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Wrestling’s leading drill book is back. With new chapters, drills, coaching advice, and practice planning, The Wrestling Drill Book, Second Edition, is bigger, better, and more comprehensive than ever.
The Wrestling Drill Book features match-tested drills from the top high school and college wrestling coaches in the sport. From takedowns, escapes, and reversals to riding and pinning combinations, each contributor breaks down a technique, tactic, or facet of wrestling for which he is renowned.
Chapters unfold sequentially, moving from simple to more complex drills, each including setup requirements, descriptions of the action, and key coaching points for maximizing the value of every drill. Detailed descriptions provide thorough instruction for proper execution of each move.
Discover the best-seller that has helped wrestlers become champions. The Wrestling Drill Book, Second Edition, is a must-have for every wrestler and coach.
Chapter 1 Essential Movement Drills
Chapter 2 Footwork: Agility, Quickness, and Balance Drills (new chapter)
Chapter 3 Takedown Drills (5 new drills)
Chapter 4 Advance Throws and Takedown Drills (new chapter)
Chapter 5 Escape and Reversal Drills (9 new drills)
Chapter 6 Riding to Pinning Combination Drills (7 new drills)
Chapter 7 Advance Pinning Combination Drills (5 new drills)
Chapter 8 Conditioning Drills (11 new drills)
Chapter 9 Effective Practices and Off-Season Activities (expanded)
William A. (Bill) Welker, EdD, boasts over 55 years of experience as a successful wrestler, coach, and official. He is a former Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) state champion and PIAA state runner-up. Welker also competed at the collegiate level for the University of Pittsburgh.
As head sophomore coach at Wheeling Park High School (West Virginia), he was instrumental in producing three AAA state championship teams. For his efforts as a high school coach, Welker was selected as one of the top wrestling coaches in the country by Scholastic Wrestling News. He has coached wrestling at the youth, middle school, and high school levels for three decades.
In 2005, Welker retired after 25 years as a wrestling referee. During his officiating tenure, he has been named the West Virginia Official of the Year (1990),
the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Mideast Section Distinguished Official of the Year (2001), and the National Official of the Year by Wrestling USA magazine (2002).
Since 1989, Welker has been the West Virginia state clinician, rules interpreter, and state tournament supervisor of officials. He is currently serving on the NFHS national wrestling rules committee.
Welker has written over 600 articles on the art and science of wrestling since 1974. He was named the National Sportswriter of the Year by Wrestling USA magazine in 1987, and he has received the West Virginia Snyder-Miller Media Award an unprecedented seven times by the state coaches’ association. He also wrote the script and produced the DVD titled The Pancake Takedown Series (2008), which is being distributed throughout the United States.
Welker has been inducted into four wrestling halls of fame, including the West Virginia chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame. He also received the prestigious Master of Wrestling Award from Wrestling USA magazine (2008).
Welker earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. He later acquired a doctorate in the field of education from West Virginia University. Upon his retirement from his 40-year teaching career in 2009, Welker was named Teacher of the Year by the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce.
Welker and his wife, Peggy, have four children and 13 grandchildren. They reside on Wheeling Island in Wheeling, West Virginia.
About the Contributors
Jim Akerly is the founder, director, and coach for the Quest School of Wrestling in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, where he has produced many prominent youth, scholastic, and collegiate wrestlers. While wrestling for West Virginia University, Akerly became the third-winningest wrestler in school history, recording 119 victories, and was a silver medalist at the prestigious Midlands Tournament in 1986. He qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships three times and earned All-American laurels in 1987. As a coach, Akerly headed up the Pennsylvania freestyle and Greco national teams from 1989 to 1997. At the collegiate level, he coached at West Virginia University, Edinboro (Pennsylvania), Rider University (New Jersey), the University of Virginia, and American University in Washington, DC. While coaching at American University, he was selected as the Coolonial Athletic Association’s Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1997. Akerly resides in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
Bill Archer is the principal at St. Joseph Central Catholic High School in Huntington, West Virginia. Under his direction as head wrestling coach at Huntington High School, his teams have amassed a phenomenal dual-meet record of 426-83 (.837). Over a 33-year period at the helm, his teams have won 24 regional championships (which ranks him as one of the top 10 coaches in the state) and produced 26 individual West Virginia state champions. In 2001, the two-time state Coach of the Year was selected as the National Wrestling Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association. A former West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC) state champion, Archer was the all-time winningest wrestler at Marshall University in Huntington and was inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. Archer is the state editor of Wrestling USA magazine and has served as the state chairman for USA Wrestling since 1986. He was selected as the 2006 West Virginia Wrestling Coach of the Year by his coaching peers and received the Master of Wrestling Award from Wrestling USA magazine. Archer is a member of the West Virginia chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He holds a master’s degree in educational administration. Archer and his wife, Diane, have two children and four grandchildren. They reside in Huntington, West Virginia.
Since 2001 Bruce Burnett has been the head coach of the Navy wrestling program with the goal of adding to the storied tradition while helping mentor what will be our nation’s leaders. During his tenure, he has led the Midshipmen to a 101-50 record (.669) that featured six straight seasons of 10 or more wins from 2002 to 2007. Along the way, he has helped produce nine EIWA champions while 10 wrestlers have garnered All-American recognition under his tutelage. Burnett started his coaching career at Meridian High School in Meridian, Idaho, where he was the head coach from 1974 to 1987. In his 14 years, Burnett had a stout record of 154-13-2 (.917). His teams won nine conference, six district, and four state championships. He was named Idaho Coach of the Year six times. Burnett is a 1973 graduate of Idaho State, where he received his bachelor of arts degree in secondary education. He and his wife, Karen, live in Annapolis, Maryland.
Dave LaMotte was the head wrestling coach for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. During his 24-year coaching tenure, LaMotte has produced 17 individual state champions, 53 state place winners, 28 district titlists, and 3 high school All-Americans. LaMotte began his coaching career at his alma mater in Bridgeport, Ohio, where his 1988 team captured the Division III state championship and he was voted the Ohio Division III Coach of the Year in 1989. In 1993 LaMotte earned Coach of the Year honors when his Gilbert High School (Arizona) squad won the 5A state championship. LaMotte also coached his two sons, who were both Arizona state champions and NCAA Division II All-Americans. As a competitor, LaMotte was an all-state high school wrestler and compiled a record of 103-14-2 for West Liberty State College in West Virginia. He was also a two-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American and an NAIA champion. In 2004 he was inducted into West Liberty University’s Athletic Hall of Fame. LaMotte and his wife, Vickie, reside in Gold Canyon, Arizona.
Pat Pecora, who also serves as Pitt-Johnstown’s athletic director since July 2008, took over the Mountain Cat wrestling program in 1976. In 36 years, his teams have captured 20 NCAA Regional Championships, including 5 straight from 2003 to 2007 and 10 in a row from 1992 through 2001. Coach Pecora has been selected as the NCAA Regional Coach of the Year 14 times. His Mountain Cat squads have finished in the top 20 in the nation 29 times and have combined to win 48 team tournaments and 500 dual meets. Coach Pecora has tutored 134 All-Americans and 10 individual national champions, including Shane Valko (133 lbs.), the 2010 National Wrestler of the Year. Academically, his teams led the nation in NWCA All-Academic wrestling team selections from 1997 through 2000. Since 1990, Coach Pecora has coached 95 NWCA All-Academic wrestling team members. In 1996 and 1999, his teams captured the NCAA Division II National Championship, the first and second in school history. In 1995 and 1999, Coach Pecora was named NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year. Also in 1999, he received the National Wrestling Coaches Association Coaching Excellence Award, given to the best coach in all divisions. Coach Pecora also coached the national all-star team, which showcased the best wrestlers in the nation from all divisions. On February 14, 2012, Coach Pecora became the first in NCAA Division II history and just the sixth in all divisions to earn 500 career dual-meet victories. He has been inducted into five halls of fame, including the Division II National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame. Coach Pecora and his wife, Tracy, have four children.
The late Edwin C. Peery was a professor and coach emeritus for the United States Naval Academy. He was head coach of the Midshipmen wrestling team from 1960 until 1987 and retired from the Academy in 2000. During his coaching tenure, Peery posted a 311-90-14 dual-meet record, coaching eight Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) championship teams, 48 individual EIWA titlists, and 16 NCAA All-Americans. He was named NCAA Coach of the Year in 1968 and received EIWA coaching honors in 1974 and 1986. He was an honorary lifetime member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, having served as its president and as a member of its rules committee. A two-time Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) state champion, Peery won three NCAA titles under the coaching of his father, the legendary Rex Peery, at the University of Pittsburgh. Peery was also a distinguished member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame, and he was selected as an Outstanding American by the Maryland chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Peery is survived by his wife, Gretchen.
