 7, a good pitcher doesn't have just a fastball. Even if he can throw it 100 miles per hour, he still needs a curveball and slider, depending on the batter he is facing.
Your wrestler can use a tie-up, as discussed in "Tie-Ups" on pages 82 through 86, to get through the defender's arms and must use good movement so that he or she can initiate the attack from an angle. Then, when your wrestler is close and has the opponent's arms neutralized, he or she should automatically change levels and start the penetration step (see figure 8.14a). The step should go right at the defender, with the foot landing between the feet (see figure 8.14b). As your wrestler drives forward onto the knee, the head must stay up and outside the body. With good penetration and follow-through, the outside leg steps up, and the arms should wrap at the knees (see figure 8.14c).
There are several ways to finish a double-leg takedown:
• If your wrestler has deep penetration and the opponent is caught on his or her heels, your wrestler can drive straight through and send the opponent to his or her back (see figure 8.15).
• Your wrestler can use a penetration step, step up with the outside leg after the penetration step, lift with the near arm, and pull in with the far arm to collapse the knee (see figure 8.16a). Your wrestler drives to that side to finish the takedown. The opponent will either land on a hip or turn facedown as he or she goes down (see figure 8.16b).
• If your wrestler's hips are in close enough, he or she can lift the defender off his or her feet and finish to the mat easily from that point. If this is the case, straightening the legs will bring the opponent right off the mat. However, if the defender is able to sprawl at all, it may be tough to finish this way. Ideally, if the defender is leaning over the top of the attacker (the defender's center of gravity resting above the attacker's hips and shoulders) and the attacker's legs are loaded (bent), as shown in figure 8.17a, the attacker can stand up with the opponent over his or her shoulder (see figure 8.17b). But, if the opponent has sprawled back, the opponent's center of gravity will be spread in front of the attacker. This creates leverage and makes it more difficult for your wrestler to lift the opponent. Remind wrestlers to think of picking up a box or other heavy object. If they hold it tight to the torso, it is much easier to lift than if they try to pick it up while it is two feet in front of their body.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Plan of attack for bottom wrestlers
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent’s attempts to gain a pin.
Bottom Techniques
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent's attempts to gain a pin. Often, top wrestlers are described as having the advantage, and they really do. If they are well coached, they will make the bottom wrestler carry their weight, and they will drive forward, using their leg and hip muscles.
The base position, discussed on page 113, is the bottom wrestler's starting position. If a wrestler gets broken down and the pressure continues, it becomes apparent there isn't much he or she can do while laying facedown on the mat. Indeed, you will hear other coaches encouraging their bottom wrestlers to "Get off your belly." Coaches really mean "Get back to your base." The base position is important because when the abdomen is off the mat and the hips are up, the bottom wrestler can start trying to escape or gain a reversal.
Just as there are several concepts that you can work on with your wrestlers when they are on top, there are also specific concepts that wrestlers should learn when they are the bottom wrestler:
• Keep the hips from going to the mat.
Once down, the bottom wrestler must try to get elevation. If the bottom wrestler hasn't allowed the top wrestler to drive him or her all the way down, the bottom wrestler has a sort of head start. If the bottom wrestler is all the way down, not only does he or she have a lot of work to do to simply gain elevation, but it is doubled or maybe tripled because of the opponent's weight and pressure. Coach your wrestlers to resist going all the way down, whether by a breakdown or takedown, and to think about coming back up instantly.
• Create space.
The bottom wrestler must work to create space between his or her hips and the top wrestler's hips. Almost all escape and reversal techniques depend on getting separation between the bottom and top wrestlers' hips. This concept can be applied in many situations. If the defender starts working to separate the hips from the attacker's on the way down, the attacker will be in a weaker position when he or she hits the mat. That said, if the defender can get even one foot down on the way to the mat, her or she can start walking the hips away so there is already separation when they both hit the mat. In addition, skills to be learned later, such as sit-outs, switches, and hip-heists, are all designed to achieve this separation.
• Get back to the base position.
Bottom wrestlers must work quickly to get the hips up back into the base position after a takedown. Statistically, most near fall or pin situations happen in conjunction with takedowns. This may be because young wrestlers often try to catch their breath or take a few seconds before they start working from the bottom once in the bottom position after a takedown. However, if the bottom wrestler continually works to get the hips up off the mat and does so as quickly as possible after a takedown, the top wrestler will be busy trying to counteract that rather than focusing on getting set for a pinning combination. This is a concept, and maybe a matter of attitude, that you can drill until it becomes instinctive for your wrestlers. If young wrestlers can grasp this early, they will find more success while in the bottom position.
• Feel the pressure.
Bottom wrestlers must feel where the top wrestler's pressure comes from. Many techniques are based on meeting the top wrestler's pressure and then using it to help the bottom wrestler come up to the feet by meeting the resistance.
• Work quickly.
Bottom wrestlers should work quickly so that they do not give the top wrestler chances to settle into dominating positions.
• Know when to use torque.
Bottom wrestlers must learn to feel when to use torque with the hip-heist. The hip-heist, or rotating the hips 180 degrees or more while also spinning the body 180 degrees or more, is a powerful twisting movement that becomes a key part of many techniques.
• Wrestle defensively.
Teach your wrestlers to think of bottom wrestling as a type of attack on the top wrestler, meaning that if young wrestlers are taught to think of it as defense, they will learn the concept of wrestling defensively. Bottom wrestlers must have a plan, so help them plan their attack from the bottom so that they know what they will do before the top wrestler assumes his or her position. The top wrestler's position can dictate the best technique for the bottom wrestler. When top wrestlers are fairly high on the bottom wrestler's back, it's likely that they will work on arm chops or spiral rides. When top wrestlers are well back, it is more likely they will try one of the ankle picks.
The young wrestler's plan when in the bottom position should include several options to cover a variety of situations. For instance, your wrestler might be thinking about an inside stand-up and going through the steps in his or her head, but if the top wrestler comes on high, your wrestler should be able to switch to a limp-arm stand-up or another technique.
These concepts come together as your wrestlers use specific bottom-wrestling techniques such as stand-ups and switches.
Stand-Up
A stand-up is a technique for achieving an escape and can be used from the starting position on the mat or during action. The name describes the technique: The wrestler must get to a standing position from the bottom and then complete the escape by turning to face the defender. Although a stand-up is a basic move, when it is done well, it is difficult to counter.
When your wrestler assumes the bottom position with a stand-up in mind, the head should be up with the arms slightly bent and very little weight on the hands (see figure 9.39a). The wrestler's weight should be as far back and as high as possible, and he or she should try to hunch, or curve, the back up high. This elevates the weight before the action starts so there is less distance to travel to get to the feet. And keeping most of the wrestler's weight off the hands counters the effectiveness of an opponent's arm chop.
When the whistle initiates the action, the bottom wrestler explosively thrusts the arms and hands into the mat to drive the head, shoulders, and torso up and back to meet the top wrestler's forward pressure (see figure 9.39b). As the bottom wrestler starts to come up, his or her outside hand should quickly cover the top wrestler's hand that is on the waist and grasp it firmly (see figure 9.39c). As the bottom wrestler comes up, the elbow of the inside arm goes directly to the wrestler's own hip, with the wrist up, to prevent the top wrestler from shooting the hand through that has been on the elbow and locking hands as the bottom wrestler comes up (see figure 9.39d).
The bottom wrestler has several options for the inside arm and chooses one depending on how the top wrestler reacts. If the top wrestler chops, the bottom wrestler can "limp arm" by relaxing the inside arm so that as the chop comes and the bottom wrestler is coming up and grasping the hand on the abdomen, the bottom wrestler lets the limp arm go with the chop. The hand should go to about the hip, with the thumb on the inside (see figure 9.40a), and as the bottom wrestler comes up, the upper body twists a quarter turn away from the top wrestler and the hand is pulled straight up the side of the body, leading with the elbow until the hand is up near the armpit (see figure 9.40b). At this point, the arm is thrust straight up to prevent it from being grasped, while maintaining the cover on the waist hand (see figure 9.40c).
If the top wrestler jams his or her elbow forward, the bottom wrestler explodes and covers the hand as described here. But instead of bringing the elbow in, or limping the arm, the near arm can be driven up and across the bottom wrestler's chest to clear it (see figure 9.41). These techniques work because of the cover on the waist hand. If the top wrestler is able to reach through to attempt a lock around the waist, he or she will be able to grasp only the bottom wrestler's hand that is covering, and this can be dealt with.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Rules of wrestling competitions explained
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level.
Weight Classes
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level. Pairing weight classes with age groups helps keep wrestlers of similar maturity levels grouped together, and maturity may be as important a consideration as weight. You will encounter other methods as well.
Tournament organizers may sometimes group wrestlers less formally in an attempt to even out the number of wrestlers per competitive group. For example, if 24 wrestlers weighing 100 to 105 pounds, five wrestlers weighing 98 to 99 pounds, and 3 weighing 106 pounds weigh in, the pairing officials may split these 32 wrestlers into three groups instead of having such unbalanced numbers. This helps everyone get in a similar number of matches and keeps the tournament from dragging on at the end while one or two weight classes have many more matches than the others. In any case, the pairing officials will work to avoid mismatches because of excessive weight difference. Be vigilant and ask for change if there is too much disparity among athletes. The main concern of all officials and coaches should be the safety of the wrestlers and an enjoyable competition.
USA Wrestling has established youth age groups and assigned match time limits and weight classes for each group. Some state associations have expanded these to provide a framework for younger children. See table 3.1 for a list of the age groups and weights for youth wrestling as recommended by USA Wrestling.
Competition
Wrestling matches are opportunities for wrestlers to translate the skills they have learned in practice into a competition with other wrestlers. Youth wrestling has two principal forms of competition: tournaments and dual meets.
In tournaments, wrestlers from many clubs or teams compete in each weight class. Often there is more than one wrestler from the same club. Team scores are not usually kept in tournaments at the youth level, but there are awards for the wrestlers who win or place in the competition. USA Wrestling tournaments do not include team scoring except at the national championship level for older age groups. As competition moves to high school teams, tournament scoring becomes important.
Dual meets are competitions between two teams. Each team enters one wrestler per weight class, and he or she wrestles an opponent in that weight class from the other team. Team scoring is the idea behind dual meets, and the winning wrestler is awarded three to six points depending on the nature of the win. Individual points are totaled, and the team with the most points wins the dual competition.
Entering Competition
Although weight classes are different for different ages, the system for entering athletes into competitions is the same for all levels. In a dual meet, each team may enter one wrestler in each weight class. The same is true for invitational tournaments, where teams are invited and each enters one wrestler per weight class. However, in open tournaments, a school or club may enter as many wrestlers as it wishes, and wrestlers can sometimes enter as individuals, without club or team membership.
Clubs that host tournaments can make fliers available at other competitions, send fliers to the coaches of other clubs, and advertise in wrestling publications or on Web sites. Ads should specify location, rules to be observed, age groups competing, time and place of weigh-ins, and time and place of the competition. Generally, only statewide championships and USA Wrestling regional and national competitions require preregistration. Events sanctioned by USA Wrestling require that competitors hold an athlete membership card, and this must be presented when making an entry. This may be true of other governing bodies as well. Athletes register upon arriving at the site, and then go to the weigh-in room.
Weigh-Ins
A weigh-in is held before a competition to ensure that each athlete's body weight is within the limits of his or her weight class. This usually occurs at least an hour before the event's scheduled start time to allow tournament administrators time to organize the wrestlers into their weight classes and set up brackets. In some cases, weigh-ins are highly structured with all the wrestlers from a specific weight class standing in line to be weighed.
Medical personnel should check each athlete thoroughly for skin infections before he or she is allowed to weigh in. When cleared, the athlete reports for the weigh-in. USA Wrestling requires, as do some other organizations, that athletes weigh in wearing uniforms or shorts because officials may be women, and girls and women may enter some competitions. When the wrestler comes to the scale, the official confirms that the medical clearance is complete and then directs the wrestler to step on the scale. Digital scales are used most often now. When using a digital scale, the readout should not be visible to the athlete. This is done to keep the athlete from moving around on the scale in an attempt to affect the result. If a balance scale is used, the official should direct the athlete to stand in the middle of the platform and stand still. Most associations and leagues give an athlete just one chance on the scale. If athletes are over the allowed weight, they are not allowed to compete. It is the responsibility of the athlete and the coach to be sure that the stated weight is correct before presenting for weigh-in.
Match Structure
A match is made up of three timed periods. The time can vary depending on local rules. For example, USA Wrestling specifies three 2-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest between each period for all age categories (see table 3.1); however, some tournament organizers use 1-minute periods for the younger age groups. Before the start of a competition, check the rules to make sure you know what the time periods are for each age group.
The first period starts with both wrestlers standing. At the end of the first period, the official determines which wrestler gets to choose how to start the second period. If it is a dual meet, this protocol is decided before the first match, and the teams alternate who gets the choice. In a tournament, the athletes wear colored ankle bands to help the official and scorers identify athletes. The official flips a colored disc, and the wrestler with the winning color gets the choice.
The wrestler with the choice at the start of the second period has four options. Athletes can choose to defer the choice to their opponent so they can make the choice they want in the third period. They can choose to start in the neutral position, both wrestlers standing. They can choose to start down so that they can escape or get a reversal while they are still fresh. Finally, they can choose to start in the top position so they can work to get the fall, again, while fresh.
A match is over if one wrestler achieves a pin, or fall (see chapter 9 for more information on pins). Matches are also stopped if one wrestler gets ahead of the other by 15 or more points, a technical fall. Disqualification for misconduct, stalling, or other severe violations of the rules also stop a match. Although wrestling is one of the martial arts, or combat sports, any hold or maneuver applied with the intent to injure the opponent is prohibited.
Starting a Match
All youth wrestling matches begin with the two wrestlers on their feet, facing each other in a neutral position, with no advantage to either one. The duration of a match is specified according to the wrestling style and the age group involved.
Substitutions are not allowed during a match; however, for a dual meet, it is possible for two athletes to weigh in at the same weight so that you can choose which athlete to use when it is that weight group's turn to compete. Wrestling does not have a time-out in the way we understand them in basketball or football. There are no stops to be used strategically, to compose the team, or simply to catch a rest. It is possible for an athlete to ask for a time-out for injury. Injury time-outs have time limits, and once the time is reached, the athlete must compete or withdraw. The time limit is most often one and a half minutes. Different organizations allow a different number of injury time-outs. Coaches and wrestlers must know the rule for the specific competition before it begins. In college wrestling, for instance, only one time-out is allowed, and if the athlete asks for a second, the match is terminated.
The official will stop a match when blood is present so that the bleeding can be stopped and the wrestlers and the mat cleaned and disinfected. There is no time limit for blood issues, and the match will continue until it becomes clear that the bleeding is interfering with the match too much. The official can choose to stop the match at that point, and the wrestler who is not able to continue will take a loss.
Scoring
Depending on the starting position for each period, the wrestlers try to score takedowns, escapes, reversals, and near falls to control their opponents on the mat, to turn them over, and then to pin their shoulders for a fall. The successful execution of these maneuvers is rewarded with match points. To understand how the various maneuvers are scored, see table 3.2.
In folkstyle team competitions, wrestlers earn team points that contribute to the team's score. For team scoring, a win by a decision (victory by 1 to 7 points more than the opponent) is worth 3 points; a major decision (victory by 8 to 14 points), 4; a technical fall (victory by at least 15 points), 5; and a fall, 6. The loser receives no points. Winning by injury default, forfeit, or disqualification counts the same as a fall.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Take-down moves for youth wrestlers
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg—called the single leg.
Single Leg
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg-called the single leg. Regardless of the setup used for the single leg, teach your young wrestlers to first move themselves or their opponent or both so that they have an angle to attack from (see figure 8.10a). As discussed in chapter 7, gaining an angle provides several advantages. Attacking from an angle takes your wrestler's attack across the powerful center of the defender's body, rather than directly into it. Also, the defender's sprawl-dropping the hips and thrusting the legs back-is much less effective if your wrestler attacks at an angle.
Next, your wrestler should change levels and make an inside penetration step that ends up with the head positioned against the opponent's chest (see figure 8.10b). The step should be deep enough that when your wrestler drives forward onto the inside knee, his or her weight moves all the way through the space the defender was in. While penetrating, your wrestler should grasp the single leg with both arms straight, locked behind the knee, and step up with the outside leg first and then the inside (see figure 8.10c).
From this position, there a several ways to finish. The one your wrestlers should use depends on what the defender does
• When your wrestler has a leg up and the head on the opponent's chest and the opponent defends with a whizzer, your wrestler should execute a technique called running the pipe. While pushing down on the defender's thigh with the chest and into the opponent with the head, the attacker should pull up with the arms as hard as possible, making a powerful lever (see figure 8.11). When teaching this, have your wrestlers watch the defender's foot. When the pressure is correct, they will be able to see the foot being pushed into the mat.
• If the defender is trying to use a whizzer by driving an arm between your wrestler's outside arm and body and levering as hard as possible, the defender's pressure plus your wrestler's pressure make the defender vulnerable. Your wrestler can step across with the inside foot over to the defender's foot on the mat (see figure 8.12a). Next, your wrestler can step back and change levels by forcefully dropping, pulling the leg through between the attacker's own, and continuing the downward pressure with the upper body (see figure 8.12b).
• If there is no whizzer, your wrestler can quickly drive into the defender (see figure 8.13a), creating enough space to step the inside leg over and outside of the single leg to clear it (see figure 8.13b) and then lift the single leg straight up into the armpit (see figure 8.13c). Teach your wrestlers to keep moving in these situations in order to keep the defender thinking about having to avoid tripping instead of trying to counterattack. They should try to get the defender hopping around and time their move so that just as the defender hops up, they can sweep his or her foot with their outside leg (see figure 8.13d), bringing the opponent to the mat (see figure 8.13e).
Double Leg
Using a double leg simply means that a wrestler attacks both legs. The double leg is effective against an opponent who is in a square stance because both legs are equally close to the attacker. It may be initiated straight on or from an angle. If a wrestler is not able to get an effective angle for a single leg, he or she might want to initiate a double-leg attack from straight on. A double leg could also be more effective against wrestlers who are highly skilled in defending single-leg attacks. To return to the baseball analogy from chapter 7, a good pitcher doesn't have just a fastball. Even if he can throw it 100 miles per hour, he still needs a curveball and slider, depending on the batter he is facing.
Your wrestler can use a tie-up, as discussed in "Tie-Ups" on pages 82 through 86, to get through the defender's arms and must use good movement so that he or she can initiate the attack from an angle. Then, when your wrestler is close and has the opponent's arms neutralized, he or she should automatically change levels and start the penetration step (see figure 8.14a). The step should go right at the defender, with the foot landing between the feet (see figure 8.14b). As your wrestler drives forward onto the knee, the head must stay up and outside the body. With good penetration and follow-through, the outside leg steps up, and the arms should wrap at the knees (see figure 8.14c).
There are several ways to finish a double-leg takedown:
• If your wrestler has deep penetration and the opponent is caught on his or her heels, your wrestler can drive straight through and send the opponent to his or her back (see figure 8.15).
• Your wrestler can use a penetration step, step up with the outside leg after the penetration step, lift with the near arm, and pull in with the far arm to collapse the knee (see figure 8.16a). Your wrestler drives to that side to finish the takedown. The opponent will either land on a hip or turn facedown as he or she goes down (see figure 8.16b).
• If your wrestler's hips are in close enough, he or she can lift the defender off his or her feet and finish to the mat easily from that point. If this is the case, straightening the legs will bring the opponent right off the mat. However, if the defender is able to sprawl at all, it may be tough to finish this way. Ideally, if the defender is leaning over the top of the attacker (the defender's center of gravity resting above the attacker's hips and shoulders) and the attacker's legs are loaded (bent), as shown in figure 8.17a, the attacker can stand up with the opponent over his or her shoulder (see figure 8.17b). But, if the opponent has sprawled back, the opponent's center of gravity will be spread in front of the attacker. This creates leverage and makes it more difficult for your wrestler to lift the opponent. Remind wrestlers to think of picking up a box or other heavy object. If they hold it tight to the torso, it is much easier to lift than if they try to pick it up while it is two feet in front of their body.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Plan of attack for bottom wrestlers
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent’s attempts to gain a pin.
Bottom Techniques
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent's attempts to gain a pin. Often, top wrestlers are described as having the advantage, and they really do. If they are well coached, they will make the bottom wrestler carry their weight, and they will drive forward, using their leg and hip muscles.
The base position, discussed on page 113, is the bottom wrestler's starting position. If a wrestler gets broken down and the pressure continues, it becomes apparent there isn't much he or she can do while laying facedown on the mat. Indeed, you will hear other coaches encouraging their bottom wrestlers to "Get off your belly." Coaches really mean "Get back to your base." The base position is important because when the abdomen is off the mat and the hips are up, the bottom wrestler can start trying to escape or gain a reversal.
Just as there are several concepts that you can work on with your wrestlers when they are on top, there are also specific concepts that wrestlers should learn when they are the bottom wrestler:
• Keep the hips from going to the mat.
Once down, the bottom wrestler must try to get elevation. If the bottom wrestler hasn't allowed the top wrestler to drive him or her all the way down, the bottom wrestler has a sort of head start. If the bottom wrestler is all the way down, not only does he or she have a lot of work to do to simply gain elevation, but it is doubled or maybe tripled because of the opponent's weight and pressure. Coach your wrestlers to resist going all the way down, whether by a breakdown or takedown, and to think about coming back up instantly.
• Create space.
The bottom wrestler must work to create space between his or her hips and the top wrestler's hips. Almost all escape and reversal techniques depend on getting separation between the bottom and top wrestlers' hips. This concept can be applied in many situations. If the defender starts working to separate the hips from the attacker's on the way down, the attacker will be in a weaker position when he or she hits the mat. That said, if the defender can get even one foot down on the way to the mat, her or she can start walking the hips away so there is already separation when they both hit the mat. In addition, skills to be learned later, such as sit-outs, switches, and hip-heists, are all designed to achieve this separation.
• Get back to the base position.
Bottom wrestlers must work quickly to get the hips up back into the base position after a takedown. Statistically, most near fall or pin situations happen in conjunction with takedowns. This may be because young wrestlers often try to catch their breath or take a few seconds before they start working from the bottom once in the bottom position after a takedown. However, if the bottom wrestler continually works to get the hips up off the mat and does so as quickly as possible after a takedown, the top wrestler will be busy trying to counteract that rather than focusing on getting set for a pinning combination. This is a concept, and maybe a matter of attitude, that you can drill until it becomes instinctive for your wrestlers. If young wrestlers can grasp this early, they will find more success while in the bottom position.
• Feel the pressure.
Bottom wrestlers must feel where the top wrestler's pressure comes from. Many techniques are based on meeting the top wrestler's pressure and then using it to help the bottom wrestler come up to the feet by meeting the resistance.
• Work quickly.
Bottom wrestlers should work quickly so that they do not give the top wrestler chances to settle into dominating positions.
• Know when to use torque.
Bottom wrestlers must learn to feel when to use torque with the hip-heist. The hip-heist, or rotating the hips 180 degrees or more while also spinning the body 180 degrees or more, is a powerful twisting movement that becomes a key part of many techniques.
• Wrestle defensively.
Teach your wrestlers to think of bottom wrestling as a type of attack on the top wrestler, meaning that if young wrestlers are taught to think of it as defense, they will learn the concept of wrestling defensively. Bottom wrestlers must have a plan, so help them plan their attack from the bottom so that they know what they will do before the top wrestler assumes his or her position. The top wrestler's position can dictate the best technique for the bottom wrestler. When top wrestlers are fairly high on the bottom wrestler's back, it's likely that they will work on arm chops or spiral rides. When top wrestlers are well back, it is more likely they will try one of the ankle picks.
The young wrestler's plan when in the bottom position should include several options to cover a variety of situations. For instance, your wrestler might be thinking about an inside stand-up and going through the steps in his or her head, but if the top wrestler comes on high, your wrestler should be able to switch to a limp-arm stand-up or another technique.
These concepts come together as your wrestlers use specific bottom-wrestling techniques such as stand-ups and switches.
Stand-Up
A stand-up is a technique for achieving an escape and can be used from the starting position on the mat or during action. The name describes the technique: The wrestler must get to a standing position from the bottom and then complete the escape by turning to face the defender. Although a stand-up is a basic move, when it is done well, it is difficult to counter.
When your wrestler assumes the bottom position with a stand-up in mind, the head should be up with the arms slightly bent and very little weight on the hands (see figure 9.39a). The wrestler's weight should be as far back and as high as possible, and he or she should try to hunch, or curve, the back up high. This elevates the weight before the action starts so there is less distance to travel to get to the feet. And keeping most of the wrestler's weight off the hands counters the effectiveness of an opponent's arm chop.
When the whistle initiates the action, the bottom wrestler explosively thrusts the arms and hands into the mat to drive the head, shoulders, and torso up and back to meet the top wrestler's forward pressure (see figure 9.39b). As the bottom wrestler starts to come up, his or her outside hand should quickly cover the top wrestler's hand that is on the waist and grasp it firmly (see figure 9.39c). As the bottom wrestler comes up, the elbow of the inside arm goes directly to the wrestler's own hip, with the wrist up, to prevent the top wrestler from shooting the hand through that has been on the elbow and locking hands as the bottom wrestler comes up (see figure 9.39d).
The bottom wrestler has several options for the inside arm and chooses one depending on how the top wrestler reacts. If the top wrestler chops, the bottom wrestler can "limp arm" by relaxing the inside arm so that as the chop comes and the bottom wrestler is coming up and grasping the hand on the abdomen, the bottom wrestler lets the limp arm go with the chop. The hand should go to about the hip, with the thumb on the inside (see figure 9.40a), and as the bottom wrestler comes up, the upper body twists a quarter turn away from the top wrestler and the hand is pulled straight up the side of the body, leading with the elbow until the hand is up near the armpit (see figure 9.40b). At this point, the arm is thrust straight up to prevent it from being grasped, while maintaining the cover on the waist hand (see figure 9.40c).
If the top wrestler jams his or her elbow forward, the bottom wrestler explodes and covers the hand as described here. But instead of bringing the elbow in, or limping the arm, the near arm can be driven up and across the bottom wrestler's chest to clear it (see figure 9.41). These techniques work because of the cover on the waist hand. If the top wrestler is able to reach through to attempt a lock around the waist, he or she will be able to grasp only the bottom wrestler's hand that is covering, and this can be dealt with.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Rules of wrestling competitions explained
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level.
Weight Classes
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level. Pairing weight classes with age groups helps keep wrestlers of similar maturity levels grouped together, and maturity may be as important a consideration as weight. You will encounter other methods as well.
Tournament organizers may sometimes group wrestlers less formally in an attempt to even out the number of wrestlers per competitive group. For example, if 24 wrestlers weighing 100 to 105 pounds, five wrestlers weighing 98 to 99 pounds, and 3 weighing 106 pounds weigh in, the pairing officials may split these 32 wrestlers into three groups instead of having such unbalanced numbers. This helps everyone get in a similar number of matches and keeps the tournament from dragging on at the end while one or two weight classes have many more matches than the others. In any case, the pairing officials will work to avoid mismatches because of excessive weight difference. Be vigilant and ask for change if there is too much disparity among athletes. The main concern of all officials and coaches should be the safety of the wrestlers and an enjoyable competition.
USA Wrestling has established youth age groups and assigned match time limits and weight classes for each group. Some state associations have expanded these to provide a framework for younger children. See table 3.1 for a list of the age groups and weights for youth wrestling as recommended by USA Wrestling.
Competition
Wrestling matches are opportunities for wrestlers to translate the skills they have learned in practice into a competition with other wrestlers. Youth wrestling has two principal forms of competition: tournaments and dual meets.
In tournaments, wrestlers from many clubs or teams compete in each weight class. Often there is more than one wrestler from the same club. Team scores are not usually kept in tournaments at the youth level, but there are awards for the wrestlers who win or place in the competition. USA Wrestling tournaments do not include team scoring except at the national championship level for older age groups. As competition moves to high school teams, tournament scoring becomes important.
Dual meets are competitions between two teams. Each team enters one wrestler per weight class, and he or she wrestles an opponent in that weight class from the other team. Team scoring is the idea behind dual meets, and the winning wrestler is awarded three to six points depending on the nature of the win. Individual points are totaled, and the team with the most points wins the dual competition.
Entering Competition
Although weight classes are different for different ages, the system for entering athletes into competitions is the same for all levels. In a dual meet, each team may enter one wrestler in each weight class. The same is true for invitational tournaments, where teams are invited and each enters one wrestler per weight class. However, in open tournaments, a school or club may enter as many wrestlers as it wishes, and wrestlers can sometimes enter as individuals, without club or team membership.
Clubs that host tournaments can make fliers available at other competitions, send fliers to the coaches of other clubs, and advertise in wrestling publications or on Web sites. Ads should specify location, rules to be observed, age groups competing, time and place of weigh-ins, and time and place of the competition. Generally, only statewide championships and USA Wrestling regional and national competitions require preregistration. Events sanctioned by USA Wrestling require that competitors hold an athlete membership card, and this must be presented when making an entry. This may be true of other governing bodies as well. Athletes register upon arriving at the site, and then go to the weigh-in room.