Larry Shaw was the head wrestling coach at Oak Glen High School in New Cumberland, West Virginia, for 31 years, retiring in 2010. He led his Golden Bears squad on an incredible run of 13 consecutive West Virginia AA state championships from 1997 to 2009. This feat is unmatched by any other wrestling program or any other sport in West Virginia and ranks fifth among wrestling programs across the United States, tied with St. Edward’s in Lakewood, Ohio. Shaw also posted five straight West Virginia AAA runner-up finishes (1987-91). He finished with a careeer dual-meet record of 330-96-4. Shaw coached 51 individual state champions and more than 160 others who earned all-state honors. For his efforts, Shaw was named the West Virginia AA Dix Manning Coach of the Year seven times. He is the only wrestling coach to be selected the West Virginia All-Sports Coach of the Year by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association in 2000. Shaw was also honored as the National Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2008 by Wrestling USA magazine. A past president of the West Virginia Wrestling Coaches Association, Shaw has promoted wrestling throughout the state and continues to do so. He has been inducted into five wrestling and sports halls of fame, including the West Virginia chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2010 and the NFHS National Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. Shaw and his wife, Cindy, reside in New Cumberland, West Virginia.
Ken L. Taylor has been head wrestling coach at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, Colorado, since 2001. During this time, he has led teams to 6 regional championships and 3 conference titles as well as producing 10 individual state champions. His squads have had 5 top 10 finishes at state championships. Taylor was also a 1972 NAIA All-American silver medalist for Colorado’s Adams State College and captain of the school’s 1972 NAIA national championship team. During Taylor’s 15-year coaching tenure at Poudre High School (Colorado), his teams won four district titles and two regional championships. He also produced seven top 10 teams at the state level, six individual state titlists, and two state runner-up squads. Taylor has been voted Colorado State Wrestling Coach of the Year on three occasions. He also coached the Colorado wrestling all-star team in 1981 and 1990. Taylor and his wife, Julie, reside in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Craig Turnbull has served as the head wrestling coach at West Virginia University since 1979. He is the winningest coach in West Virginia University history, having built one of the strongest and most dominating wrestling programs in the United States. His teams have compiled a record of 265 dual-meet wins, ranking him the seventh-winningest active coach in Division I wrestling. He produced 42 Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) champions, 26 All-Americans, 7 NCAA finalists, and 3 wrestlers who won five NCAA Division I titles. Since he has won the NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year award, Turnbull’s squads have consistently placed in the top 25 nationally. In 1990, Turnbull was selected as the Eastern Wrestling League’s Coach of the Year as West Virginia University captured its first Eastern Mat Poll No. 1 ranking. Turnbull was also selected to coach the National Wrestling Coaches Association’s All-Star Classic in 1992. He has been named the EWL’s Coach of the Year three times and has won five Eastern Dual Meet Championships from 1990 to 2003. Turnbull is a member of the Wesleyville-Iroquois-Lawrence Park Hall of Fame and the Metro Erie chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He is currently a board member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Coach Turnbull and his wife, Sue, have two children and reside in Morgantown, West Virginia.
“The Wrestling Drill Book assists coaches from youth to college levels in developing championship wrestlers. It’s a must-read.”
Bobby Douglas-- U.S. Olympic Coach (1992, 2004), NWCA Coach of the Year (2000), U.S. Freestyle World Team Head Coach (’89, ’91, ’02, ’03)
"To reach your potential as a wrestler, you must be willing to work hard in the off-season. The Wrestling Drill Book offers some great training activities to help you do this."
Cael Sanderson-- 2004 Olympic Champion, Head Wrestling Coach, Penn State University
“Whether for wrestling or for mixed martial arts, the second edition of The Wrestling Drill Book is the one resource that athletes need in order to learn how to grapple like a champion.”
Doug Jeffrey-- Editor, Ultimate MMA Magazine
How to use takedown counter drills to your advantage
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent’s initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score.
The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition.
Takedown Counter Drills
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent's initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score. This is best accomplished by keeping in good position with a proper center-of-gravity (hip) location. In other words, do not allow your opponent to feel comfortable in the neutral position when he attempts takedown maneuvers.
Keep in mind that the fundamentals must be taught first, including conventional sprawling drills, proper crossface techniques and hip-positioning drills, and whizzer-hip counter drills to double-leg attacks. Also, review all single-leg counter maneuvers when the attack wrestler has control of the leg on or off the mat. Wrestlers must master these basic drills before they learn the more advanced takedown counter drills.
The following drill sequence is set up to demonstrate the first line of defense drills, using the hands to prevent your opponent from penetrating to the legs. The second line of defense drills will illustrate techniques used when the opponent is able to penetrate to the legs or body by maneuvering through the first line of defense.
Snap-Down Redirect
Setup
W1 controls W2's head with a collar tie with his right arm. W1 also establishes wrist control with his left hand and arm (a).
Action
As W2 begins his attempt to penetrate W1, W1 snaps his head and elbows to the mat while sprawling back. Pressing his chest on W2's back, W1 drives W2's head to the mat, blocking W2's right arm (b). Finally, W1 spins around W2 for the takedown (c).
Coaching Point
When the wrestlers sprawl, stress the importance of sprawling on the toes and placing pressure on the opponent's back before spinning around.
Common Error
A common mistake is the attacker dropping to his knees rather than staying on his toes when snapping the opponent down.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Execute a perfect pancake takedown to dominate your opponents
Bill Welker’s pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years.
The Pancake Takedown Series
Bill Welker's pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years. However, many wrestlers have found it to be a very effective maneuver at the scholastic, collegiate, and international levels. Ironically, this series has been a part of wrestling for centuries. Why there has never been any detailed description of the various pancake takedowns is a puzzle. Even one of the best-selling contemporary wrestling books, Winning Wrestling Moves by Mark Mysnyk et al. (1994), barely broaches the topic of the pancake takedown series. The remainder of this chapter describes in detail the pancake takedown series and its significance in the sport of wrestling.
To begin with, you must fully understand that the pancake takedown is a technical maneuver, not a muscle move. In fact, you are often using your opponent's momentum to catch him off balance and take him to the mat. Furthermore, it's a takedown tactic that can score multiple points for your wrestler. Finally, the pancake takedown is a dynamic move for wrestlers of all shapes and sizes--lightweights, middleweights, and heavyweights.
During my competitive days, I successfully executed the pancake takedown in numerous matches. To be honest, I referred to it as my “element of surprise” takedown. Every great wrestler knows, first and foremost, he must perfect his single- and double-leg takedowns. They are the “bread and butter” takedowns in wrestling. But these same championship wrestlers also perfect a third takedown maneuver such as a duck-under, arm drag, fireman's carry, or shrug. The pancake takedown was my very effective surprise trick move in competition. With practice, it can be your wrestlers' third takedown as well.
Pre-Pancake Takedown Series Skills
Before teaching your wrestlers the various pancake takedowns, you must expose them to the skills necessary for properly executing this unique takedown.
1. Pancake-On-Knees Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct down-on-their-knees pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. Important note: After hitting the pancake, the top wrestler should always be perpendicular to the bottom wrestler. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
2. Standing Pancake Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct standing pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. The drill should be performed in groups so there is enough room, and the wrestlers aren't bumping into each other. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
3. Post-Pancake Pinning
After executing the pancake takedown, the wrestlers must correctly position themselves. When the bottom wrestler turns into them, the top wrestler should scissor his legs to the belly-down position on their toes, driving into his opponent (a). Should the bottom wrestler turn away from them, the top wrestler must scissor his legs to the belly-up position, sagging back on his hips (b). On the whistle, the bottom wrestler turns in, and the top wrestler scissors to the proper position. When the whistle is blown again, the bottom wrestler turns out, while the top wrestler readjusts to the correct position. This would be a 15- to 30-second whistle drill for each wrestler.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
The importance of and best way to use daily practice sessions
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day.
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day. Daily practices must evolve with the needs of the athletes participating in the program. For example, if you are working with young and inexperienced wrestlers, you will need to spend more time on the perfection of fundamental techniques. After that, you can begin to move on to more advanced wrestling skills.
Preseason Daily Practice Sessions
Many state high school associations designate dates when participating schools may begin organized wrestling practices. Because a six-week training period is considered ideal in preparing wrestlers for competitive action, it would be to your advantage to schedule dual meets and tournaments to allow for at least this amount of preseason practice time.
Preseason practices should start with conditioning activities and passive to semiactive drill work. In the first two weeks of practice, emphasis should be on preparing the wrestlers for wrestling.
Following are some examples of conditioning drills for strength, quickness, agility, endurance, flexibility, balance, and mental toughness that can be implemented during preseason practices:
- Strength: Big 10, weight-room lifting, and rope climbing.
- Quickness, agility, flexibility, and balance: Spin drill, stretching exercises, shadow wrestling (on feet and bottom), quickness and agility games, hip heist, and rope skipping.
- Endurance and mental toughness: stair running, Ironman drill, and LOBO round-up.
Always remember, if you begin active wrestling before the participants are properly conditioned, you may find yourself facing an abundance of injuries. Moreover, when you do begin all-out wrestling in practice, it would be wise to start with mat (or ground) wrestling and gradually work into active takedown wrestling.
This is also the time of year you will want to work on your wrestlers' fundamental skills, discuss rule changes, and review healthy weight-management practices. Keeping with this philosophy from the beginning of the year will make for a safer and more rewarding season.
In-Season Daily Practice Sessions
The last two weeks of preseason practice should resemble your in-season practice sessions. At this point in the year, you shouldn't teach any new moves; instead, stress the perfection of previously taught maneuvers via drills and active wrestling.