Weigh-Ins
A weigh-in is held before a competition to ensure that each athlete's body weight is within the limits of his or her weight class. This usually occurs at least an hour before the event's scheduled start time to allow tournament administrators time to organize the wrestlers into their weight classes and set up brackets. In some cases, weigh-ins are highly structured with all the wrestlers from a specific weight class standing in line to be weighed.
Medical personnel should check each athlete thoroughly for skin infections before he or she is allowed to weigh in. When cleared, the athlete reports for the weigh-in. USA Wrestling requires, as do some other organizations, that athletes weigh in wearing uniforms or shorts because officials may be women, and girls and women may enter some competitions. When the wrestler comes to the scale, the official confirms that the medical clearance is complete and then directs the wrestler to step on the scale. Digital scales are used most often now. When using a digital scale, the readout should not be visible to the athlete. This is done to keep the athlete from moving around on the scale in an attempt to affect the result. If a balance scale is used, the official should direct the athlete to stand in the middle of the platform and stand still. Most associations and leagues give an athlete just one chance on the scale. If athletes are over the allowed weight, they are not allowed to compete. It is the responsibility of the athlete and the coach to be sure that the stated weight is correct before presenting for weigh-in.
Match Structure
A match is made up of three timed periods. The time can vary depending on local rules. For example, USA Wrestling specifies three 2-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest between each period for all age categories (see table 3.1); however, some tournament organizers use 1-minute periods for the younger age groups. Before the start of a competition, check the rules to make sure you know what the time periods are for each age group.
The first period starts with both wrestlers standing. At the end of the first period, the official determines which wrestler gets to choose how to start the second period. If it is a dual meet, this protocol is decided before the first match, and the teams alternate who gets the choice. In a tournament, the athletes wear colored ankle bands to help the official and scorers identify athletes. The official flips a colored disc, and the wrestler with the winning color gets the choice.
The wrestler with the choice at the start of the second period has four options. Athletes can choose to defer the choice to their opponent so they can make the choice they want in the third period. They can choose to start in the neutral position, both wrestlers standing. They can choose to start down so that they can escape or get a reversal while they are still fresh. Finally, they can choose to start in the top position so they can work to get the fall, again, while fresh.
A match is over if one wrestler achieves a pin, or fall (see chapter 9 for more information on pins). Matches are also stopped if one wrestler gets ahead of the other by 15 or more points, a technical fall. Disqualification for misconduct, stalling, or other severe violations of the rules also stop a match. Although wrestling is one of the martial arts, or combat sports, any hold or maneuver applied with the intent to injure the opponent is prohibited.
Starting a Match
All youth wrestling matches begin with the two wrestlers on their feet, facing each other in a neutral position, with no advantage to either one. The duration of a match is specified according to the wrestling style and the age group involved.
Substitutions are not allowed during a match; however, for a dual meet, it is possible for two athletes to weigh in at the same weight so that you can choose which athlete to use when it is that weight group's turn to compete. Wrestling does not have a time-out in the way we understand them in basketball or football. There are no stops to be used strategically, to compose the team, or simply to catch a rest. It is possible for an athlete to ask for a time-out for injury. Injury time-outs have time limits, and once the time is reached, the athlete must compete or withdraw. The time limit is most often one and a half minutes. Different organizations allow a different number of injury time-outs. Coaches and wrestlers must know the rule for the specific competition before it begins. In college wrestling, for instance, only one time-out is allowed, and if the athlete asks for a second, the match is terminated.
The official will stop a match when blood is present so that the bleeding can be stopped and the wrestlers and the mat cleaned and disinfected. There is no time limit for blood issues, and the match will continue until it becomes clear that the bleeding is interfering with the match too much. The official can choose to stop the match at that point, and the wrestler who is not able to continue will take a loss.
Scoring
Depending on the starting position for each period, the wrestlers try to score takedowns, escapes, reversals, and near falls to control their opponents on the mat, to turn them over, and then to pin their shoulders for a fall. The successful execution of these maneuvers is rewarded with match points. To understand how the various maneuvers are scored, see table 3.2.
In folkstyle team competitions, wrestlers earn team points that contribute to the team's score. For team scoring, a win by a decision (victory by 1 to 7 points more than the opponent) is worth 3 points; a major decision (victory by 8 to 14 points), 4; a technical fall (victory by at least 15 points), 5; and a fall, 6. The loser receives no points. Winning by injury default, forfeit, or disqualification counts the same as a fall.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Take-down moves for youth wrestlers
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg—called the single leg.
Single Leg
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg-called the single leg. Regardless of the setup used for the single leg, teach your young wrestlers to first move themselves or their opponent or both so that they have an angle to attack from (see figure 8.10a). As discussed in chapter 7, gaining an angle provides several advantages. Attacking from an angle takes your wrestler's attack across the powerful center of the defender's body, rather than directly into it. Also, the defender's sprawl-dropping the hips and thrusting the legs back-is much less effective if your wrestler attacks at an angle.
Next, your wrestler should change levels and make an inside penetration step that ends up with the head positioned against the opponent's chest (see figure 8.10b). The step should be deep enough that when your wrestler drives forward onto the inside knee, his or her weight moves all the way through the space the defender was in. While penetrating, your wrestler should grasp the single leg with both arms straight, locked behind the knee, and step up with the outside leg first and then the inside (see figure 8.10c).
From this position, there a several ways to finish. The one your wrestlers should use depends on what the defender does
• When your wrestler has a leg up and the head on the opponent's chest and the opponent defends with a whizzer, your wrestler should execute a technique called running the pipe. While pushing down on the defender's thigh with the chest and into the opponent with the head, the attacker should pull up with the arms as hard as possible, making a powerful lever (see figure 8.11). When teaching this, have your wrestlers watch the defender's foot. When the pressure is correct, they will be able to see the foot being pushed into the mat.
• If the defender is trying to use a whizzer by driving an arm between your wrestler's outside arm and body and levering as hard as possible, the defender's pressure plus your wrestler's pressure make the defender vulnerable. Your wrestler can step across with the inside foot over to the defender's foot on the mat (see figure 8.12a). Next, your wrestler can step back and change levels by forcefully dropping, pulling the leg through between the attacker's own, and continuing the downward pressure with the upper body (see figure 8.12b).
• If there is no whizzer, your wrestler can quickly drive into the defender (see figure 8.13a), creating enough space to step the inside leg over and outside of the single leg to clear it (see figure 8.13b) and then lift the single leg straight up into the armpit (see figure 8.13c). Teach your wrestlers to keep moving in these situations in order to keep the defender thinking about having to avoid tripping instead of trying to counterattack. They should try to get the defender hopping around and time their move so that just as the defender hops up, they can sweep his or her foot with their outside leg (see figure 8.13d), bringing the opponent to the mat (see figure 8.13e).
Double Leg
Using a double leg simply means that a wrestler attacks both legs. The double leg is effective against an opponent who is in a square stance because both legs are equally close to the attacker. It may be initiated straight on or from an angle. If a wrestler is not able to get an effective angle for a single leg, he or she might want to initiate a double-leg attack from straight on. A double leg could also be more effective against wrestlers who are highly skilled in defending single-leg attacks. To return to the baseball analogy from chapter 7, a good pitcher doesn't have just a fastball. Even if he can throw it 100 miles per hour, he still needs a curveball and slider, depending on the batter he is facing.
Your wrestler can use a tie-up, as discussed in "Tie-Ups" on pages 82 through 86, to get through the defender's arms and must use good movement so that he or she can initiate the attack from an angle. Then, when your wrestler is close and has the opponent's arms neutralized, he or she should automatically change levels and start the penetration step (see figure 8.14a). The step should go right at the defender, with the foot landing between the feet (see figure 8.14b). As your wrestler drives forward onto the knee, the head must stay up and outside the body. With good penetration and follow-through, the outside leg steps up, and the arms should wrap at the knees (see figure 8.14c).
There are several ways to finish a double-leg takedown:
• If your wrestler has deep penetration and the opponent is caught on his or her heels, your wrestler can drive straight through and send the opponent to his or her back (see figure 8.15).
• Your wrestler can use a penetration step, step up with the outside leg after the penetration step, lift with the near arm, and pull in with the far arm to collapse the knee (see figure 8.16a). Your wrestler drives to that side to finish the takedown. The opponent will either land on a hip or turn facedown as he or she goes down (see figure 8.16b).
• If your wrestler's hips are in close enough, he or she can lift the defender off his or her feet and finish to the mat easily from that point. If this is the case, straightening the legs will bring the opponent right off the mat. However, if the defender is able to sprawl at all, it may be tough to finish this way. Ideally, if the defender is leaning over the top of the attacker (the defender's center of gravity resting above the attacker's hips and shoulders) and the attacker's legs are loaded (bent), as shown in figure 8.17a, the attacker can stand up with the opponent over his or her shoulder (see figure 8.17b). But, if the opponent has sprawled back, the opponent's center of gravity will be spread in front of the attacker. This creates leverage and makes it more difficult for your wrestler to lift the opponent. Remind wrestlers to think of picking up a box or other heavy object. If they hold it tight to the torso, it is much easier to lift than if they try to pick it up while it is two feet in front of their body.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Plan of attack for bottom wrestlers
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent’s attempts to gain a pin.
Bottom Techniques
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent's attempts to gain a pin. Often, top wrestlers are described as having the advantage, and they really do. If they are well coached, they will make the bottom wrestler carry their weight, and they will drive forward, using their leg and hip muscles.
The base position, discussed on page 113, is the bottom wrestler's starting position. If a wrestler gets broken down and the pressure continues, it becomes apparent there isn't much he or she can do while laying facedown on the mat. Indeed, you will hear other coaches encouraging their bottom wrestlers to "Get off your belly." Coaches really mean "Get back to your base." The base position is important because when the abdomen is off the mat and the hips are up, the bottom wrestler can start trying to escape or gain a reversal.
Just as there are several concepts that you can work on with your wrestlers when they are on top, there are also specific concepts that wrestlers should learn when they are the bottom wrestler:
• Keep the hips from going to the mat.
Once down, the bottom wrestler must try to get elevation. If the bottom wrestler hasn't allowed the top wrestler to drive him or her all the way down, the bottom wrestler has a sort of head start. If the bottom wrestler is all the way down, not only does he or she have a lot of work to do to simply gain elevation, but it is doubled or maybe tripled because of the opponent's weight and pressure. Coach your wrestlers to resist going all the way down, whether by a breakdown or takedown, and to think about coming back up instantly.
• Create space.
The bottom wrestler must work to create space between his or her hips and the top wrestler's hips. Almost all escape and reversal techniques depend on getting separation between the bottom and top wrestlers' hips. This concept can be applied in many situations. If the defender starts working to separate the hips from the attacker's on the way down, the attacker will be in a weaker position when he or she hits the mat. That said, if the defender can get even one foot down on the way to the mat, her or she can start walking the hips away so there is already separation when they both hit the mat. In addition, skills to be learned later, such as sit-outs, switches, and hip-heists, are all designed to achieve this separation.
• Get back to the base position.
Bottom wrestlers must work quickly to get the hips up back into the base position after a takedown. Statistically, most near fall or pin situations happen in conjunction with takedowns. This may be because young wrestlers often try to catch their breath or take a few seconds before they start working from the bottom once in the bottom position after a takedown. However, if the bottom wrestler continually works to get the hips up off the mat and does so as quickly as possible after a takedown, the top wrestler will be busy trying to counteract that rather than focusing on getting set for a pinning combination. This is a concept, and maybe a matter of attitude, that you can drill until it becomes instinctive for your wrestlers. If young wrestlers can grasp this early, they will find more success while in the bottom position.
• Feel the pressure.
Bottom wrestlers must feel where the top wrestler's pressure comes from. Many techniques are based on meeting the top wrestler's pressure and then using it to help the bottom wrestler come up to the feet by meeting the resistance.
• Work quickly.
Bottom wrestlers should work quickly so that they do not give the top wrestler chances to settle into dominating positions.
• Know when to use torque.
Bottom wrestlers must learn to feel when to use torque with the hip-heist. The hip-heist, or rotating the hips 180 degrees or more while also spinning the body 180 degrees or more, is a powerful twisting movement that becomes a key part of many techniques.
• Wrestle defensively.
Teach your wrestlers to think of bottom wrestling as a type of attack on the top wrestler, meaning that if young wrestlers are taught to think of it as defense, they will learn the concept of wrestling defensively. Bottom wrestlers must have a plan, so help them plan their attack from the bottom so that they know what they will do before the top wrestler assumes his or her position. The top wrestler's position can dictate the best technique for the bottom wrestler. When top wrestlers are fairly high on the bottom wrestler's back, it's likely that they will work on arm chops or spiral rides. When top wrestlers are well back, it is more likely they will try one of the ankle picks.
The young wrestler's plan when in the bottom position should include several options to cover a variety of situations. For instance, your wrestler might be thinking about an inside stand-up and going through the steps in his or her head, but if the top wrestler comes on high, your wrestler should be able to switch to a limp-arm stand-up or another technique.
These concepts come together as your wrestlers use specific bottom-wrestling techniques such as stand-ups and switches.
Stand-Up
A stand-up is a technique for achieving an escape and can be used from the starting position on the mat or during action. The name describes the technique: The wrestler must get to a standing position from the bottom and then complete the escape by turning to face the defender. Although a stand-up is a basic move, when it is done well, it is difficult to counter.
When your wrestler assumes the bottom position with a stand-up in mind, the head should be up with the arms slightly bent and very little weight on the hands (see figure 9.39a). The wrestler's weight should be as far back and as high as possible, and he or she should try to hunch, or curve, the back up high. This elevates the weight before the action starts so there is less distance to travel to get to the feet. And keeping most of the wrestler's weight off the hands counters the effectiveness of an opponent's arm chop.
When the whistle initiates the action, the bottom wrestler explosively thrusts the arms and hands into the mat to drive the head, shoulders, and torso up and back to meet the top wrestler's forward pressure (see figure 9.39b). As the bottom wrestler starts to come up, his or her outside hand should quickly cover the top wrestler's hand that is on the waist and grasp it firmly (see figure 9.39c). As the bottom wrestler comes up, the elbow of the inside arm goes directly to the wrestler's own hip, with the wrist up, to prevent the top wrestler from shooting the hand through that has been on the elbow and locking hands as the bottom wrestler comes up (see figure 9.39d).
The bottom wrestler has several options for the inside arm and chooses one depending on how the top wrestler reacts. If the top wrestler chops, the bottom wrestler can "limp arm" by relaxing the inside arm so that as the chop comes and the bottom wrestler is coming up and grasping the hand on the abdomen, the bottom wrestler lets the limp arm go with the chop. The hand should go to about the hip, with the thumb on the inside (see figure 9.40a), and as the bottom wrestler comes up, the upper body twists a quarter turn away from the top wrestler and the hand is pulled straight up the side of the body, leading with the elbow until the hand is up near the armpit (see figure 9.40b). At this point, the arm is thrust straight up to prevent it from being grasped, while maintaining the cover on the waist hand (see figure 9.40c).
If the top wrestler jams his or her elbow forward, the bottom wrestler explodes and covers the hand as described here. But instead of bringing the elbow in, or limping the arm, the near arm can be driven up and across the bottom wrestler's chest to clear it (see figure 9.41). These techniques work because of the cover on the waist hand. If the top wrestler is able to reach through to attempt a lock around the waist, he or she will be able to grasp only the bottom wrestler's hand that is covering, and this can be dealt with.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Rules of wrestling competitions explained
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level.
Weight Classes
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level. Pairing weight classes with age groups helps keep wrestlers of similar maturity levels grouped together, and maturity may be as important a consideration as weight. You will encounter other methods as well.
Tournament organizers may sometimes group wrestlers less formally in an attempt to even out the number of wrestlers per competitive group. For example, if 24 wrestlers weighing 100 to 105 pounds, five wrestlers weighing 98 to 99 pounds, and 3 weighing 106 pounds weigh in, the pairing officials may split these 32 wrestlers into three groups instead of having such unbalanced numbers. This helps everyone get in a similar number of matches and keeps the tournament from dragging on at the end while one or two weight classes have many more matches than the others. In any case, the pairing officials will work to avoid mismatches because of excessive weight difference. Be vigilant and ask for change if there is too much disparity among athletes. The main concern of all officials and coaches should be the safety of the wrestlers and an enjoyable competition.
USA Wrestling has established youth age groups and assigned match time limits and weight classes for each group. Some state associations have expanded these to provide a framework for younger children. See table 3.1 for a list of the age groups and weights for youth wrestling as recommended by USA Wrestling.
Competition
Wrestling matches are opportunities for wrestlers to translate the skills they have learned in practice into a competition with other wrestlers. Youth wrestling has two principal forms of competition: tournaments and dual meets.
In tournaments, wrestlers from many clubs or teams compete in each weight class. Often there is more than one wrestler from the same club. Team scores are not usually kept in tournaments at the youth level, but there are awards for the wrestlers who win or place in the competition. USA Wrestling tournaments do not include team scoring except at the national championship level for older age groups. As competition moves to high school teams, tournament scoring becomes important.
Dual meets are competitions between two teams. Each team enters one wrestler per weight class, and he or she wrestles an opponent in that weight class from the other team. Team scoring is the idea behind dual meets, and the winning wrestler is awarded three to six points depending on the nature of the win. Individual points are totaled, and the team with the most points wins the dual competition.
Entering Competition
Although weight classes are different for different ages, the system for entering athletes into competitions is the same for all levels. In a dual meet, each team may enter one wrestler in each weight class. The same is true for invitational tournaments, where teams are invited and each enters one wrestler per weight class. However, in open tournaments, a school or club may enter as many wrestlers as it wishes, and wrestlers can sometimes enter as individuals, without club or team membership.
Clubs that host tournaments can make fliers available at other competitions, send fliers to the coaches of other clubs, and advertise in wrestling publications or on Web sites. Ads should specify location, rules to be observed, age groups competing, time and place of weigh-ins, and time and place of the competition. Generally, only statewide championships and USA Wrestling regional and national competitions require preregistration. Events sanctioned by USA Wrestling require that competitors hold an athlete membership card, and this must be presented when making an entry. This may be true of other governing bodies as well. Athletes register upon arriving at the site, and then go to the weigh-in room.
Weigh-Ins
A weigh-in is held before a competition to ensure that each athlete's body weight is within the limits of his or her weight class. This usually occurs at least an hour before the event's scheduled start time to allow tournament administrators time to organize the wrestlers into their weight classes and set up brackets. In some cases, weigh-ins are highly structured with all the wrestlers from a specific weight class standing in line to be weighed.
Medical personnel should check each athlete thoroughly for skin infections before he or she is allowed to weigh in. When cleared, the athlete reports for the weigh-in. USA Wrestling requires, as do some other organizations, that athletes weigh in wearing uniforms or shorts because officials may be women, and girls and women may enter some competitions. When the wrestler comes to the scale, the official confirms that the medical clearance is complete and then directs the wrestler to step on the scale. Digital scales are used most often now. When using a digital scale, the readout should not be visible to the athlete. This is done to keep the athlete from moving around on the scale in an attempt to affect the result. If a balance scale is used, the official should direct the athlete to stand in the middle of the platform and stand still. Most associations and leagues give an athlete just one chance on the scale. If athletes are over the allowed weight, they are not allowed to compete. It is the responsibility of the athlete and the coach to be sure that the stated weight is correct before presenting for weigh-in.
Match Structure
A match is made up of three timed periods. The time can vary depending on local rules. For example, USA Wrestling specifies three 2-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest between each period for all age categories (see table 3.1); however, some tournament organizers use 1-minute periods for the younger age groups. Before the start of a competition, check the rules to make sure you know what the time periods are for each age group.
The first period starts with both wrestlers standing. At the end of the first period, the official determines which wrestler gets to choose how to start the second period. If it is a dual meet, this protocol is decided before the first match, and the teams alternate who gets the choice. In a tournament, the athletes wear colored ankle bands to help the official and scorers identify athletes. The official flips a colored disc, and the wrestler with the winning color gets the choice.
The wrestler with the choice at the start of the second period has four options. Athletes can choose to defer the choice to their opponent so they can make the choice they want in the third period. They can choose to start in the neutral position, both wrestlers standing. They can choose to start down so that they can escape or get a reversal while they are still fresh. Finally, they can choose to start in the top position so they can work to get the fall, again, while fresh.
A match is over if one wrestler achieves a pin, or fall (see chapter 9 for more information on pins). Matches are also stopped if one wrestler gets ahead of the other by 15 or more points, a technical fall. Disqualification for misconduct, stalling, or other severe violations of the rules also stop a match. Although wrestling is one of the martial arts, or combat sports, any hold or maneuver applied with the intent to injure the opponent is prohibited.
Starting a Match
All youth wrestling matches begin with the two wrestlers on their feet, facing each other in a neutral position, with no advantage to either one. The duration of a match is specified according to the wrestling style and the age group involved.
Substitutions are not allowed during a match; however, for a dual meet, it is possible for two athletes to weigh in at the same weight so that you can choose which athlete to use when it is that weight group's turn to compete. Wrestling does not have a time-out in the way we understand them in basketball or football. There are no stops to be used strategically, to compose the team, or simply to catch a rest. It is possible for an athlete to ask for a time-out for injury. Injury time-outs have time limits, and once the time is reached, the athlete must compete or withdraw. The time limit is most often one and a half minutes. Different organizations allow a different number of injury time-outs. Coaches and wrestlers must know the rule for the specific competition before it begins. In college wrestling, for instance, only one time-out is allowed, and if the athlete asks for a second, the match is terminated.
The official will stop a match when blood is present so that the bleeding can be stopped and the wrestlers and the mat cleaned and disinfected. There is no time limit for blood issues, and the match will continue until it becomes clear that the bleeding is interfering with the match too much. The official can choose to stop the match at that point, and the wrestler who is not able to continue will take a loss.
Scoring
Depending on the starting position for each period, the wrestlers try to score takedowns, escapes, reversals, and near falls to control their opponents on the mat, to turn them over, and then to pin their shoulders for a fall. The successful execution of these maneuvers is rewarded with match points. To understand how the various maneuvers are scored, see table 3.2.
In folkstyle team competitions, wrestlers earn team points that contribute to the team's score. For team scoring, a win by a decision (victory by 1 to 7 points more than the opponent) is worth 3 points; a major decision (victory by 8 to 14 points), 4; a technical fall (victory by at least 15 points), 5; and a fall, 6. The loser receives no points. Winning by injury default, forfeit, or disqualification counts the same as a fall.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Take-down moves for youth wrestlers
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg—called the single leg.
Single Leg
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg-called the single leg. Regardless of the setup used for the single leg, teach your young wrestlers to first move themselves or their opponent or both so that they have an angle to attack from (see figure 8.10a). As discussed in chapter 7, gaining an angle provides several advantages. Attacking from an angle takes your wrestler's attack across the powerful center of the defender's body, rather than directly into it. Also, the defender's sprawl-dropping the hips and thrusting the legs back-is much less effective if your wrestler attacks at an angle.
Next, your wrestler should change levels and make an inside penetration step that ends up with the head positioned against the opponent's chest (see figure 8.10b). The step should be deep enough that when your wrestler drives forward onto the inside knee, his or her weight moves all the way through the space the defender was in. While penetrating, your wrestler should grasp the single leg with both arms straight, locked behind the knee, and step up with the outside leg first and then the inside (see figure 8.10c).
From this position, there a several ways to finish. The one your wrestlers should use depends on what the defender does
• When your wrestler has a leg up and the head on the opponent's chest and the opponent defends with a whizzer, your wrestler should execute a technique called running the pipe. While pushing down on the defender's thigh with the chest and into the opponent with the head, the attacker should pull up with the arms as hard as possible, making a powerful lever (see figure 8.11). When teaching this, have your wrestlers watch the defender's foot. When the pressure is correct, they will be able to see the foot being pushed into the mat.
• If the defender is trying to use a whizzer by driving an arm between your wrestler's outside arm and body and levering as hard as possible, the defender's pressure plus your wrestler's pressure make the defender vulnerable. Your wrestler can step across with the inside foot over to the defender's foot on the mat (see figure 8.12a). Next, your wrestler can step back and change levels by forcefully dropping, pulling the leg through between the attacker's own, and continuing the downward pressure with the upper body (see figure 8.12b).
• If there is no whizzer, your wrestler can quickly drive into the defender (see figure 8.13a), creating enough space to step the inside leg over and outside of the single leg to clear it (see figure 8.13b) and then lift the single leg straight up into the armpit (see figure 8.13c). Teach your wrestlers to keep moving in these situations in order to keep the defender thinking about having to avoid tripping instead of trying to counterattack. They should try to get the defender hopping around and time their move so that just as the defender hops up, they can sweep his or her foot with their outside leg (see figure 8.13d), bringing the opponent to the mat (see figure 8.13e).
Double Leg
Using a double leg simply means that a wrestler attacks both legs. The double leg is effective against an opponent who is in a square stance because both legs are equally close to the attacker. It may be initiated straight on or from an angle. If a wrestler is not able to get an effective angle for a single leg, he or she might want to initiate a double-leg attack from straight on. A double leg could also be more effective against wrestlers who are highly skilled in defending single-leg attacks. To return to the baseball analogy from chapter 7, a good pitcher doesn't have just a fastball. Even if he can throw it 100 miles per hour, he still needs a curveball and slider, depending on the batter he is facing.
Your wrestler can use a tie-up, as discussed in "Tie-Ups" on pages 82 through 86, to get through the defender's arms and must use good movement so that he or she can initiate the attack from an angle. Then, when your wrestler is close and has the opponent's arms neutralized, he or she should automatically change levels and start the penetration step (see figure 8.14a). The step should go right at the defender, with the foot landing between the feet (see figure 8.14b). As your wrestler drives forward onto the knee, the head must stay up and outside the body. With good penetration and follow-through, the outside leg steps up, and the arms should wrap at the knees (see figure 8.14c).
There are several ways to finish a double-leg takedown:
• If your wrestler has deep penetration and the opponent is caught on his or her heels, your wrestler can drive straight through and send the opponent to his or her back (see figure 8.15).
• Your wrestler can use a penetration step, step up with the outside leg after the penetration step, lift with the near arm, and pull in with the far arm to collapse the knee (see figure 8.16a). Your wrestler drives to that side to finish the takedown. The opponent will either land on a hip or turn facedown as he or she goes down (see figure 8.16b).
• If your wrestler's hips are in close enough, he or she can lift the defender off his or her feet and finish to the mat easily from that point. If this is the case, straightening the legs will bring the opponent right off the mat. However, if the defender is able to sprawl at all, it may be tough to finish this way. Ideally, if the defender is leaning over the top of the attacker (the defender's center of gravity resting above the attacker's hips and shoulders) and the attacker's legs are loaded (bent), as shown in figure 8.17a, the attacker can stand up with the opponent over his or her shoulder (see figure 8.17b). But, if the opponent has sprawled back, the opponent's center of gravity will be spread in front of the attacker. This creates leverage and makes it more difficult for your wrestler to lift the opponent. Remind wrestlers to think of picking up a box or other heavy object. If they hold it tight to the torso, it is much easier to lift than if they try to pick it up while it is two feet in front of their body.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Plan of attack for bottom wrestlers
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent’s attempts to gain a pin.
Bottom Techniques
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent's attempts to gain a pin. Often, top wrestlers are described as having the advantage, and they really do. If they are well coached, they will make the bottom wrestler carry their weight, and they will drive forward, using their leg and hip muscles.
The base position, discussed on page 113, is the bottom wrestler's starting position. If a wrestler gets broken down and the pressure continues, it becomes apparent there isn't much he or she can do while laying facedown on the mat. Indeed, you will hear other coaches encouraging their bottom wrestlers to "Get off your belly." Coaches really mean "Get back to your base." The base position is important because when the abdomen is off the mat and the hips are up, the bottom wrestler can start trying to escape or gain a reversal.
Just as there are several concepts that you can work on with your wrestlers when they are on top, there are also specific concepts that wrestlers should learn when they are the bottom wrestler:
• Keep the hips from going to the mat.
Once down, the bottom wrestler must try to get elevation. If the bottom wrestler hasn't allowed the top wrestler to drive him or her all the way down, the bottom wrestler has a sort of head start. If the bottom wrestler is all the way down, not only does he or she have a lot of work to do to simply gain elevation, but it is doubled or maybe tripled because of the opponent's weight and pressure. Coach your wrestlers to resist going all the way down, whether by a breakdown or takedown, and to think about coming back up instantly.
• Create space.
The bottom wrestler must work to create space between his or her hips and the top wrestler's hips. Almost all escape and reversal techniques depend on getting separation between the bottom and top wrestlers' hips. This concept can be applied in many situations. If the defender starts working to separate the hips from the attacker's on the way down, the attacker will be in a weaker position when he or she hits the mat. That said, if the defender can get even one foot down on the way to the mat, her or she can start walking the hips away so there is already separation when they both hit the mat. In addition, skills to be learned later, such as sit-outs, switches, and hip-heists, are all designed to achieve this separation.
• Get back to the base position.
Bottom wrestlers must work quickly to get the hips up back into the base position after a takedown. Statistically, most near fall or pin situations happen in conjunction with takedowns. This may be because young wrestlers often try to catch their breath or take a few seconds before they start working from the bottom once in the bottom position after a takedown. However, if the bottom wrestler continually works to get the hips up off the mat and does so as quickly as possible after a takedown, the top wrestler will be busy trying to counteract that rather than focusing on getting set for a pinning combination. This is a concept, and maybe a matter of attitude, that you can drill until it becomes instinctive for your wrestlers. If young wrestlers can grasp this early, they will find more success while in the bottom position.