The wrestling workout session is the most important phase of practice for two reasons. First, it allows you the opportunity to observe the wrestlers more thoroughly and correct their weak areas. Second, it is the best conditioning activity for preparing your wrestlers for competitive action.
On days before dual meets or tournaments, practice should be very light so the wrestlers get sufficient rest for their matches. A few conditioning exercises and wrestling drills would be adequate. If the dual meet or tournament begins early the next day, a discussion period and pep talk would suffice.
Of course, those wrestlers with weight-management problems may have to do additional work. This would include endurance activities, such as rope skipping, interval running, or riding the stationary bike to make weight. However, they should be close to match weight the day before competition. They should spend this time thinking about their opponents and wrestling, not thinking about food and making weight. If a wrestler is constantly dwelling on weight problems, you must step in and sternly suggest that he move up a weight class for his own physical and psychological well-being.
At the start of practices that follow a dual meet or tournament, point out mistakes made by individual wrestlers. They may need to work on their bridging skills, in which case you would reteach the half nelson bridging counter with partner drill. Or if they had trouble countering the double-leg takedown, you might revisit the double-leg reaction counter drill.
On the flip side, don't forget to praise those team members who had superior performances.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Use specialized wrestling workouts to train for tough matches
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Specialized Wrestling Workouts
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Likewise, for a change of pace you will sometimes want to incorporate workouts that add variation to the traditional wrestling session. Chain wrestling, situation wrestling, round-robin wrestling, and blindfold wrestling are excellent alternatives described in the following pages.
Chain Wrestling
Too often in contemporary scholastic matches, the bottom wrestler will attempt to escape or reverse his opponent by using only one or two moves. If they don't work, his opponent ultimately ends up riding him. We seem to have forgotten a lost art—chain wrestling, a fast-paced bottom maneuver and top countermaneuver wrestling activity. After perfecting the moves and countermoves that follow, you can incorporate chain wrestling. The most common chain wrestling skills include the following multiple moves:
Standard Chain Wrestling Workout
Step 1 Sit-out to turn-in (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-in (top wrestler)
Step 2 Sit-out to turn-out (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-out (top wrestler)
Step 3 Switch (bottom wrestler)
Reswitch (top wrestler)
Step 4 Side roll (bottom wrestler)
Re-side roll (top wrestler)
Step 5 Granby roll (bottom wrestler)
Granby roll follow-through on head (top wrestler)
Step 6 Stand-up (bottom wrestler)
Back heel trip to mat (top wrestler)
Wrestlers repeat this chain wrestling process as many times as you instruct (usually three to five cycles) with wrestler W1 on the bottom. Then wrestler W2 would assume the bottom position, repeating the cycle the same number of times.
Of course, you may develop variations to this chain wrestling format to suit your particular mat wrestling concerns. No matter how you plan your chain wrestling activity, the key purpose of the workout is to train the bottom wrestler not to stop after one or two moves.
Another benefit of chain wrestling is that it teaches the top wrestler how to follow moves performed by the bottom wrestler. Likewise, it is a superb conditioning tool for workout sessions. You may even want to create a practice competition out of chain wrestling, timing the wrestlers to see which pair is fastest in completing the cycles.
In recent decades, coaches have placed so much emphasis on takedowns that many have ignored the importance of moving on the bottom. Chain wrestling is a snappy workout activity that doesn't take much practice time and leads to improved mat wrestling.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
How to use takedown counter drills to your advantage
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent’s initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score.
The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition.
Takedown Counter Drills
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent's initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score. This is best accomplished by keeping in good position with a proper center-of-gravity (hip) location. In other words, do not allow your opponent to feel comfortable in the neutral position when he attempts takedown maneuvers.
Keep in mind that the fundamentals must be taught first, including conventional sprawling drills, proper crossface techniques and hip-positioning drills, and whizzer-hip counter drills to double-leg attacks. Also, review all single-leg counter maneuvers when the attack wrestler has control of the leg on or off the mat. Wrestlers must master these basic drills before they learn the more advanced takedown counter drills.
The following drill sequence is set up to demonstrate the first line of defense drills, using the hands to prevent your opponent from penetrating to the legs. The second line of defense drills will illustrate techniques used when the opponent is able to penetrate to the legs or body by maneuvering through the first line of defense.
Snap-Down Redirect
Setup
W1 controls W2's head with a collar tie with his right arm. W1 also establishes wrist control with his left hand and arm (a).
Action
As W2 begins his attempt to penetrate W1, W1 snaps his head and elbows to the mat while sprawling back. Pressing his chest on W2's back, W1 drives W2's head to the mat, blocking W2's right arm (b). Finally, W1 spins around W2 for the takedown (c).
Coaching Point
When the wrestlers sprawl, stress the importance of sprawling on the toes and placing pressure on the opponent's back before spinning around.
Common Error
A common mistake is the attacker dropping to his knees rather than staying on his toes when snapping the opponent down.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Execute a perfect pancake takedown to dominate your opponents
Bill Welker’s pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years.
The Pancake Takedown Series
Bill Welker's pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years. However, many wrestlers have found it to be a very effective maneuver at the scholastic, collegiate, and international levels. Ironically, this series has been a part of wrestling for centuries. Why there has never been any detailed description of the various pancake takedowns is a puzzle. Even one of the best-selling contemporary wrestling books, Winning Wrestling Moves by Mark Mysnyk et al. (1994), barely broaches the topic of the pancake takedown series. The remainder of this chapter describes in detail the pancake takedown series and its significance in the sport of wrestling.
To begin with, you must fully understand that the pancake takedown is a technical maneuver, not a muscle move. In fact, you are often using your opponent's momentum to catch him off balance and take him to the mat. Furthermore, it's a takedown tactic that can score multiple points for your wrestler. Finally, the pancake takedown is a dynamic move for wrestlers of all shapes and sizes--lightweights, middleweights, and heavyweights.
During my competitive days, I successfully executed the pancake takedown in numerous matches. To be honest, I referred to it as my “element of surprise” takedown. Every great wrestler knows, first and foremost, he must perfect his single- and double-leg takedowns. They are the “bread and butter” takedowns in wrestling. But these same championship wrestlers also perfect a third takedown maneuver such as a duck-under, arm drag, fireman's carry, or shrug. The pancake takedown was my very effective surprise trick move in competition. With practice, it can be your wrestlers' third takedown as well.
Pre-Pancake Takedown Series Skills
Before teaching your wrestlers the various pancake takedowns, you must expose them to the skills necessary for properly executing this unique takedown.
1. Pancake-On-Knees Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct down-on-their-knees pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. Important note: After hitting the pancake, the top wrestler should always be perpendicular to the bottom wrestler. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
2. Standing Pancake Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct standing pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. The drill should be performed in groups so there is enough room, and the wrestlers aren't bumping into each other. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
3. Post-Pancake Pinning
After executing the pancake takedown, the wrestlers must correctly position themselves. When the bottom wrestler turns into them, the top wrestler should scissor his legs to the belly-down position on their toes, driving into his opponent (a). Should the bottom wrestler turn away from them, the top wrestler must scissor his legs to the belly-up position, sagging back on his hips (b). On the whistle, the bottom wrestler turns in, and the top wrestler scissors to the proper position. When the whistle is blown again, the bottom wrestler turns out, while the top wrestler readjusts to the correct position. This would be a 15- to 30-second whistle drill for each wrestler.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
The importance of and best way to use daily practice sessions
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day.
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day. Daily practices must evolve with the needs of the athletes participating in the program. For example, if you are working with young and inexperienced wrestlers, you will need to spend more time on the perfection of fundamental techniques. After that, you can begin to move on to more advanced wrestling skills.
Preseason Daily Practice Sessions
Many state high school associations designate dates when participating schools may begin organized wrestling practices. Because a six-week training period is considered ideal in preparing wrestlers for competitive action, it would be to your advantage to schedule dual meets and tournaments to allow for at least this amount of preseason practice time.
Preseason practices should start with conditioning activities and passive to semiactive drill work. In the first two weeks of practice, emphasis should be on preparing the wrestlers for wrestling.
Following are some examples of conditioning drills for strength, quickness, agility, endurance, flexibility, balance, and mental toughness that can be implemented during preseason practices:
- Strength: Big 10, weight-room lifting, and rope climbing.
- Quickness, agility, flexibility, and balance: Spin drill, stretching exercises, shadow wrestling (on feet and bottom), quickness and agility games, hip heist, and rope skipping.
- Endurance and mental toughness: stair running, Ironman drill, and LOBO round-up.
Always remember, if you begin active wrestling before the participants are properly conditioned, you may find yourself facing an abundance of injuries. Moreover, when you do begin all-out wrestling in practice, it would be wise to start with mat (or ground) wrestling and gradually work into active takedown wrestling.
This is also the time of year you will want to work on your wrestlers' fundamental skills, discuss rule changes, and review healthy weight-management practices. Keeping with this philosophy from the beginning of the year will make for a safer and more rewarding season.