• Feel the pressure.
Bottom wrestlers must feel where the top wrestler's pressure comes from. Many techniques are based on meeting the top wrestler's pressure and then using it to help the bottom wrestler come up to the feet by meeting the resistance.
• Work quickly.
Bottom wrestlers should work quickly so that they do not give the top wrestler chances to settle into dominating positions.
• Know when to use torque.
Bottom wrestlers must learn to feel when to use torque with the hip-heist. The hip-heist, or rotating the hips 180 degrees or more while also spinning the body 180 degrees or more, is a powerful twisting movement that becomes a key part of many techniques.
• Wrestle defensively.
Teach your wrestlers to think of bottom wrestling as a type of attack on the top wrestler, meaning that if young wrestlers are taught to think of it as defense, they will learn the concept of wrestling defensively. Bottom wrestlers must have a plan, so help them plan their attack from the bottom so that they know what they will do before the top wrestler assumes his or her position. The top wrestler's position can dictate the best technique for the bottom wrestler. When top wrestlers are fairly high on the bottom wrestler's back, it's likely that they will work on arm chops or spiral rides. When top wrestlers are well back, it is more likely they will try one of the ankle picks.
The young wrestler's plan when in the bottom position should include several options to cover a variety of situations. For instance, your wrestler might be thinking about an inside stand-up and going through the steps in his or her head, but if the top wrestler comes on high, your wrestler should be able to switch to a limp-arm stand-up or another technique.
These concepts come together as your wrestlers use specific bottom-wrestling techniques such as stand-ups and switches.
Stand-Up
A stand-up is a technique for achieving an escape and can be used from the starting position on the mat or during action. The name describes the technique: The wrestler must get to a standing position from the bottom and then complete the escape by turning to face the defender. Although a stand-up is a basic move, when it is done well, it is difficult to counter.
When your wrestler assumes the bottom position with a stand-up in mind, the head should be up with the arms slightly bent and very little weight on the hands (see figure 9.39a). The wrestler's weight should be as far back and as high as possible, and he or she should try to hunch, or curve, the back up high. This elevates the weight before the action starts so there is less distance to travel to get to the feet. And keeping most of the wrestler's weight off the hands counters the effectiveness of an opponent's arm chop.
When the whistle initiates the action, the bottom wrestler explosively thrusts the arms and hands into the mat to drive the head, shoulders, and torso up and back to meet the top wrestler's forward pressure (see figure 9.39b). As the bottom wrestler starts to come up, his or her outside hand should quickly cover the top wrestler's hand that is on the waist and grasp it firmly (see figure 9.39c). As the bottom wrestler comes up, the elbow of the inside arm goes directly to the wrestler's own hip, with the wrist up, to prevent the top wrestler from shooting the hand through that has been on the elbow and locking hands as the bottom wrestler comes up (see figure 9.39d).
The bottom wrestler has several options for the inside arm and chooses one depending on how the top wrestler reacts. If the top wrestler chops, the bottom wrestler can "limp arm" by relaxing the inside arm so that as the chop comes and the bottom wrestler is coming up and grasping the hand on the abdomen, the bottom wrestler lets the limp arm go with the chop. The hand should go to about the hip, with the thumb on the inside (see figure 9.40a), and as the bottom wrestler comes up, the upper body twists a quarter turn away from the top wrestler and the hand is pulled straight up the side of the body, leading with the elbow until the hand is up near the armpit (see figure 9.40b). At this point, the arm is thrust straight up to prevent it from being grasped, while maintaining the cover on the waist hand (see figure 9.40c).
If the top wrestler jams his or her elbow forward, the bottom wrestler explodes and covers the hand as described here. But instead of bringing the elbow in, or limping the arm, the near arm can be driven up and across the bottom wrestler's chest to clear it (see figure 9.41). These techniques work because of the cover on the waist hand. If the top wrestler is able to reach through to attempt a lock around the waist, he or she will be able to grasp only the bottom wrestler's hand that is covering, and this can be dealt with.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Rules of wrestling competitions explained
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level.
Weight Classes
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level. Pairing weight classes with age groups helps keep wrestlers of similar maturity levels grouped together, and maturity may be as important a consideration as weight. You will encounter other methods as well.
Tournament organizers may sometimes group wrestlers less formally in an attempt to even out the number of wrestlers per competitive group. For example, if 24 wrestlers weighing 100 to 105 pounds, five wrestlers weighing 98 to 99 pounds, and 3 weighing 106 pounds weigh in, the pairing officials may split these 32 wrestlers into three groups instead of having such unbalanced numbers. This helps everyone get in a similar number of matches and keeps the tournament from dragging on at the end while one or two weight classes have many more matches than the others. In any case, the pairing officials will work to avoid mismatches because of excessive weight difference. Be vigilant and ask for change if there is too much disparity among athletes. The main concern of all officials and coaches should be the safety of the wrestlers and an enjoyable competition.
USA Wrestling has established youth age groups and assigned match time limits and weight classes for each group. Some state associations have expanded these to provide a framework for younger children. See table 3.1 for a list of the age groups and weights for youth wrestling as recommended by USA Wrestling.
Competition
Wrestling matches are opportunities for wrestlers to translate the skills they have learned in practice into a competition with other wrestlers. Youth wrestling has two principal forms of competition: tournaments and dual meets.
In tournaments, wrestlers from many clubs or teams compete in each weight class. Often there is more than one wrestler from the same club. Team scores are not usually kept in tournaments at the youth level, but there are awards for the wrestlers who win or place in the competition. USA Wrestling tournaments do not include team scoring except at the national championship level for older age groups. As competition moves to high school teams, tournament scoring becomes important.
Dual meets are competitions between two teams. Each team enters one wrestler per weight class, and he or she wrestles an opponent in that weight class from the other team. Team scoring is the idea behind dual meets, and the winning wrestler is awarded three to six points depending on the nature of the win. Individual points are totaled, and the team with the most points wins the dual competition.
Entering Competition
Although weight classes are different for different ages, the system for entering athletes into competitions is the same for all levels. In a dual meet, each team may enter one wrestler in each weight class. The same is true for invitational tournaments, where teams are invited and each enters one wrestler per weight class. However, in open tournaments, a school or club may enter as many wrestlers as it wishes, and wrestlers can sometimes enter as individuals, without club or team membership.
Clubs that host tournaments can make fliers available at other competitions, send fliers to the coaches of other clubs, and advertise in wrestling publications or on Web sites. Ads should specify location, rules to be observed, age groups competing, time and place of weigh-ins, and time and place of the competition. Generally, only statewide championships and USA Wrestling regional and national competitions require preregistration. Events sanctioned by USA Wrestling require that competitors hold an athlete membership card, and this must be presented when making an entry. This may be true of other governing bodies as well. Athletes register upon arriving at the site, and then go to the weigh-in room.
Weigh-Ins
A weigh-in is held before a competition to ensure that each athlete's body weight is within the limits of his or her weight class. This usually occurs at least an hour before the event's scheduled start time to allow tournament administrators time to organize the wrestlers into their weight classes and set up brackets. In some cases, weigh-ins are highly structured with all the wrestlers from a specific weight class standing in line to be weighed.
Medical personnel should check each athlete thoroughly for skin infections before he or she is allowed to weigh in. When cleared, the athlete reports for the weigh-in. USA Wrestling requires, as do some other organizations, that athletes weigh in wearing uniforms or shorts because officials may be women, and girls and women may enter some competitions. When the wrestler comes to the scale, the official confirms that the medical clearance is complete and then directs the wrestler to step on the scale. Digital scales are used most often now. When using a digital scale, the readout should not be visible to the athlete. This is done to keep the athlete from moving around on the scale in an attempt to affect the result. If a balance scale is used, the official should direct the athlete to stand in the middle of the platform and stand still. Most associations and leagues give an athlete just one chance on the scale. If athletes are over the allowed weight, they are not allowed to compete. It is the responsibility of the athlete and the coach to be sure that the stated weight is correct before presenting for weigh-in.
Match Structure
A match is made up of three timed periods. The time can vary depending on local rules. For example, USA Wrestling specifies three 2-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest between each period for all age categories (see table 3.1); however, some tournament organizers use 1-minute periods for the younger age groups. Before the start of a competition, check the rules to make sure you know what the time periods are for each age group.
The first period starts with both wrestlers standing. At the end of the first period, the official determines which wrestler gets to choose how to start the second period. If it is a dual meet, this protocol is decided before the first match, and the teams alternate who gets the choice. In a tournament, the athletes wear colored ankle bands to help the official and scorers identify athletes. The official flips a colored disc, and the wrestler with the winning color gets the choice.
The wrestler with the choice at the start of the second period has four options. Athletes can choose to defer the choice to their opponent so they can make the choice they want in the third period. They can choose to start in the neutral position, both wrestlers standing. They can choose to start down so that they can escape or get a reversal while they are still fresh. Finally, they can choose to start in the top position so they can work to get the fall, again, while fresh.
A match is over if one wrestler achieves a pin, or fall (see chapter 9 for more information on pins). Matches are also stopped if one wrestler gets ahead of the other by 15 or more points, a technical fall. Disqualification for misconduct, stalling, or other severe violations of the rules also stop a match. Although wrestling is one of the martial arts, or combat sports, any hold or maneuver applied with the intent to injure the opponent is prohibited.
Starting a Match
All youth wrestling matches begin with the two wrestlers on their feet, facing each other in a neutral position, with no advantage to either one. The duration of a match is specified according to the wrestling style and the age group involved.
Substitutions are not allowed during a match; however, for a dual meet, it is possible for two athletes to weigh in at the same weight so that you can choose which athlete to use when it is that weight group's turn to compete. Wrestling does not have a time-out in the way we understand them in basketball or football. There are no stops to be used strategically, to compose the team, or simply to catch a rest. It is possible for an athlete to ask for a time-out for injury. Injury time-outs have time limits, and once the time is reached, the athlete must compete or withdraw. The time limit is most often one and a half minutes. Different organizations allow a different number of injury time-outs. Coaches and wrestlers must know the rule for the specific competition before it begins. In college wrestling, for instance, only one time-out is allowed, and if the athlete asks for a second, the match is terminated.
The official will stop a match when blood is present so that the bleeding can be stopped and the wrestlers and the mat cleaned and disinfected. There is no time limit for blood issues, and the match will continue until it becomes clear that the bleeding is interfering with the match too much. The official can choose to stop the match at that point, and the wrestler who is not able to continue will take a loss.
Scoring
Depending on the starting position for each period, the wrestlers try to score takedowns, escapes, reversals, and near falls to control their opponents on the mat, to turn them over, and then to pin their shoulders for a fall. The successful execution of these maneuvers is rewarded with match points. To understand how the various maneuvers are scored, see table 3.2.
In folkstyle team competitions, wrestlers earn team points that contribute to the team's score. For team scoring, a win by a decision (victory by 1 to 7 points more than the opponent) is worth 3 points; a major decision (victory by 8 to 14 points), 4; a technical fall (victory by at least 15 points), 5; and a fall, 6. The loser receives no points. Winning by injury default, forfeit, or disqualification counts the same as a fall.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Take-down moves for youth wrestlers
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg—called the single leg.
Single Leg
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg-called the single leg. Regardless of the setup used for the single leg, teach your young wrestlers to first move themselves or their opponent or both so that they have an angle to attack from (see figure 8.10a). As discussed in chapter 7, gaining an angle provides several advantages. Attacking from an angle takes your wrestler's attack across the powerful center of the defender's body, rather than directly into it. Also, the defender's sprawl-dropping the hips and thrusting the legs back-is much less effective if your wrestler attacks at an angle.
Next, your wrestler should change levels and make an inside penetration step that ends up with the head positioned against the opponent's chest (see figure 8.10b). The step should be deep enough that when your wrestler drives forward onto the inside knee, his or her weight moves all the way through the space the defender was in. While penetrating, your wrestler should grasp the single leg with both arms straight, locked behind the knee, and step up with the outside leg first and then the inside (see figure 8.10c).
From this position, there a several ways to finish. The one your wrestlers should use depends on what the defender does
• When your wrestler has a leg up and the head on the opponent's chest and the opponent defends with a whizzer, your wrestler should execute a technique called running the pipe. While pushing down on the defender's thigh with the chest and into the opponent with the head, the attacker should pull up with the arms as hard as possible, making a powerful lever (see figure 8.11). When teaching this, have your wrestlers watch the defender's foot. When the pressure is correct, they will be able to see the foot being pushed into the mat.
• If the defender is trying to use a whizzer by driving an arm between your wrestler's outside arm and body and levering as hard as possible, the defender's pressure plus your wrestler's pressure make the defender vulnerable. Your wrestler can step across with the inside foot over to the defender's foot on the mat (see figure 8.12a). Next, your wrestler can step back and change levels by forcefully dropping, pulling the leg through between the attacker's own, and continuing the downward pressure with the upper body (see figure 8.12b).
• If there is no whizzer, your wrestler can quickly drive into the defender (see figure 8.13a), creating enough space to step the inside leg over and outside of the single leg to clear it (see figure 8.13b) and then lift the single leg straight up into the armpit (see figure 8.13c). Teach your wrestlers to keep moving in these situations in order to keep the defender thinking about having to avoid tripping instead of trying to counterattack. They should try to get the defender hopping around and time their move so that just as the defender hops up, they can sweep his or her foot with their outside leg (see figure 8.13d), bringing the opponent to the mat (see figure 8.13e).
Double Leg
Using a double leg simply means that a wrestler attacks both legs. The double leg is effective against an opponent who is in a square stance because both legs are equally close to the attacker. It may be initiated straight on or from an angle. If a wrestler is not able to get an effective angle for a single leg, he or she might want to initiate a double-leg attack from straight on. A double leg could also be more effective against wrestlers who are highly skilled in defending single-leg attacks. To return to the baseball analogy from chapter 7, a good pitcher doesn't have just a fastball. Even if he can throw it 100 miles per hour, he still needs a curveball and slider, depending on the batter he is facing.
Your wrestler can use a tie-up, as discussed in "Tie-Ups" on pages 82 through 86, to get through the defender's arms and must use good movement so that he or she can initiate the attack from an angle. Then, when your wrestler is close and has the opponent's arms neutralized, he or she should automatically change levels and start the penetration step (see figure 8.14a). The step should go right at the defender, with the foot landing between the feet (see figure 8.14b). As your wrestler drives forward onto the knee, the head must stay up and outside the body. With good penetration and follow-through, the outside leg steps up, and the arms should wrap at the knees (see figure 8.14c).
There are several ways to finish a double-leg takedown:
• If your wrestler has deep penetration and the opponent is caught on his or her heels, your wrestler can drive straight through and send the opponent to his or her back (see figure 8.15).
• Your wrestler can use a penetration step, step up with the outside leg after the penetration step, lift with the near arm, and pull in with the far arm to collapse the knee (see figure 8.16a). Your wrestler drives to that side to finish the takedown. The opponent will either land on a hip or turn facedown as he or she goes down (see figure 8.16b).
• If your wrestler's hips are in close enough, he or she can lift the defender off his or her feet and finish to the mat easily from that point. If this is the case, straightening the legs will bring the opponent right off the mat. However, if the defender is able to sprawl at all, it may be tough to finish this way. Ideally, if the defender is leaning over the top of the attacker (the defender's center of gravity resting above the attacker's hips and shoulders) and the attacker's legs are loaded (bent), as shown in figure 8.17a, the attacker can stand up with the opponent over his or her shoulder (see figure 8.17b). But, if the opponent has sprawled back, the opponent's center of gravity will be spread in front of the attacker. This creates leverage and makes it more difficult for your wrestler to lift the opponent. Remind wrestlers to think of picking up a box or other heavy object. If they hold it tight to the torso, it is much easier to lift than if they try to pick it up while it is two feet in front of their body.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Plan of attack for bottom wrestlers
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent’s attempts to gain a pin.
Bottom Techniques
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent's attempts to gain a pin. Often, top wrestlers are described as having the advantage, and they really do. If they are well coached, they will make the bottom wrestler carry their weight, and they will drive forward, using their leg and hip muscles.
The base position, discussed on page 113, is the bottom wrestler's starting position. If a wrestler gets broken down and the pressure continues, it becomes apparent there isn't much he or she can do while laying facedown on the mat. Indeed, you will hear other coaches encouraging their bottom wrestlers to "Get off your belly." Coaches really mean "Get back to your base." The base position is important because when the abdomen is off the mat and the hips are up, the bottom wrestler can start trying to escape or gain a reversal.
Just as there are several concepts that you can work on with your wrestlers when they are on top, there are also specific concepts that wrestlers should learn when they are the bottom wrestler:
• Keep the hips from going to the mat.
Once down, the bottom wrestler must try to get elevation. If the bottom wrestler hasn't allowed the top wrestler to drive him or her all the way down, the bottom wrestler has a sort of head start. If the bottom wrestler is all the way down, not only does he or she have a lot of work to do to simply gain elevation, but it is doubled or maybe tripled because of the opponent's weight and pressure. Coach your wrestlers to resist going all the way down, whether by a breakdown or takedown, and to think about coming back up instantly.
• Create space.
The bottom wrestler must work to create space between his or her hips and the top wrestler's hips. Almost all escape and reversal techniques depend on getting separation between the bottom and top wrestlers' hips. This concept can be applied in many situations. If the defender starts working to separate the hips from the attacker's on the way down, the attacker will be in a weaker position when he or she hits the mat. That said, if the defender can get even one foot down on the way to the mat, her or she can start walking the hips away so there is already separation when they both hit the mat. In addition, skills to be learned later, such as sit-outs, switches, and hip-heists, are all designed to achieve this separation.
• Get back to the base position.
Bottom wrestlers must work quickly to get the hips up back into the base position after a takedown. Statistically, most near fall or pin situations happen in conjunction with takedowns. This may be because young wrestlers often try to catch their breath or take a few seconds before they start working from the bottom once in the bottom position after a takedown. However, if the bottom wrestler continually works to get the hips up off the mat and does so as quickly as possible after a takedown, the top wrestler will be busy trying to counteract that rather than focusing on getting set for a pinning combination. This is a concept, and maybe a matter of attitude, that you can drill until it becomes instinctive for your wrestlers. If young wrestlers can grasp this early, they will find more success while in the bottom position.
• Feel the pressure.
Bottom wrestlers must feel where the top wrestler's pressure comes from. Many techniques are based on meeting the top wrestler's pressure and then using it to help the bottom wrestler come up to the feet by meeting the resistance.
• Work quickly.
Bottom wrestlers should work quickly so that they do not give the top wrestler chances to settle into dominating positions.
• Know when to use torque.
Bottom wrestlers must learn to feel when to use torque with the hip-heist. The hip-heist, or rotating the hips 180 degrees or more while also spinning the body 180 degrees or more, is a powerful twisting movement that becomes a key part of many techniques.
• Wrestle defensively.
Teach your wrestlers to think of bottom wrestling as a type of attack on the top wrestler, meaning that if young wrestlers are taught to think of it as defense, they will learn the concept of wrestling defensively. Bottom wrestlers must have a plan, so help them plan their attack from the bottom so that they know what they will do before the top wrestler assumes his or her position. The top wrestler's position can dictate the best technique for the bottom wrestler. When top wrestlers are fairly high on the bottom wrestler's back, it's likely that they will work on arm chops or spiral rides. When top wrestlers are well back, it is more likely they will try one of the ankle picks.
The young wrestler's plan when in the bottom position should include several options to cover a variety of situations. For instance, your wrestler might be thinking about an inside stand-up and going through the steps in his or her head, but if the top wrestler comes on high, your wrestler should be able to switch to a limp-arm stand-up or another technique.
These concepts come together as your wrestlers use specific bottom-wrestling techniques such as stand-ups and switches.
Stand-Up
A stand-up is a technique for achieving an escape and can be used from the starting position on the mat or during action. The name describes the technique: The wrestler must get to a standing position from the bottom and then complete the escape by turning to face the defender. Although a stand-up is a basic move, when it is done well, it is difficult to counter.
When your wrestler assumes the bottom position with a stand-up in mind, the head should be up with the arms slightly bent and very little weight on the hands (see figure 9.39a). The wrestler's weight should be as far back and as high as possible, and he or she should try to hunch, or curve, the back up high. This elevates the weight before the action starts so there is less distance to travel to get to the feet. And keeping most of the wrestler's weight off the hands counters the effectiveness of an opponent's arm chop.
When the whistle initiates the action, the bottom wrestler explosively thrusts the arms and hands into the mat to drive the head, shoulders, and torso up and back to meet the top wrestler's forward pressure (see figure 9.39b). As the bottom wrestler starts to come up, his or her outside hand should quickly cover the top wrestler's hand that is on the waist and grasp it firmly (see figure 9.39c). As the bottom wrestler comes up, the elbow of the inside arm goes directly to the wrestler's own hip, with the wrist up, to prevent the top wrestler from shooting the hand through that has been on the elbow and locking hands as the bottom wrestler comes up (see figure 9.39d).
The bottom wrestler has several options for the inside arm and chooses one depending on how the top wrestler reacts. If the top wrestler chops, the bottom wrestler can "limp arm" by relaxing the inside arm so that as the chop comes and the bottom wrestler is coming up and grasping the hand on the abdomen, the bottom wrestler lets the limp arm go with the chop. The hand should go to about the hip, with the thumb on the inside (see figure 9.40a), and as the bottom wrestler comes up, the upper body twists a quarter turn away from the top wrestler and the hand is pulled straight up the side of the body, leading with the elbow until the hand is up near the armpit (see figure 9.40b). At this point, the arm is thrust straight up to prevent it from being grasped, while maintaining the cover on the waist hand (see figure 9.40c).
If the top wrestler jams his or her elbow forward, the bottom wrestler explodes and covers the hand as described here. But instead of bringing the elbow in, or limping the arm, the near arm can be driven up and across the bottom wrestler's chest to clear it (see figure 9.41). These techniques work because of the cover on the waist hand. If the top wrestler is able to reach through to attempt a lock around the waist, he or she will be able to grasp only the bottom wrestler's hand that is covering, and this can be dealt with.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Rules of wrestling competitions explained
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level.
Weight Classes
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level. Pairing weight classes with age groups helps keep wrestlers of similar maturity levels grouped together, and maturity may be as important a consideration as weight. You will encounter other methods as well.
Tournament organizers may sometimes group wrestlers less formally in an attempt to even out the number of wrestlers per competitive group. For example, if 24 wrestlers weighing 100 to 105 pounds, five wrestlers weighing 98 to 99 pounds, and 3 weighing 106 pounds weigh in, the pairing officials may split these 32 wrestlers into three groups instead of having such unbalanced numbers. This helps everyone get in a similar number of matches and keeps the tournament from dragging on at the end while one or two weight classes have many more matches than the others. In any case, the pairing officials will work to avoid mismatches because of excessive weight difference. Be vigilant and ask for change if there is too much disparity among athletes. The main concern of all officials and coaches should be the safety of the wrestlers and an enjoyable competition.
USA Wrestling has established youth age groups and assigned match time limits and weight classes for each group. Some state associations have expanded these to provide a framework for younger children. See table 3.1 for a list of the age groups and weights for youth wrestling as recommended by USA Wrestling.
Competition
Wrestling matches are opportunities for wrestlers to translate the skills they have learned in practice into a competition with other wrestlers. Youth wrestling has two principal forms of competition: tournaments and dual meets.
In tournaments, wrestlers from many clubs or teams compete in each weight class. Often there is more than one wrestler from the same club. Team scores are not usually kept in tournaments at the youth level, but there are awards for the wrestlers who win or place in the competition. USA Wrestling tournaments do not include team scoring except at the national championship level for older age groups. As competition moves to high school teams, tournament scoring becomes important.
Dual meets are competitions between two teams. Each team enters one wrestler per weight class, and he or she wrestles an opponent in that weight class from the other team. Team scoring is the idea behind dual meets, and the winning wrestler is awarded three to six points depending on the nature of the win. Individual points are totaled, and the team with the most points wins the dual competition.
Entering Competition
Although weight classes are different for different ages, the system for entering athletes into competitions is the same for all levels. In a dual meet, each team may enter one wrestler in each weight class. The same is true for invitational tournaments, where teams are invited and each enters one wrestler per weight class. However, in open tournaments, a school or club may enter as many wrestlers as it wishes, and wrestlers can sometimes enter as individuals, without club or team membership.
Clubs that host tournaments can make fliers available at other competitions, send fliers to the coaches of other clubs, and advertise in wrestling publications or on Web sites. Ads should specify location, rules to be observed, age groups competing, time and place of weigh-ins, and time and place of the competition. Generally, only statewide championships and USA Wrestling regional and national competitions require preregistration. Events sanctioned by USA Wrestling require that competitors hold an athlete membership card, and this must be presented when making an entry. This may be true of other governing bodies as well. Athletes register upon arriving at the site, and then go to the weigh-in room.
Weigh-Ins
A weigh-in is held before a competition to ensure that each athlete's body weight is within the limits of his or her weight class. This usually occurs at least an hour before the event's scheduled start time to allow tournament administrators time to organize the wrestlers into their weight classes and set up brackets. In some cases, weigh-ins are highly structured with all the wrestlers from a specific weight class standing in line to be weighed.
Medical personnel should check each athlete thoroughly for skin infections before he or she is allowed to weigh in. When cleared, the athlete reports for the weigh-in. USA Wrestling requires, as do some other organizations, that athletes weigh in wearing uniforms or shorts because officials may be women, and girls and women may enter some competitions. When the wrestler comes to the scale, the official confirms that the medical clearance is complete and then directs the wrestler to step on the scale. Digital scales are used most often now. When using a digital scale, the readout should not be visible to the athlete. This is done to keep the athlete from moving around on the scale in an attempt to affect the result. If a balance scale is used, the official should direct the athlete to stand in the middle of the platform and stand still. Most associations and leagues give an athlete just one chance on the scale. If athletes are over the allowed weight, they are not allowed to compete. It is the responsibility of the athlete and the coach to be sure that the stated weight is correct before presenting for weigh-in.
Match Structure
A match is made up of three timed periods. The time can vary depending on local rules. For example, USA Wrestling specifies three 2-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest between each period for all age categories (see table 3.1); however, some tournament organizers use 1-minute periods for the younger age groups. Before the start of a competition, check the rules to make sure you know what the time periods are for each age group.
The first period starts with both wrestlers standing. At the end of the first period, the official determines which wrestler gets to choose how to start the second period. If it is a dual meet, this protocol is decided before the first match, and the teams alternate who gets the choice. In a tournament, the athletes wear colored ankle bands to help the official and scorers identify athletes. The official flips a colored disc, and the wrestler with the winning color gets the choice.
The wrestler with the choice at the start of the second period has four options. Athletes can choose to defer the choice to their opponent so they can make the choice they want in the third period. They can choose to start in the neutral position, both wrestlers standing. They can choose to start down so that they can escape or get a reversal while they are still fresh. Finally, they can choose to start in the top position so they can work to get the fall, again, while fresh.
A match is over if one wrestler achieves a pin, or fall (see chapter 9 for more information on pins). Matches are also stopped if one wrestler gets ahead of the other by 15 or more points, a technical fall. Disqualification for misconduct, stalling, or other severe violations of the rules also stop a match. Although wrestling is one of the martial arts, or combat sports, any hold or maneuver applied with the intent to injure the opponent is prohibited.
Starting a Match
All youth wrestling matches begin with the two wrestlers on their feet, facing each other in a neutral position, with no advantage to either one. The duration of a match is specified according to the wrestling style and the age group involved.
Substitutions are not allowed during a match; however, for a dual meet, it is possible for two athletes to weigh in at the same weight so that you can choose which athlete to use when it is that weight group's turn to compete. Wrestling does not have a time-out in the way we understand them in basketball or football. There are no stops to be used strategically, to compose the team, or simply to catch a rest. It is possible for an athlete to ask for a time-out for injury. Injury time-outs have time limits, and once the time is reached, the athlete must compete or withdraw. The time limit is most often one and a half minutes. Different organizations allow a different number of injury time-outs. Coaches and wrestlers must know the rule for the specific competition before it begins. In college wrestling, for instance, only one time-out is allowed, and if the athlete asks for a second, the match is terminated.
The official will stop a match when blood is present so that the bleeding can be stopped and the wrestlers and the mat cleaned and disinfected. There is no time limit for blood issues, and the match will continue until it becomes clear that the bleeding is interfering with the match too much. The official can choose to stop the match at that point, and the wrestler who is not able to continue will take a loss.
Scoring
Depending on the starting position for each period, the wrestlers try to score takedowns, escapes, reversals, and near falls to control their opponents on the mat, to turn them over, and then to pin their shoulders for a fall. The successful execution of these maneuvers is rewarded with match points. To understand how the various maneuvers are scored, see table 3.2.
In folkstyle team competitions, wrestlers earn team points that contribute to the team's score. For team scoring, a win by a decision (victory by 1 to 7 points more than the opponent) is worth 3 points; a major decision (victory by 8 to 14 points), 4; a technical fall (victory by at least 15 points), 5; and a fall, 6. The loser receives no points. Winning by injury default, forfeit, or disqualification counts the same as a fall.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Take-down moves for youth wrestlers
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg—called the single leg.