In-Season Daily Practice Sessions
The last two weeks of preseason practice should resemble your in-season practice sessions. At this point in the year, you shouldn't teach any new moves; instead, stress the perfection of previously taught maneuvers via drills and active wrestling.
The wrestling workout session is the most important phase of practice for two reasons. First, it allows you the opportunity to observe the wrestlers more thoroughly and correct their weak areas. Second, it is the best conditioning activity for preparing your wrestlers for competitive action.
On days before dual meets or tournaments, practice should be very light so the wrestlers get sufficient rest for their matches. A few conditioning exercises and wrestling drills would be adequate. If the dual meet or tournament begins early the next day, a discussion period and pep talk would suffice.
Of course, those wrestlers with weight-management problems may have to do additional work. This would include endurance activities, such as rope skipping, interval running, or riding the stationary bike to make weight. However, they should be close to match weight the day before competition. They should spend this time thinking about their opponents and wrestling, not thinking about food and making weight. If a wrestler is constantly dwelling on weight problems, you must step in and sternly suggest that he move up a weight class for his own physical and psychological well-being.
At the start of practices that follow a dual meet or tournament, point out mistakes made by individual wrestlers. They may need to work on their bridging skills, in which case you would reteach the half nelson bridging counter with partner drill. Or if they had trouble countering the double-leg takedown, you might revisit the double-leg reaction counter drill.
On the flip side, don't forget to praise those team members who had superior performances.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Use specialized wrestling workouts to train for tough matches
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Specialized Wrestling Workouts
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Likewise, for a change of pace you will sometimes want to incorporate workouts that add variation to the traditional wrestling session. Chain wrestling, situation wrestling, round-robin wrestling, and blindfold wrestling are excellent alternatives described in the following pages.
Chain Wrestling
Too often in contemporary scholastic matches, the bottom wrestler will attempt to escape or reverse his opponent by using only one or two moves. If they don't work, his opponent ultimately ends up riding him. We seem to have forgotten a lost art—chain wrestling, a fast-paced bottom maneuver and top countermaneuver wrestling activity. After perfecting the moves and countermoves that follow, you can incorporate chain wrestling. The most common chain wrestling skills include the following multiple moves:
Standard Chain Wrestling Workout
Step 1 Sit-out to turn-in (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-in (top wrestler)
Step 2 Sit-out to turn-out (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-out (top wrestler)
Step 3 Switch (bottom wrestler)
Reswitch (top wrestler)
Step 4 Side roll (bottom wrestler)
Re-side roll (top wrestler)
Step 5 Granby roll (bottom wrestler)
Granby roll follow-through on head (top wrestler)
Step 6 Stand-up (bottom wrestler)
Back heel trip to mat (top wrestler)
Wrestlers repeat this chain wrestling process as many times as you instruct (usually three to five cycles) with wrestler W1 on the bottom. Then wrestler W2 would assume the bottom position, repeating the cycle the same number of times.
Of course, you may develop variations to this chain wrestling format to suit your particular mat wrestling concerns. No matter how you plan your chain wrestling activity, the key purpose of the workout is to train the bottom wrestler not to stop after one or two moves.
Another benefit of chain wrestling is that it teaches the top wrestler how to follow moves performed by the bottom wrestler. Likewise, it is a superb conditioning tool for workout sessions. You may even want to create a practice competition out of chain wrestling, timing the wrestlers to see which pair is fastest in completing the cycles.
In recent decades, coaches have placed so much emphasis on takedowns that many have ignored the importance of moving on the bottom. Chain wrestling is a snappy workout activity that doesn't take much practice time and leads to improved mat wrestling.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
How to use takedown counter drills to your advantage
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent’s initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score.
The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition.
Takedown Counter Drills
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent's initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score. This is best accomplished by keeping in good position with a proper center-of-gravity (hip) location. In other words, do not allow your opponent to feel comfortable in the neutral position when he attempts takedown maneuvers.
Keep in mind that the fundamentals must be taught first, including conventional sprawling drills, proper crossface techniques and hip-positioning drills, and whizzer-hip counter drills to double-leg attacks. Also, review all single-leg counter maneuvers when the attack wrestler has control of the leg on or off the mat. Wrestlers must master these basic drills before they learn the more advanced takedown counter drills.
The following drill sequence is set up to demonstrate the first line of defense drills, using the hands to prevent your opponent from penetrating to the legs. The second line of defense drills will illustrate techniques used when the opponent is able to penetrate to the legs or body by maneuvering through the first line of defense.
Snap-Down Redirect
Setup
W1 controls W2's head with a collar tie with his right arm. W1 also establishes wrist control with his left hand and arm (a).
Action
As W2 begins his attempt to penetrate W1, W1 snaps his head and elbows to the mat while sprawling back. Pressing his chest on W2's back, W1 drives W2's head to the mat, blocking W2's right arm (b). Finally, W1 spins around W2 for the takedown (c).
Coaching Point
When the wrestlers sprawl, stress the importance of sprawling on the toes and placing pressure on the opponent's back before spinning around.
Common Error
A common mistake is the attacker dropping to his knees rather than staying on his toes when snapping the opponent down.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Execute a perfect pancake takedown to dominate your opponents
Bill Welker’s pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years.
The Pancake Takedown Series
Bill Welker's pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years. However, many wrestlers have found it to be a very effective maneuver at the scholastic, collegiate, and international levels. Ironically, this series has been a part of wrestling for centuries. Why there has never been any detailed description of the various pancake takedowns is a puzzle. Even one of the best-selling contemporary wrestling books, Winning Wrestling Moves by Mark Mysnyk et al. (1994), barely broaches the topic of the pancake takedown series. The remainder of this chapter describes in detail the pancake takedown series and its significance in the sport of wrestling.
To begin with, you must fully understand that the pancake takedown is a technical maneuver, not a muscle move. In fact, you are often using your opponent's momentum to catch him off balance and take him to the mat. Furthermore, it's a takedown tactic that can score multiple points for your wrestler. Finally, the pancake takedown is a dynamic move for wrestlers of all shapes and sizes--lightweights, middleweights, and heavyweights.
During my competitive days, I successfully executed the pancake takedown in numerous matches. To be honest, I referred to it as my “element of surprise” takedown. Every great wrestler knows, first and foremost, he must perfect his single- and double-leg takedowns. They are the “bread and butter” takedowns in wrestling. But these same championship wrestlers also perfect a third takedown maneuver such as a duck-under, arm drag, fireman's carry, or shrug. The pancake takedown was my very effective surprise trick move in competition. With practice, it can be your wrestlers' third takedown as well.
Pre-Pancake Takedown Series Skills
Before teaching your wrestlers the various pancake takedowns, you must expose them to the skills necessary for properly executing this unique takedown.
1. Pancake-On-Knees Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct down-on-their-knees pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. Important note: After hitting the pancake, the top wrestler should always be perpendicular to the bottom wrestler. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
2. Standing Pancake Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct standing pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. The drill should be performed in groups so there is enough room, and the wrestlers aren't bumping into each other. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
3. Post-Pancake Pinning
After executing the pancake takedown, the wrestlers must correctly position themselves. When the bottom wrestler turns into them, the top wrestler should scissor his legs to the belly-down position on their toes, driving into his opponent (a). Should the bottom wrestler turn away from them, the top wrestler must scissor his legs to the belly-up position, sagging back on his hips (b). On the whistle, the bottom wrestler turns in, and the top wrestler scissors to the proper position. When the whistle is blown again, the bottom wrestler turns out, while the top wrestler readjusts to the correct position. This would be a 15- to 30-second whistle drill for each wrestler.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
The importance of and best way to use daily practice sessions
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day.
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day. Daily practices must evolve with the needs of the athletes participating in the program. For example, if you are working with young and inexperienced wrestlers, you will need to spend more time on the perfection of fundamental techniques. After that, you can begin to move on to more advanced wrestling skills.
Preseason Daily Practice Sessions
Many state high school associations designate dates when participating schools may begin organized wrestling practices. Because a six-week training period is considered ideal in preparing wrestlers for competitive action, it would be to your advantage to schedule dual meets and tournaments to allow for at least this amount of preseason practice time.
Preseason practices should start with conditioning activities and passive to semiactive drill work. In the first two weeks of practice, emphasis should be on preparing the wrestlers for wrestling.
Following are some examples of conditioning drills for strength, quickness, agility, endurance, flexibility, balance, and mental toughness that can be implemented during preseason practices:
- Strength: Big 10, weight-room lifting, and rope climbing.
- Quickness, agility, flexibility, and balance: Spin drill, stretching exercises, shadow wrestling (on feet and bottom), quickness and agility games, hip heist, and rope skipping.
- Endurance and mental toughness: stair running, Ironman drill, and LOBO round-up.
Always remember, if you begin active wrestling before the participants are properly conditioned, you may find yourself facing an abundance of injuries. Moreover, when you do begin all-out wrestling in practice, it would be wise to start with mat (or ground) wrestling and gradually work into active takedown wrestling.
This is also the time of year you will want to work on your wrestlers' fundamental skills, discuss rule changes, and review healthy weight-management practices. Keeping with this philosophy from the beginning of the year will make for a safer and more rewarding season.