Single Leg
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg-called the single leg. Regardless of the setup used for the single leg, teach your young wrestlers to first move themselves or their opponent or both so that they have an angle to attack from (see figure 8.10a). As discussed in chapter 7, gaining an angle provides several advantages. Attacking from an angle takes your wrestler's attack across the powerful center of the defender's body, rather than directly into it. Also, the defender's sprawl-dropping the hips and thrusting the legs back-is much less effective if your wrestler attacks at an angle.
Next, your wrestler should change levels and make an inside penetration step that ends up with the head positioned against the opponent's chest (see figure 8.10b). The step should be deep enough that when your wrestler drives forward onto the inside knee, his or her weight moves all the way through the space the defender was in. While penetrating, your wrestler should grasp the single leg with both arms straight, locked behind the knee, and step up with the outside leg first and then the inside (see figure 8.10c).
From this position, there a several ways to finish. The one your wrestlers should use depends on what the defender does
• When your wrestler has a leg up and the head on the opponent's chest and the opponent defends with a whizzer, your wrestler should execute a technique called running the pipe. While pushing down on the defender's thigh with the chest and into the opponent with the head, the attacker should pull up with the arms as hard as possible, making a powerful lever (see figure 8.11). When teaching this, have your wrestlers watch the defender's foot. When the pressure is correct, they will be able to see the foot being pushed into the mat.
• If the defender is trying to use a whizzer by driving an arm between your wrestler's outside arm and body and levering as hard as possible, the defender's pressure plus your wrestler's pressure make the defender vulnerable. Your wrestler can step across with the inside foot over to the defender's foot on the mat (see figure 8.12a). Next, your wrestler can step back and change levels by forcefully dropping, pulling the leg through between the attacker's own, and continuing the downward pressure with the upper body (see figure 8.12b).
• If there is no whizzer, your wrestler can quickly drive into the defender (see figure 8.13a), creating enough space to step the inside leg over and outside of the single leg to clear it (see figure 8.13b) and then lift the single leg straight up into the armpit (see figure 8.13c). Teach your wrestlers to keep moving in these situations in order to keep the defender thinking about having to avoid tripping instead of trying to counterattack. They should try to get the defender hopping around and time their move so that just as the defender hops up, they can sweep his or her foot with their outside leg (see figure 8.13d), bringing the opponent to the mat (see figure 8.13e).
Double Leg
Using a double leg simply means that a wrestler attacks both legs. The double leg is effective against an opponent who is in a square stance because both legs are equally close to the attacker. It may be initiated straight on or from an angle. If a wrestler is not able to get an effective angle for a single leg, he or she might want to initiate a double-leg attack from straight on. A double leg could also be more effective against wrestlers who are highly skilled in defending single-leg attacks. To return to the baseball analogy from chapter 7, a good pitcher doesn't have just a fastball. Even if he can throw it 100 miles per hour, he still needs a curveball and slider, depending on the batter he is facing.
Your wrestler can use a tie-up, as discussed in "Tie-Ups" on pages 82 through 86, to get through the defender's arms and must use good movement so that he or she can initiate the attack from an angle. Then, when your wrestler is close and has the opponent's arms neutralized, he or she should automatically change levels and start the penetration step (see figure 8.14a). The step should go right at the defender, with the foot landing between the feet (see figure 8.14b). As your wrestler drives forward onto the knee, the head must stay up and outside the body. With good penetration and follow-through, the outside leg steps up, and the arms should wrap at the knees (see figure 8.14c).
There are several ways to finish a double-leg takedown:
• If your wrestler has deep penetration and the opponent is caught on his or her heels, your wrestler can drive straight through and send the opponent to his or her back (see figure 8.15).
• Your wrestler can use a penetration step, step up with the outside leg after the penetration step, lift with the near arm, and pull in with the far arm to collapse the knee (see figure 8.16a). Your wrestler drives to that side to finish the takedown. The opponent will either land on a hip or turn facedown as he or she goes down (see figure 8.16b).
• If your wrestler's hips are in close enough, he or she can lift the defender off his or her feet and finish to the mat easily from that point. If this is the case, straightening the legs will bring the opponent right off the mat. However, if the defender is able to sprawl at all, it may be tough to finish this way. Ideally, if the defender is leaning over the top of the attacker (the defender's center of gravity resting above the attacker's hips and shoulders) and the attacker's legs are loaded (bent), as shown in figure 8.17a, the attacker can stand up with the opponent over his or her shoulder (see figure 8.17b). But, if the opponent has sprawled back, the opponent's center of gravity will be spread in front of the attacker. This creates leverage and makes it more difficult for your wrestler to lift the opponent. Remind wrestlers to think of picking up a box or other heavy object. If they hold it tight to the torso, it is much easier to lift than if they try to pick it up while it is two feet in front of their body.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Plan of attack for bottom wrestlers
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent’s attempts to gain a pin.
Bottom Techniques
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent's attempts to gain a pin. Often, top wrestlers are described as having the advantage, and they really do. If they are well coached, they will make the bottom wrestler carry their weight, and they will drive forward, using their leg and hip muscles.
The base position, discussed on page 113, is the bottom wrestler's starting position. If a wrestler gets broken down and the pressure continues, it becomes apparent there isn't much he or she can do while laying facedown on the mat. Indeed, you will hear other coaches encouraging their bottom wrestlers to "Get off your belly." Coaches really mean "Get back to your base." The base position is important because when the abdomen is off the mat and the hips are up, the bottom wrestler can start trying to escape or gain a reversal.
Just as there are several concepts that you can work on with your wrestlers when they are on top, there are also specific concepts that wrestlers should learn when they are the bottom wrestler:
• Keep the hips from going to the mat.
Once down, the bottom wrestler must try to get elevation. If the bottom wrestler hasn't allowed the top wrestler to drive him or her all the way down, the bottom wrestler has a sort of head start. If the bottom wrestler is all the way down, not only does he or she have a lot of work to do to simply gain elevation, but it is doubled or maybe tripled because of the opponent's weight and pressure. Coach your wrestlers to resist going all the way down, whether by a breakdown or takedown, and to think about coming back up instantly.
• Create space.
The bottom wrestler must work to create space between his or her hips and the top wrestler's hips. Almost all escape and reversal techniques depend on getting separation between the bottom and top wrestlers' hips. This concept can be applied in many situations. If the defender starts working to separate the hips from the attacker's on the way down, the attacker will be in a weaker position when he or she hits the mat. That said, if the defender can get even one foot down on the way to the mat, her or she can start walking the hips away so there is already separation when they both hit the mat. In addition, skills to be learned later, such as sit-outs, switches, and hip-heists, are all designed to achieve this separation.
• Get back to the base position.
Bottom wrestlers must work quickly to get the hips up back into the base position after a takedown. Statistically, most near fall or pin situations happen in conjunction with takedowns. This may be because young wrestlers often try to catch their breath or take a few seconds before they start working from the bottom once in the bottom position after a takedown. However, if the bottom wrestler continually works to get the hips up off the mat and does so as quickly as possible after a takedown, the top wrestler will be busy trying to counteract that rather than focusing on getting set for a pinning combination. This is a concept, and maybe a matter of attitude, that you can drill until it becomes instinctive for your wrestlers. If young wrestlers can grasp this early, they will find more success while in the bottom position.
• Feel the pressure.
Bottom wrestlers must feel where the top wrestler's pressure comes from. Many techniques are based on meeting the top wrestler's pressure and then using it to help the bottom wrestler come up to the feet by meeting the resistance.
• Work quickly.
Bottom wrestlers should work quickly so that they do not give the top wrestler chances to settle into dominating positions.
• Know when to use torque.
Bottom wrestlers must learn to feel when to use torque with the hip-heist. The hip-heist, or rotating the hips 180 degrees or more while also spinning the body 180 degrees or more, is a powerful twisting movement that becomes a key part of many techniques.
• Wrestle defensively.
Teach your wrestlers to think of bottom wrestling as a type of attack on the top wrestler, meaning that if young wrestlers are taught to think of it as defense, they will learn the concept of wrestling defensively. Bottom wrestlers must have a plan, so help them plan their attack from the bottom so that they know what they will do before the top wrestler assumes his or her position. The top wrestler's position can dictate the best technique for the bottom wrestler. When top wrestlers are fairly high on the bottom wrestler's back, it's likely that they will work on arm chops or spiral rides. When top wrestlers are well back, it is more likely they will try one of the ankle picks.
The young wrestler's plan when in the bottom position should include several options to cover a variety of situations. For instance, your wrestler might be thinking about an inside stand-up and going through the steps in his or her head, but if the top wrestler comes on high, your wrestler should be able to switch to a limp-arm stand-up or another technique.
These concepts come together as your wrestlers use specific bottom-wrestling techniques such as stand-ups and switches.
Stand-Up
A stand-up is a technique for achieving an escape and can be used from the starting position on the mat or during action. The name describes the technique: The wrestler must get to a standing position from the bottom and then complete the escape by turning to face the defender. Although a stand-up is a basic move, when it is done well, it is difficult to counter.
When your wrestler assumes the bottom position with a stand-up in mind, the head should be up with the arms slightly bent and very little weight on the hands (see figure 9.39a). The wrestler's weight should be as far back and as high as possible, and he or she should try to hunch, or curve, the back up high. This elevates the weight before the action starts so there is less distance to travel to get to the feet. And keeping most of the wrestler's weight off the hands counters the effectiveness of an opponent's arm chop.
When the whistle initiates the action, the bottom wrestler explosively thrusts the arms and hands into the mat to drive the head, shoulders, and torso up and back to meet the top wrestler's forward pressure (see figure 9.39b). As the bottom wrestler starts to come up, his or her outside hand should quickly cover the top wrestler's hand that is on the waist and grasp it firmly (see figure 9.39c). As the bottom wrestler comes up, the elbow of the inside arm goes directly to the wrestler's own hip, with the wrist up, to prevent the top wrestler from shooting the hand through that has been on the elbow and locking hands as the bottom wrestler comes up (see figure 9.39d).
The bottom wrestler has several options for the inside arm and chooses one depending on how the top wrestler reacts. If the top wrestler chops, the bottom wrestler can "limp arm" by relaxing the inside arm so that as the chop comes and the bottom wrestler is coming up and grasping the hand on the abdomen, the bottom wrestler lets the limp arm go with the chop. The hand should go to about the hip, with the thumb on the inside (see figure 9.40a), and as the bottom wrestler comes up, the upper body twists a quarter turn away from the top wrestler and the hand is pulled straight up the side of the body, leading with the elbow until the hand is up near the armpit (see figure 9.40b). At this point, the arm is thrust straight up to prevent it from being grasped, while maintaining the cover on the waist hand (see figure 9.40c).
If the top wrestler jams his or her elbow forward, the bottom wrestler explodes and covers the hand as described here. But instead of bringing the elbow in, or limping the arm, the near arm can be driven up and across the bottom wrestler's chest to clear it (see figure 9.41). These techniques work because of the cover on the waist hand. If the top wrestler is able to reach through to attempt a lock around the waist, he or she will be able to grasp only the bottom wrestler's hand that is covering, and this can be dealt with.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Rules of wrestling competitions explained
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level.
Weight Classes
Local youth clubs may use several methods for grouping wrestlers for competition. Grouping wrestlers into weight classes is the most common method and was established in an attempt to create an equal opportunity for wrestlers to compete at their best level. Pairing weight classes with age groups helps keep wrestlers of similar maturity levels grouped together, and maturity may be as important a consideration as weight. You will encounter other methods as well.
Tournament organizers may sometimes group wrestlers less formally in an attempt to even out the number of wrestlers per competitive group. For example, if 24 wrestlers weighing 100 to 105 pounds, five wrestlers weighing 98 to 99 pounds, and 3 weighing 106 pounds weigh in, the pairing officials may split these 32 wrestlers into three groups instead of having such unbalanced numbers. This helps everyone get in a similar number of matches and keeps the tournament from dragging on at the end while one or two weight classes have many more matches than the others. In any case, the pairing officials will work to avoid mismatches because of excessive weight difference. Be vigilant and ask for change if there is too much disparity among athletes. The main concern of all officials and coaches should be the safety of the wrestlers and an enjoyable competition.
USA Wrestling has established youth age groups and assigned match time limits and weight classes for each group. Some state associations have expanded these to provide a framework for younger children. See table 3.1 for a list of the age groups and weights for youth wrestling as recommended by USA Wrestling.
Competition
Wrestling matches are opportunities for wrestlers to translate the skills they have learned in practice into a competition with other wrestlers. Youth wrestling has two principal forms of competition: tournaments and dual meets.
In tournaments, wrestlers from many clubs or teams compete in each weight class. Often there is more than one wrestler from the same club. Team scores are not usually kept in tournaments at the youth level, but there are awards for the wrestlers who win or place in the competition. USA Wrestling tournaments do not include team scoring except at the national championship level for older age groups. As competition moves to high school teams, tournament scoring becomes important.
Dual meets are competitions between two teams. Each team enters one wrestler per weight class, and he or she wrestles an opponent in that weight class from the other team. Team scoring is the idea behind dual meets, and the winning wrestler is awarded three to six points depending on the nature of the win. Individual points are totaled, and the team with the most points wins the dual competition.
Entering Competition
Although weight classes are different for different ages, the system for entering athletes into competitions is the same for all levels. In a dual meet, each team may enter one wrestler in each weight class. The same is true for invitational tournaments, where teams are invited and each enters one wrestler per weight class. However, in open tournaments, a school or club may enter as many wrestlers as it wishes, and wrestlers can sometimes enter as individuals, without club or team membership.
Clubs that host tournaments can make fliers available at other competitions, send fliers to the coaches of other clubs, and advertise in wrestling publications or on Web sites. Ads should specify location, rules to be observed, age groups competing, time and place of weigh-ins, and time and place of the competition. Generally, only statewide championships and USA Wrestling regional and national competitions require preregistration. Events sanctioned by USA Wrestling require that competitors hold an athlete membership card, and this must be presented when making an entry. This may be true of other governing bodies as well. Athletes register upon arriving at the site, and then go to the weigh-in room.
Weigh-Ins
A weigh-in is held before a competition to ensure that each athlete's body weight is within the limits of his or her weight class. This usually occurs at least an hour before the event's scheduled start time to allow tournament administrators time to organize the wrestlers into their weight classes and set up brackets. In some cases, weigh-ins are highly structured with all the wrestlers from a specific weight class standing in line to be weighed.
Medical personnel should check each athlete thoroughly for skin infections before he or she is allowed to weigh in. When cleared, the athlete reports for the weigh-in. USA Wrestling requires, as do some other organizations, that athletes weigh in wearing uniforms or shorts because officials may be women, and girls and women may enter some competitions. When the wrestler comes to the scale, the official confirms that the medical clearance is complete and then directs the wrestler to step on the scale. Digital scales are used most often now. When using a digital scale, the readout should not be visible to the athlete. This is done to keep the athlete from moving around on the scale in an attempt to affect the result. If a balance scale is used, the official should direct the athlete to stand in the middle of the platform and stand still. Most associations and leagues give an athlete just one chance on the scale. If athletes are over the allowed weight, they are not allowed to compete. It is the responsibility of the athlete and the coach to be sure that the stated weight is correct before presenting for weigh-in.
Match Structure
A match is made up of three timed periods. The time can vary depending on local rules. For example, USA Wrestling specifies three 2-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest between each period for all age categories (see table 3.1); however, some tournament organizers use 1-minute periods for the younger age groups. Before the start of a competition, check the rules to make sure you know what the time periods are for each age group.
The first period starts with both wrestlers standing. At the end of the first period, the official determines which wrestler gets to choose how to start the second period. If it is a dual meet, this protocol is decided before the first match, and the teams alternate who gets the choice. In a tournament, the athletes wear colored ankle bands to help the official and scorers identify athletes. The official flips a colored disc, and the wrestler with the winning color gets the choice.
The wrestler with the choice at the start of the second period has four options. Athletes can choose to defer the choice to their opponent so they can make the choice they want in the third period. They can choose to start in the neutral position, both wrestlers standing. They can choose to start down so that they can escape or get a reversal while they are still fresh. Finally, they can choose to start in the top position so they can work to get the fall, again, while fresh.
A match is over if one wrestler achieves a pin, or fall (see chapter 9 for more information on pins). Matches are also stopped if one wrestler gets ahead of the other by 15 or more points, a technical fall. Disqualification for misconduct, stalling, or other severe violations of the rules also stop a match. Although wrestling is one of the martial arts, or combat sports, any hold or maneuver applied with the intent to injure the opponent is prohibited.
Starting a Match
All youth wrestling matches begin with the two wrestlers on their feet, facing each other in a neutral position, with no advantage to either one. The duration of a match is specified according to the wrestling style and the age group involved.
Substitutions are not allowed during a match; however, for a dual meet, it is possible for two athletes to weigh in at the same weight so that you can choose which athlete to use when it is that weight group's turn to compete. Wrestling does not have a time-out in the way we understand them in basketball or football. There are no stops to be used strategically, to compose the team, or simply to catch a rest. It is possible for an athlete to ask for a time-out for injury. Injury time-outs have time limits, and once the time is reached, the athlete must compete or withdraw. The time limit is most often one and a half minutes. Different organizations allow a different number of injury time-outs. Coaches and wrestlers must know the rule for the specific competition before it begins. In college wrestling, for instance, only one time-out is allowed, and if the athlete asks for a second, the match is terminated.
The official will stop a match when blood is present so that the bleeding can be stopped and the wrestlers and the mat cleaned and disinfected. There is no time limit for blood issues, and the match will continue until it becomes clear that the bleeding is interfering with the match too much. The official can choose to stop the match at that point, and the wrestler who is not able to continue will take a loss.
Scoring
Depending on the starting position for each period, the wrestlers try to score takedowns, escapes, reversals, and near falls to control their opponents on the mat, to turn them over, and then to pin their shoulders for a fall. The successful execution of these maneuvers is rewarded with match points. To understand how the various maneuvers are scored, see table 3.2.
In folkstyle team competitions, wrestlers earn team points that contribute to the team's score. For team scoring, a win by a decision (victory by 1 to 7 points more than the opponent) is worth 3 points; a major decision (victory by 8 to 14 points), 4; a technical fall (victory by at least 15 points), 5; and a fall, 6. The loser receives no points. Winning by injury default, forfeit, or disqualification counts the same as a fall.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Take-down moves for youth wrestlers
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg—called the single leg.
Single Leg
There are many ways to execute a takedown by grasping one leg-called the single leg. Regardless of the setup used for the single leg, teach your young wrestlers to first move themselves or their opponent or both so that they have an angle to attack from (see figure 8.10a). As discussed in chapter 7, gaining an angle provides several advantages. Attacking from an angle takes your wrestler's attack across the powerful center of the defender's body, rather than directly into it. Also, the defender's sprawl-dropping the hips and thrusting the legs back-is much less effective if your wrestler attacks at an angle.
Next, your wrestler should change levels and make an inside penetration step that ends up with the head positioned against the opponent's chest (see figure 8.10b). The step should be deep enough that when your wrestler drives forward onto the inside knee, his or her weight moves all the way through the space the defender was in. While penetrating, your wrestler should grasp the single leg with both arms straight, locked behind the knee, and step up with the outside leg first and then the inside (see figure 8.10c).
From this position, there a several ways to finish. The one your wrestlers should use depends on what the defender does
• When your wrestler has a leg up and the head on the opponent's chest and the opponent defends with a whizzer, your wrestler should execute a technique called running the pipe. While pushing down on the defender's thigh with the chest and into the opponent with the head, the attacker should pull up with the arms as hard as possible, making a powerful lever (see figure 8.11). When teaching this, have your wrestlers watch the defender's foot. When the pressure is correct, they will be able to see the foot being pushed into the mat.
• If the defender is trying to use a whizzer by driving an arm between your wrestler's outside arm and body and levering as hard as possible, the defender's pressure plus your wrestler's pressure make the defender vulnerable. Your wrestler can step across with the inside foot over to the defender's foot on the mat (see figure 8.12a). Next, your wrestler can step back and change levels by forcefully dropping, pulling the leg through between the attacker's own, and continuing the downward pressure with the upper body (see figure 8.12b).
• If there is no whizzer, your wrestler can quickly drive into the defender (see figure 8.13a), creating enough space to step the inside leg over and outside of the single leg to clear it (see figure 8.13b) and then lift the single leg straight up into the armpit (see figure 8.13c). Teach your wrestlers to keep moving in these situations in order to keep the defender thinking about having to avoid tripping instead of trying to counterattack. They should try to get the defender hopping around and time their move so that just as the defender hops up, they can sweep his or her foot with their outside leg (see figure 8.13d), bringing the opponent to the mat (see figure 8.13e).
Double Leg
Using a double leg simply means that a wrestler attacks both legs. The double leg is effective against an opponent who is in a square stance because both legs are equally close to the attacker. It may be initiated straight on or from an angle. If a wrestler is not able to get an effective angle for a single leg, he or she might want to initiate a double-leg attack from straight on. A double leg could also be more effective against wrestlers who are highly skilled in defending single-leg attacks. To return to the baseball analogy from chapter 7, a good pitcher doesn't have just a fastball. Even if he can throw it 100 miles per hour, he still needs a curveball and slider, depending on the batter he is facing.
Your wrestler can use a tie-up, as discussed in "Tie-Ups" on pages 82 through 86, to get through the defender's arms and must use good movement so that he or she can initiate the attack from an angle. Then, when your wrestler is close and has the opponent's arms neutralized, he or she should automatically change levels and start the penetration step (see figure 8.14a). The step should go right at the defender, with the foot landing between the feet (see figure 8.14b). As your wrestler drives forward onto the knee, the head must stay up and outside the body. With good penetration and follow-through, the outside leg steps up, and the arms should wrap at the knees (see figure 8.14c).
There are several ways to finish a double-leg takedown:
• If your wrestler has deep penetration and the opponent is caught on his or her heels, your wrestler can drive straight through and send the opponent to his or her back (see figure 8.15).
• Your wrestler can use a penetration step, step up with the outside leg after the penetration step, lift with the near arm, and pull in with the far arm to collapse the knee (see figure 8.16a). Your wrestler drives to that side to finish the takedown. The opponent will either land on a hip or turn facedown as he or she goes down (see figure 8.16b).
• If your wrestler's hips are in close enough, he or she can lift the defender off his or her feet and finish to the mat easily from that point. If this is the case, straightening the legs will bring the opponent right off the mat. However, if the defender is able to sprawl at all, it may be tough to finish this way. Ideally, if the defender is leaning over the top of the attacker (the defender's center of gravity resting above the attacker's hips and shoulders) and the attacker's legs are loaded (bent), as shown in figure 8.17a, the attacker can stand up with the opponent over his or her shoulder (see figure 8.17b). But, if the opponent has sprawled back, the opponent's center of gravity will be spread in front of the attacker. This creates leverage and makes it more difficult for your wrestler to lift the opponent. Remind wrestlers to think of picking up a box or other heavy object. If they hold it tight to the torso, it is much easier to lift than if they try to pick it up while it is two feet in front of their body.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
Plan of attack for bottom wrestlers
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent’s attempts to gain a pin.
Bottom Techniques
Wrestling from the bottom position can be difficult for young wrestlers because they have to be thinking about getting an escape or reversal while also fighting off the opponent's attempts to gain a pin. Often, top wrestlers are described as having the advantage, and they really do. If they are well coached, they will make the bottom wrestler carry their weight, and they will drive forward, using their leg and hip muscles.
The base position, discussed on page 113, is the bottom wrestler's starting position. If a wrestler gets broken down and the pressure continues, it becomes apparent there isn't much he or she can do while laying facedown on the mat. Indeed, you will hear other coaches encouraging their bottom wrestlers to "Get off your belly." Coaches really mean "Get back to your base." The base position is important because when the abdomen is off the mat and the hips are up, the bottom wrestler can start trying to escape or gain a reversal.
Just as there are several concepts that you can work on with your wrestlers when they are on top, there are also specific concepts that wrestlers should learn when they are the bottom wrestler:
• Keep the hips from going to the mat.
Once down, the bottom wrestler must try to get elevation. If the bottom wrestler hasn't allowed the top wrestler to drive him or her all the way down, the bottom wrestler has a sort of head start. If the bottom wrestler is all the way down, not only does he or she have a lot of work to do to simply gain elevation, but it is doubled or maybe tripled because of the opponent's weight and pressure. Coach your wrestlers to resist going all the way down, whether by a breakdown or takedown, and to think about coming back up instantly.
• Create space.
The bottom wrestler must work to create space between his or her hips and the top wrestler's hips. Almost all escape and reversal techniques depend on getting separation between the bottom and top wrestlers' hips. This concept can be applied in many situations. If the defender starts working to separate the hips from the attacker's on the way down, the attacker will be in a weaker position when he or she hits the mat. That said, if the defender can get even one foot down on the way to the mat, her or she can start walking the hips away so there is already separation when they both hit the mat. In addition, skills to be learned later, such as sit-outs, switches, and hip-heists, are all designed to achieve this separation.
• Get back to the base position.
Bottom wrestlers must work quickly to get the hips up back into the base position after a takedown. Statistically, most near fall or pin situations happen in conjunction with takedowns. This may be because young wrestlers often try to catch their breath or take a few seconds before they start working from the bottom once in the bottom position after a takedown. However, if the bottom wrestler continually works to get the hips up off the mat and does so as quickly as possible after a takedown, the top wrestler will be busy trying to counteract that rather than focusing on getting set for a pinning combination. This is a concept, and maybe a matter of attitude, that you can drill until it becomes instinctive for your wrestlers. If young wrestlers can grasp this early, they will find more success while in the bottom position.
• Feel the pressure.
Bottom wrestlers must feel where the top wrestler's pressure comes from. Many techniques are based on meeting the top wrestler's pressure and then using it to help the bottom wrestler come up to the feet by meeting the resistance.
• Work quickly.
Bottom wrestlers should work quickly so that they do not give the top wrestler chances to settle into dominating positions.
• Know when to use torque.
Bottom wrestlers must learn to feel when to use torque with the hip-heist. The hip-heist, or rotating the hips 180 degrees or more while also spinning the body 180 degrees or more, is a powerful twisting movement that becomes a key part of many techniques.
• Wrestle defensively.
Teach your wrestlers to think of bottom wrestling as a type of attack on the top wrestler, meaning that if young wrestlers are taught to think of it as defense, they will learn the concept of wrestling defensively. Bottom wrestlers must have a plan, so help them plan their attack from the bottom so that they know what they will do before the top wrestler assumes his or her position. The top wrestler's position can dictate the best technique for the bottom wrestler. When top wrestlers are fairly high on the bottom wrestler's back, it's likely that they will work on arm chops or spiral rides. When top wrestlers are well back, it is more likely they will try one of the ankle picks.
The young wrestler's plan when in the bottom position should include several options to cover a variety of situations. For instance, your wrestler might be thinking about an inside stand-up and going through the steps in his or her head, but if the top wrestler comes on high, your wrestler should be able to switch to a limp-arm stand-up or another technique.
These concepts come together as your wrestlers use specific bottom-wrestling techniques such as stand-ups and switches.
Stand-Up
A stand-up is a technique for achieving an escape and can be used from the starting position on the mat or during action. The name describes the technique: The wrestler must get to a standing position from the bottom and then complete the escape by turning to face the defender. Although a stand-up is a basic move, when it is done well, it is difficult to counter.
When your wrestler assumes the bottom position with a stand-up in mind, the head should be up with the arms slightly bent and very little weight on the hands (see figure 9.39a). The wrestler's weight should be as far back and as high as possible, and he or she should try to hunch, or curve, the back up high. This elevates the weight before the action starts so there is less distance to travel to get to the feet. And keeping most of the wrestler's weight off the hands counters the effectiveness of an opponent's arm chop.
When the whistle initiates the action, the bottom wrestler explosively thrusts the arms and hands into the mat to drive the head, shoulders, and torso up and back to meet the top wrestler's forward pressure (see figure 9.39b). As the bottom wrestler starts to come up, his or her outside hand should quickly cover the top wrestler's hand that is on the waist and grasp it firmly (see figure 9.39c). As the bottom wrestler comes up, the elbow of the inside arm goes directly to the wrestler's own hip, with the wrist up, to prevent the top wrestler from shooting the hand through that has been on the elbow and locking hands as the bottom wrestler comes up (see figure 9.39d).
The bottom wrestler has several options for the inside arm and chooses one depending on how the top wrestler reacts. If the top wrestler chops, the bottom wrestler can "limp arm" by relaxing the inside arm so that as the chop comes and the bottom wrestler is coming up and grasping the hand on the abdomen, the bottom wrestler lets the limp arm go with the chop. The hand should go to about the hip, with the thumb on the inside (see figure 9.40a), and as the bottom wrestler comes up, the upper body twists a quarter turn away from the top wrestler and the hand is pulled straight up the side of the body, leading with the elbow until the hand is up near the armpit (see figure 9.40b). At this point, the arm is thrust straight up to prevent it from being grasped, while maintaining the cover on the waist hand (see figure 9.40c).
If the top wrestler jams his or her elbow forward, the bottom wrestler explodes and covers the hand as described here. But instead of bringing the elbow in, or limping the arm, the near arm can be driven up and across the bottom wrestler's chest to clear it (see figure 9.41). These techniques work because of the cover on the waist hand. If the top wrestler is able to reach through to attempt a lock around the waist, he or she will be able to grasp only the bottom wrestler's hand that is covering, and this can be dealt with.
This is an excerpt from Coaching Youth Wrestling, 3rd Edition.
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