In-Season Daily Practice Sessions
The last two weeks of preseason practice should resemble your in-season practice sessions. At this point in the year, you shouldn't teach any new moves; instead, stress the perfection of previously taught maneuvers via drills and active wrestling.
The wrestling workout session is the most important phase of practice for two reasons. First, it allows you the opportunity to observe the wrestlers more thoroughly and correct their weak areas. Second, it is the best conditioning activity for preparing your wrestlers for competitive action.
On days before dual meets or tournaments, practice should be very light so the wrestlers get sufficient rest for their matches. A few conditioning exercises and wrestling drills would be adequate. If the dual meet or tournament begins early the next day, a discussion period and pep talk would suffice.
Of course, those wrestlers with weight-management problems may have to do additional work. This would include endurance activities, such as rope skipping, interval running, or riding the stationary bike to make weight. However, they should be close to match weight the day before competition. They should spend this time thinking about their opponents and wrestling, not thinking about food and making weight. If a wrestler is constantly dwelling on weight problems, you must step in and sternly suggest that he move up a weight class for his own physical and psychological well-being.
At the start of practices that follow a dual meet or tournament, point out mistakes made by individual wrestlers. They may need to work on their bridging skills, in which case you would reteach the half nelson bridging counter with partner drill. Or if they had trouble countering the double-leg takedown, you might revisit the double-leg reaction counter drill.
On the flip side, don't forget to praise those team members who had superior performances.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Use specialized wrestling workouts to train for tough matches
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Specialized Wrestling Workouts
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Likewise, for a change of pace you will sometimes want to incorporate workouts that add variation to the traditional wrestling session. Chain wrestling, situation wrestling, round-robin wrestling, and blindfold wrestling are excellent alternatives described in the following pages.
Chain Wrestling
Too often in contemporary scholastic matches, the bottom wrestler will attempt to escape or reverse his opponent by using only one or two moves. If they don't work, his opponent ultimately ends up riding him. We seem to have forgotten a lost art—chain wrestling, a fast-paced bottom maneuver and top countermaneuver wrestling activity. After perfecting the moves and countermoves that follow, you can incorporate chain wrestling. The most common chain wrestling skills include the following multiple moves:
Standard Chain Wrestling Workout
Step 1 Sit-out to turn-in (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-in (top wrestler)
Step 2 Sit-out to turn-out (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-out (top wrestler)
Step 3 Switch (bottom wrestler)
Reswitch (top wrestler)
Step 4 Side roll (bottom wrestler)
Re-side roll (top wrestler)
Step 5 Granby roll (bottom wrestler)
Granby roll follow-through on head (top wrestler)
Step 6 Stand-up (bottom wrestler)
Back heel trip to mat (top wrestler)
Wrestlers repeat this chain wrestling process as many times as you instruct (usually three to five cycles) with wrestler W1 on the bottom. Then wrestler W2 would assume the bottom position, repeating the cycle the same number of times.
Of course, you may develop variations to this chain wrestling format to suit your particular mat wrestling concerns. No matter how you plan your chain wrestling activity, the key purpose of the workout is to train the bottom wrestler not to stop after one or two moves.
Another benefit of chain wrestling is that it teaches the top wrestler how to follow moves performed by the bottom wrestler. Likewise, it is a superb conditioning tool for workout sessions. You may even want to create a practice competition out of chain wrestling, timing the wrestlers to see which pair is fastest in completing the cycles.
In recent decades, coaches have placed so much emphasis on takedowns that many have ignored the importance of moving on the bottom. Chain wrestling is a snappy workout activity that doesn't take much practice time and leads to improved mat wrestling.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
How to use takedown counter drills to your advantage
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent’s initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score.
The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition.
Takedown Counter Drills
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent's initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score. This is best accomplished by keeping in good position with a proper center-of-gravity (hip) location. In other words, do not allow your opponent to feel comfortable in the neutral position when he attempts takedown maneuvers.
Keep in mind that the fundamentals must be taught first, including conventional sprawling drills, proper crossface techniques and hip-positioning drills, and whizzer-hip counter drills to double-leg attacks. Also, review all single-leg counter maneuvers when the attack wrestler has control of the leg on or off the mat. Wrestlers must master these basic drills before they learn the more advanced takedown counter drills.
The following drill sequence is set up to demonstrate the first line of defense drills, using the hands to prevent your opponent from penetrating to the legs. The second line of defense drills will illustrate techniques used when the opponent is able to penetrate to the legs or body by maneuvering through the first line of defense.
Snap-Down Redirect
Setup
W1 controls W2's head with a collar tie with his right arm. W1 also establishes wrist control with his left hand and arm (a).
Action
As W2 begins his attempt to penetrate W1, W1 snaps his head and elbows to the mat while sprawling back. Pressing his chest on W2's back, W1 drives W2's head to the mat, blocking W2's right arm (b). Finally, W1 spins around W2 for the takedown (c).
Coaching Point
When the wrestlers sprawl, stress the importance of sprawling on the toes and placing pressure on the opponent's back before spinning around.
Common Error
A common mistake is the attacker dropping to his knees rather than staying on his toes when snapping the opponent down.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Execute a perfect pancake takedown to dominate your opponents
Bill Welker’s pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years.
The Pancake Takedown Series
Bill Welker's pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years. However, many wrestlers have found it to be a very effective maneuver at the scholastic, collegiate, and international levels. Ironically, this series has been a part of wrestling for centuries. Why there has never been any detailed description of the various pancake takedowns is a puzzle. Even one of the best-selling contemporary wrestling books, Winning Wrestling Moves by Mark Mysnyk et al. (1994), barely broaches the topic of the pancake takedown series. The remainder of this chapter describes in detail the pancake takedown series and its significance in the sport of wrestling.
To begin with, you must fully understand that the pancake takedown is a technical maneuver, not a muscle move. In fact, you are often using your opponent's momentum to catch him off balance and take him to the mat. Furthermore, it's a takedown tactic that can score multiple points for your wrestler. Finally, the pancake takedown is a dynamic move for wrestlers of all shapes and sizes--lightweights, middleweights, and heavyweights.
During my competitive days, I successfully executed the pancake takedown in numerous matches. To be honest, I referred to it as my “element of surprise” takedown. Every great wrestler knows, first and foremost, he must perfect his single- and double-leg takedowns. They are the “bread and butter” takedowns in wrestling. But these same championship wrestlers also perfect a third takedown maneuver such as a duck-under, arm drag, fireman's carry, or shrug. The pancake takedown was my very effective surprise trick move in competition. With practice, it can be your wrestlers' third takedown as well.
Pre-Pancake Takedown Series Skills
Before teaching your wrestlers the various pancake takedowns, you must expose them to the skills necessary for properly executing this unique takedown.
1. Pancake-On-Knees Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct down-on-their-knees pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. Important note: After hitting the pancake, the top wrestler should always be perpendicular to the bottom wrestler. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
2. Standing Pancake Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct standing pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. The drill should be performed in groups so there is enough room, and the wrestlers aren't bumping into each other. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
3. Post-Pancake Pinning
After executing the pancake takedown, the wrestlers must correctly position themselves. When the bottom wrestler turns into them, the top wrestler should scissor his legs to the belly-down position on their toes, driving into his opponent (a). Should the bottom wrestler turn away from them, the top wrestler must scissor his legs to the belly-up position, sagging back on his hips (b). On the whistle, the bottom wrestler turns in, and the top wrestler scissors to the proper position. When the whistle is blown again, the bottom wrestler turns out, while the top wrestler readjusts to the correct position. This would be a 15- to 30-second whistle drill for each wrestler.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
The importance of and best way to use daily practice sessions
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day.
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day. Daily practices must evolve with the needs of the athletes participating in the program. For example, if you are working with young and inexperienced wrestlers, you will need to spend more time on the perfection of fundamental techniques. After that, you can begin to move on to more advanced wrestling skills.
Preseason Daily Practice Sessions
Many state high school associations designate dates when participating schools may begin organized wrestling practices. Because a six-week training period is considered ideal in preparing wrestlers for competitive action, it would be to your advantage to schedule dual meets and tournaments to allow for at least this amount of preseason practice time.
Preseason practices should start with conditioning activities and passive to semiactive drill work. In the first two weeks of practice, emphasis should be on preparing the wrestlers for wrestling.
Following are some examples of conditioning drills for strength, quickness, agility, endurance, flexibility, balance, and mental toughness that can be implemented during preseason practices:
- Strength: Big 10, weight-room lifting, and rope climbing.
- Quickness, agility, flexibility, and balance: Spin drill, stretching exercises, shadow wrestling (on feet and bottom), quickness and agility games, hip heist, and rope skipping.
- Endurance and mental toughness: stair running, Ironman drill, and LOBO round-up.
Always remember, if you begin active wrestling before the participants are properly conditioned, you may find yourself facing an abundance of injuries. Moreover, when you do begin all-out wrestling in practice, it would be wise to start with mat (or ground) wrestling and gradually work into active takedown wrestling.
This is also the time of year you will want to work on your wrestlers' fundamental skills, discuss rule changes, and review healthy weight-management practices. Keeping with this philosophy from the beginning of the year will make for a safer and more rewarding season.
In-Season Daily Practice Sessions
The last two weeks of preseason practice should resemble your in-season practice sessions. At this point in the year, you shouldn't teach any new moves; instead, stress the perfection of previously taught maneuvers via drills and active wrestling.
The wrestling workout session is the most important phase of practice for two reasons. First, it allows you the opportunity to observe the wrestlers more thoroughly and correct their weak areas. Second, it is the best conditioning activity for preparing your wrestlers for competitive action.
On days before dual meets or tournaments, practice should be very light so the wrestlers get sufficient rest for their matches. A few conditioning exercises and wrestling drills would be adequate. If the dual meet or tournament begins early the next day, a discussion period and pep talk would suffice.
Of course, those wrestlers with weight-management problems may have to do additional work. This would include endurance activities, such as rope skipping, interval running, or riding the stationary bike to make weight. However, they should be close to match weight the day before competition. They should spend this time thinking about their opponents and wrestling, not thinking about food and making weight. If a wrestler is constantly dwelling on weight problems, you must step in and sternly suggest that he move up a weight class for his own physical and psychological well-being.
At the start of practices that follow a dual meet or tournament, point out mistakes made by individual wrestlers. They may need to work on their bridging skills, in which case you would reteach the half nelson bridging counter with partner drill. Or if they had trouble countering the double-leg takedown, you might revisit the double-leg reaction counter drill.
On the flip side, don't forget to praise those team members who had superior performances.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Use specialized wrestling workouts to train for tough matches
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Specialized Wrestling Workouts
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Likewise, for a change of pace you will sometimes want to incorporate workouts that add variation to the traditional wrestling session. Chain wrestling, situation wrestling, round-robin wrestling, and blindfold wrestling are excellent alternatives described in the following pages.
Chain Wrestling
Too often in contemporary scholastic matches, the bottom wrestler will attempt to escape or reverse his opponent by using only one or two moves. If they don't work, his opponent ultimately ends up riding him. We seem to have forgotten a lost art—chain wrestling, a fast-paced bottom maneuver and top countermaneuver wrestling activity. After perfecting the moves and countermoves that follow, you can incorporate chain wrestling. The most common chain wrestling skills include the following multiple moves:
Standard Chain Wrestling Workout
Step 1 Sit-out to turn-in (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-in (top wrestler)
Step 2 Sit-out to turn-out (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-out (top wrestler)
Step 3 Switch (bottom wrestler)
Reswitch (top wrestler)
Step 4 Side roll (bottom wrestler)
Re-side roll (top wrestler)
Step 5 Granby roll (bottom wrestler)
Granby roll follow-through on head (top wrestler)
Step 6 Stand-up (bottom wrestler)
Back heel trip to mat (top wrestler)
Wrestlers repeat this chain wrestling process as many times as you instruct (usually three to five cycles) with wrestler W1 on the bottom. Then wrestler W2 would assume the bottom position, repeating the cycle the same number of times.
Of course, you may develop variations to this chain wrestling format to suit your particular mat wrestling concerns. No matter how you plan your chain wrestling activity, the key purpose of the workout is to train the bottom wrestler not to stop after one or two moves.
Another benefit of chain wrestling is that it teaches the top wrestler how to follow moves performed by the bottom wrestler. Likewise, it is a superb conditioning tool for workout sessions. You may even want to create a practice competition out of chain wrestling, timing the wrestlers to see which pair is fastest in completing the cycles.
In recent decades, coaches have placed so much emphasis on takedowns that many have ignored the importance of moving on the bottom. Chain wrestling is a snappy workout activity that doesn't take much practice time and leads to improved mat wrestling.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
How to use takedown counter drills to your advantage
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent’s initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score.
The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition.
Takedown Counter Drills
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent's initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score. This is best accomplished by keeping in good position with a proper center-of-gravity (hip) location. In other words, do not allow your opponent to feel comfortable in the neutral position when he attempts takedown maneuvers.
Keep in mind that the fundamentals must be taught first, including conventional sprawling drills, proper crossface techniques and hip-positioning drills, and whizzer-hip counter drills to double-leg attacks. Also, review all single-leg counter maneuvers when the attack wrestler has control of the leg on or off the mat. Wrestlers must master these basic drills before they learn the more advanced takedown counter drills.
The following drill sequence is set up to demonstrate the first line of defense drills, using the hands to prevent your opponent from penetrating to the legs. The second line of defense drills will illustrate techniques used when the opponent is able to penetrate to the legs or body by maneuvering through the first line of defense.
Snap-Down Redirect
Setup
W1 controls W2's head with a collar tie with his right arm. W1 also establishes wrist control with his left hand and arm (a).
Action
As W2 begins his attempt to penetrate W1, W1 snaps his head and elbows to the mat while sprawling back. Pressing his chest on W2's back, W1 drives W2's head to the mat, blocking W2's right arm (b). Finally, W1 spins around W2 for the takedown (c).
Coaching Point
When the wrestlers sprawl, stress the importance of sprawling on the toes and placing pressure on the opponent's back before spinning around.
Common Error
A common mistake is the attacker dropping to his knees rather than staying on his toes when snapping the opponent down.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Execute a perfect pancake takedown to dominate your opponents
Bill Welker’s pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years.
The Pancake Takedown Series
Bill Welker's pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years. However, many wrestlers have found it to be a very effective maneuver at the scholastic, collegiate, and international levels. Ironically, this series has been a part of wrestling for centuries. Why there has never been any detailed description of the various pancake takedowns is a puzzle. Even one of the best-selling contemporary wrestling books, Winning Wrestling Moves by Mark Mysnyk et al. (1994), barely broaches the topic of the pancake takedown series. The remainder of this chapter describes in detail the pancake takedown series and its significance in the sport of wrestling.
To begin with, you must fully understand that the pancake takedown is a technical maneuver, not a muscle move. In fact, you are often using your opponent's momentum to catch him off balance and take him to the mat. Furthermore, it's a takedown tactic that can score multiple points for your wrestler. Finally, the pancake takedown is a dynamic move for wrestlers of all shapes and sizes--lightweights, middleweights, and heavyweights.
During my competitive days, I successfully executed the pancake takedown in numerous matches. To be honest, I referred to it as my “element of surprise” takedown. Every great wrestler knows, first and foremost, he must perfect his single- and double-leg takedowns. They are the “bread and butter” takedowns in wrestling. But these same championship wrestlers also perfect a third takedown maneuver such as a duck-under, arm drag, fireman's carry, or shrug. The pancake takedown was my very effective surprise trick move in competition. With practice, it can be your wrestlers' third takedown as well.
Pre-Pancake Takedown Series Skills
Before teaching your wrestlers the various pancake takedowns, you must expose them to the skills necessary for properly executing this unique takedown.
1. Pancake-On-Knees Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct down-on-their-knees pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. Important note: After hitting the pancake, the top wrestler should always be perpendicular to the bottom wrestler. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
2. Standing Pancake Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct standing pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. The drill should be performed in groups so there is enough room, and the wrestlers aren't bumping into each other. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
3. Post-Pancake Pinning
After executing the pancake takedown, the wrestlers must correctly position themselves. When the bottom wrestler turns into them, the top wrestler should scissor his legs to the belly-down position on their toes, driving into his opponent (a). Should the bottom wrestler turn away from them, the top wrestler must scissor his legs to the belly-up position, sagging back on his hips (b). On the whistle, the bottom wrestler turns in, and the top wrestler scissors to the proper position. When the whistle is blown again, the bottom wrestler turns out, while the top wrestler readjusts to the correct position. This would be a 15- to 30-second whistle drill for each wrestler.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
The importance of and best way to use daily practice sessions
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day.
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day. Daily practices must evolve with the needs of the athletes participating in the program. For example, if you are working with young and inexperienced wrestlers, you will need to spend more time on the perfection of fundamental techniques. After that, you can begin to move on to more advanced wrestling skills.
Preseason Daily Practice Sessions
Many state high school associations designate dates when participating schools may begin organized wrestling practices. Because a six-week training period is considered ideal in preparing wrestlers for competitive action, it would be to your advantage to schedule dual meets and tournaments to allow for at least this amount of preseason practice time.
Preseason practices should start with conditioning activities and passive to semiactive drill work. In the first two weeks of practice, emphasis should be on preparing the wrestlers for wrestling.
Following are some examples of conditioning drills for strength, quickness, agility, endurance, flexibility, balance, and mental toughness that can be implemented during preseason practices:
- Strength: Big 10, weight-room lifting, and rope climbing.
- Quickness, agility, flexibility, and balance: Spin drill, stretching exercises, shadow wrestling (on feet and bottom), quickness and agility games, hip heist, and rope skipping.
- Endurance and mental toughness: stair running, Ironman drill, and LOBO round-up.
Always remember, if you begin active wrestling before the participants are properly conditioned, you may find yourself facing an abundance of injuries. Moreover, when you do begin all-out wrestling in practice, it would be wise to start with mat (or ground) wrestling and gradually work into active takedown wrestling.
This is also the time of year you will want to work on your wrestlers' fundamental skills, discuss rule changes, and review healthy weight-management practices. Keeping with this philosophy from the beginning of the year will make for a safer and more rewarding season.
In-Season Daily Practice Sessions
The last two weeks of preseason practice should resemble your in-season practice sessions. At this point in the year, you shouldn't teach any new moves; instead, stress the perfection of previously taught maneuvers via drills and active wrestling.
The wrestling workout session is the most important phase of practice for two reasons. First, it allows you the opportunity to observe the wrestlers more thoroughly and correct their weak areas. Second, it is the best conditioning activity for preparing your wrestlers for competitive action.
On days before dual meets or tournaments, practice should be very light so the wrestlers get sufficient rest for their matches. A few conditioning exercises and wrestling drills would be adequate. If the dual meet or tournament begins early the next day, a discussion period and pep talk would suffice.
Of course, those wrestlers with weight-management problems may have to do additional work. This would include endurance activities, such as rope skipping, interval running, or riding the stationary bike to make weight. However, they should be close to match weight the day before competition. They should spend this time thinking about their opponents and wrestling, not thinking about food and making weight. If a wrestler is constantly dwelling on weight problems, you must step in and sternly suggest that he move up a weight class for his own physical and psychological well-being.
At the start of practices that follow a dual meet or tournament, point out mistakes made by individual wrestlers. They may need to work on their bridging skills, in which case you would reteach the half nelson bridging counter with partner drill. Or if they had trouble countering the double-leg takedown, you might revisit the double-leg reaction counter drill.
On the flip side, don't forget to praise those team members who had superior performances.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Use specialized wrestling workouts to train for tough matches
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Specialized Wrestling Workouts
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Likewise, for a change of pace you will sometimes want to incorporate workouts that add variation to the traditional wrestling session. Chain wrestling, situation wrestling, round-robin wrestling, and blindfold wrestling are excellent alternatives described in the following pages.
Chain Wrestling
Too often in contemporary scholastic matches, the bottom wrestler will attempt to escape or reverse his opponent by using only one or two moves. If they don't work, his opponent ultimately ends up riding him. We seem to have forgotten a lost art—chain wrestling, a fast-paced bottom maneuver and top countermaneuver wrestling activity. After perfecting the moves and countermoves that follow, you can incorporate chain wrestling. The most common chain wrestling skills include the following multiple moves:
Standard Chain Wrestling Workout
Step 1 Sit-out to turn-in (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-in (top wrestler)
Step 2 Sit-out to turn-out (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-out (top wrestler)
Step 3 Switch (bottom wrestler)
Reswitch (top wrestler)
Step 4 Side roll (bottom wrestler)
Re-side roll (top wrestler)
Step 5 Granby roll (bottom wrestler)
Granby roll follow-through on head (top wrestler)
Step 6 Stand-up (bottom wrestler)
Back heel trip to mat (top wrestler)
Wrestlers repeat this chain wrestling process as many times as you instruct (usually three to five cycles) with wrestler W1 on the bottom. Then wrestler W2 would assume the bottom position, repeating the cycle the same number of times.
Of course, you may develop variations to this chain wrestling format to suit your particular mat wrestling concerns. No matter how you plan your chain wrestling activity, the key purpose of the workout is to train the bottom wrestler not to stop after one or two moves.
Another benefit of chain wrestling is that it teaches the top wrestler how to follow moves performed by the bottom wrestler. Likewise, it is a superb conditioning tool for workout sessions. You may even want to create a practice competition out of chain wrestling, timing the wrestlers to see which pair is fastest in completing the cycles.
In recent decades, coaches have placed so much emphasis on takedowns that many have ignored the importance of moving on the bottom. Chain wrestling is a snappy workout activity that doesn't take much practice time and leads to improved mat wrestling.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
How to use takedown counter drills to your advantage
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent’s initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score.
The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition.
Takedown Counter Drills
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent's initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score. This is best accomplished by keeping in good position with a proper center-of-gravity (hip) location. In other words, do not allow your opponent to feel comfortable in the neutral position when he attempts takedown maneuvers.
Keep in mind that the fundamentals must be taught first, including conventional sprawling drills, proper crossface techniques and hip-positioning drills, and whizzer-hip counter drills to double-leg attacks. Also, review all single-leg counter maneuvers when the attack wrestler has control of the leg on or off the mat. Wrestlers must master these basic drills before they learn the more advanced takedown counter drills.
The following drill sequence is set up to demonstrate the first line of defense drills, using the hands to prevent your opponent from penetrating to the legs. The second line of defense drills will illustrate techniques used when the opponent is able to penetrate to the legs or body by maneuvering through the first line of defense.
Snap-Down Redirect
Setup
W1 controls W2's head with a collar tie with his right arm. W1 also establishes wrist control with his left hand and arm (a).
Action
As W2 begins his attempt to penetrate W1, W1 snaps his head and elbows to the mat while sprawling back. Pressing his chest on W2's back, W1 drives W2's head to the mat, blocking W2's right arm (b). Finally, W1 spins around W2 for the takedown (c).
Coaching Point
When the wrestlers sprawl, stress the importance of sprawling on the toes and placing pressure on the opponent's back before spinning around.
Common Error
A common mistake is the attacker dropping to his knees rather than staying on his toes when snapping the opponent down.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Execute a perfect pancake takedown to dominate your opponents
Bill Welker’s pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years.
The Pancake Takedown Series
Bill Welker's pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years. However, many wrestlers have found it to be a very effective maneuver at the scholastic, collegiate, and international levels. Ironically, this series has been a part of wrestling for centuries. Why there has never been any detailed description of the various pancake takedowns is a puzzle. Even one of the best-selling contemporary wrestling books, Winning Wrestling Moves by Mark Mysnyk et al. (1994), barely broaches the topic of the pancake takedown series. The remainder of this chapter describes in detail the pancake takedown series and its significance in the sport of wrestling.
To begin with, you must fully understand that the pancake takedown is a technical maneuver, not a muscle move. In fact, you are often using your opponent's momentum to catch him off balance and take him to the mat. Furthermore, it's a takedown tactic that can score multiple points for your wrestler. Finally, the pancake takedown is a dynamic move for wrestlers of all shapes and sizes--lightweights, middleweights, and heavyweights.
During my competitive days, I successfully executed the pancake takedown in numerous matches. To be honest, I referred to it as my “element of surprise” takedown. Every great wrestler knows, first and foremost, he must perfect his single- and double-leg takedowns. They are the “bread and butter” takedowns in wrestling. But these same championship wrestlers also perfect a third takedown maneuver such as a duck-under, arm drag, fireman's carry, or shrug. The pancake takedown was my very effective surprise trick move in competition. With practice, it can be your wrestlers' third takedown as well.
Pre-Pancake Takedown Series Skills
Before teaching your wrestlers the various pancake takedowns, you must expose them to the skills necessary for properly executing this unique takedown.
1. Pancake-On-Knees Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct down-on-their-knees pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. Important note: After hitting the pancake, the top wrestler should always be perpendicular to the bottom wrestler. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
2. Standing Pancake Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct standing pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. The drill should be performed in groups so there is enough room, and the wrestlers aren't bumping into each other. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
3. Post-Pancake Pinning
After executing the pancake takedown, the wrestlers must correctly position themselves. When the bottom wrestler turns into them, the top wrestler should scissor his legs to the belly-down position on their toes, driving into his opponent (a). Should the bottom wrestler turn away from them, the top wrestler must scissor his legs to the belly-up position, sagging back on his hips (b). On the whistle, the bottom wrestler turns in, and the top wrestler scissors to the proper position. When the whistle is blown again, the bottom wrestler turns out, while the top wrestler readjusts to the correct position. This would be a 15- to 30-second whistle drill for each wrestler.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
The importance of and best way to use daily practice sessions
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day.
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day. Daily practices must evolve with the needs of the athletes participating in the program. For example, if you are working with young and inexperienced wrestlers, you will need to spend more time on the perfection of fundamental techniques. After that, you can begin to move on to more advanced wrestling skills.
Preseason Daily Practice Sessions
Many state high school associations designate dates when participating schools may begin organized wrestling practices. Because a six-week training period is considered ideal in preparing wrestlers for competitive action, it would be to your advantage to schedule dual meets and tournaments to allow for at least this amount of preseason practice time.
Preseason practices should start with conditioning activities and passive to semiactive drill work. In the first two weeks of practice, emphasis should be on preparing the wrestlers for wrestling.
Following are some examples of conditioning drills for strength, quickness, agility, endurance, flexibility, balance, and mental toughness that can be implemented during preseason practices:
- Strength: Big 10, weight-room lifting, and rope climbing.
- Quickness, agility, flexibility, and balance: Spin drill, stretching exercises, shadow wrestling (on feet and bottom), quickness and agility games, hip heist, and rope skipping.
- Endurance and mental toughness: stair running, Ironman drill, and LOBO round-up.
Always remember, if you begin active wrestling before the participants are properly conditioned, you may find yourself facing an abundance of injuries. Moreover, when you do begin all-out wrestling in practice, it would be wise to start with mat (or ground) wrestling and gradually work into active takedown wrestling.
This is also the time of year you will want to work on your wrestlers' fundamental skills, discuss rule changes, and review healthy weight-management practices. Keeping with this philosophy from the beginning of the year will make for a safer and more rewarding season.
In-Season Daily Practice Sessions
The last two weeks of preseason practice should resemble your in-season practice sessions. At this point in the year, you shouldn't teach any new moves; instead, stress the perfection of previously taught maneuvers via drills and active wrestling.
The wrestling workout session is the most important phase of practice for two reasons. First, it allows you the opportunity to observe the wrestlers more thoroughly and correct their weak areas. Second, it is the best conditioning activity for preparing your wrestlers for competitive action.
On days before dual meets or tournaments, practice should be very light so the wrestlers get sufficient rest for their matches. A few conditioning exercises and wrestling drills would be adequate. If the dual meet or tournament begins early the next day, a discussion period and pep talk would suffice.
Of course, those wrestlers with weight-management problems may have to do additional work. This would include endurance activities, such as rope skipping, interval running, or riding the stationary bike to make weight. However, they should be close to match weight the day before competition. They should spend this time thinking about their opponents and wrestling, not thinking about food and making weight. If a wrestler is constantly dwelling on weight problems, you must step in and sternly suggest that he move up a weight class for his own physical and psychological well-being.
At the start of practices that follow a dual meet or tournament, point out mistakes made by individual wrestlers. They may need to work on their bridging skills, in which case you would reteach the half nelson bridging counter with partner drill. Or if they had trouble countering the double-leg takedown, you might revisit the double-leg reaction counter drill.
On the flip side, don't forget to praise those team members who had superior performances.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Use specialized wrestling workouts to train for tough matches
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Specialized Wrestling Workouts
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Likewise, for a change of pace you will sometimes want to incorporate workouts that add variation to the traditional wrestling session. Chain wrestling, situation wrestling, round-robin wrestling, and blindfold wrestling are excellent alternatives described in the following pages.
Chain Wrestling
Too often in contemporary scholastic matches, the bottom wrestler will attempt to escape or reverse his opponent by using only one or two moves. If they don't work, his opponent ultimately ends up riding him. We seem to have forgotten a lost art—chain wrestling, a fast-paced bottom maneuver and top countermaneuver wrestling activity. After perfecting the moves and countermoves that follow, you can incorporate chain wrestling. The most common chain wrestling skills include the following multiple moves:
Standard Chain Wrestling Workout
Step 1 Sit-out to turn-in (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-in (top wrestler)
Step 2 Sit-out to turn-out (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-out (top wrestler)
Step 3 Switch (bottom wrestler)
Reswitch (top wrestler)
Step 4 Side roll (bottom wrestler)
Re-side roll (top wrestler)
Step 5 Granby roll (bottom wrestler)
Granby roll follow-through on head (top wrestler)
Step 6 Stand-up (bottom wrestler)
Back heel trip to mat (top wrestler)
Wrestlers repeat this chain wrestling process as many times as you instruct (usually three to five cycles) with wrestler W1 on the bottom. Then wrestler W2 would assume the bottom position, repeating the cycle the same number of times.
Of course, you may develop variations to this chain wrestling format to suit your particular mat wrestling concerns. No matter how you plan your chain wrestling activity, the key purpose of the workout is to train the bottom wrestler not to stop after one or two moves.
Another benefit of chain wrestling is that it teaches the top wrestler how to follow moves performed by the bottom wrestler. Likewise, it is a superb conditioning tool for workout sessions. You may even want to create a practice competition out of chain wrestling, timing the wrestlers to see which pair is fastest in completing the cycles.
In recent decades, coaches have placed so much emphasis on takedowns that many have ignored the importance of moving on the bottom. Chain wrestling is a snappy workout activity that doesn't take much practice time and leads to improved mat wrestling.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
How to use takedown counter drills to your advantage
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent’s initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score.
The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition.
Takedown Counter Drills
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent's initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score. This is best accomplished by keeping in good position with a proper center-of-gravity (hip) location. In other words, do not allow your opponent to feel comfortable in the neutral position when he attempts takedown maneuvers.
Keep in mind that the fundamentals must be taught first, including conventional sprawling drills, proper crossface techniques and hip-positioning drills, and whizzer-hip counter drills to double-leg attacks. Also, review all single-leg counter maneuvers when the attack wrestler has control of the leg on or off the mat. Wrestlers must master these basic drills before they learn the more advanced takedown counter drills.
The following drill sequence is set up to demonstrate the first line of defense drills, using the hands to prevent your opponent from penetrating to the legs. The second line of defense drills will illustrate techniques used when the opponent is able to penetrate to the legs or body by maneuvering through the first line of defense.
Snap-Down Redirect
Setup
W1 controls W2's head with a collar tie with his right arm. W1 also establishes wrist control with his left hand and arm (a).
Action
As W2 begins his attempt to penetrate W1, W1 snaps his head and elbows to the mat while sprawling back. Pressing his chest on W2's back, W1 drives W2's head to the mat, blocking W2's right arm (b). Finally, W1 spins around W2 for the takedown (c).
Coaching Point
When the wrestlers sprawl, stress the importance of sprawling on the toes and placing pressure on the opponent's back before spinning around.
Common Error
A common mistake is the attacker dropping to his knees rather than staying on his toes when snapping the opponent down.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Execute a perfect pancake takedown to dominate your opponents
Bill Welker’s pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years.
The Pancake Takedown Series
Bill Welker's pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years. However, many wrestlers have found it to be a very effective maneuver at the scholastic, collegiate, and international levels. Ironically, this series has been a part of wrestling for centuries. Why there has never been any detailed description of the various pancake takedowns is a puzzle. Even one of the best-selling contemporary wrestling books, Winning Wrestling Moves by Mark Mysnyk et al. (1994), barely broaches the topic of the pancake takedown series. The remainder of this chapter describes in detail the pancake takedown series and its significance in the sport of wrestling.
To begin with, you must fully understand that the pancake takedown is a technical maneuver, not a muscle move. In fact, you are often using your opponent's momentum to catch him off balance and take him to the mat. Furthermore, it's a takedown tactic that can score multiple points for your wrestler. Finally, the pancake takedown is a dynamic move for wrestlers of all shapes and sizes--lightweights, middleweights, and heavyweights.
During my competitive days, I successfully executed the pancake takedown in numerous matches. To be honest, I referred to it as my “element of surprise” takedown. Every great wrestler knows, first and foremost, he must perfect his single- and double-leg takedowns. They are the “bread and butter” takedowns in wrestling. But these same championship wrestlers also perfect a third takedown maneuver such as a duck-under, arm drag, fireman's carry, or shrug. The pancake takedown was my very effective surprise trick move in competition. With practice, it can be your wrestlers' third takedown as well.
Pre-Pancake Takedown Series Skills
Before teaching your wrestlers the various pancake takedowns, you must expose them to the skills necessary for properly executing this unique takedown.
1. Pancake-On-Knees Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct down-on-their-knees pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. Important note: After hitting the pancake, the top wrestler should always be perpendicular to the bottom wrestler. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
2. Standing Pancake Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct standing pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. The drill should be performed in groups so there is enough room, and the wrestlers aren't bumping into each other. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
3. Post-Pancake Pinning
After executing the pancake takedown, the wrestlers must correctly position themselves. When the bottom wrestler turns into them, the top wrestler should scissor his legs to the belly-down position on their toes, driving into his opponent (a). Should the bottom wrestler turn away from them, the top wrestler must scissor his legs to the belly-up position, sagging back on his hips (b). On the whistle, the bottom wrestler turns in, and the top wrestler scissors to the proper position. When the whistle is blown again, the bottom wrestler turns out, while the top wrestler readjusts to the correct position. This would be a 15- to 30-second whistle drill for each wrestler.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
The importance of and best way to use daily practice sessions
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day.
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day. Daily practices must evolve with the needs of the athletes participating in the program. For example, if you are working with young and inexperienced wrestlers, you will need to spend more time on the perfection of fundamental techniques. After that, you can begin to move on to more advanced wrestling skills.
Preseason Daily Practice Sessions
Many state high school associations designate dates when participating schools may begin organized wrestling practices. Because a six-week training period is considered ideal in preparing wrestlers for competitive action, it would be to your advantage to schedule dual meets and tournaments to allow for at least this amount of preseason practice time.
Preseason practices should start with conditioning activities and passive to semiactive drill work. In the first two weeks of practice, emphasis should be on preparing the wrestlers for wrestling.
Following are some examples of conditioning drills for strength, quickness, agility, endurance, flexibility, balance, and mental toughness that can be implemented during preseason practices:
- Strength: Big 10, weight-room lifting, and rope climbing.
- Quickness, agility, flexibility, and balance: Spin drill, stretching exercises, shadow wrestling (on feet and bottom), quickness and agility games, hip heist, and rope skipping.
- Endurance and mental toughness: stair running, Ironman drill, and LOBO round-up.
Always remember, if you begin active wrestling before the participants are properly conditioned, you may find yourself facing an abundance of injuries. Moreover, when you do begin all-out wrestling in practice, it would be wise to start with mat (or ground) wrestling and gradually work into active takedown wrestling.
This is also the time of year you will want to work on your wrestlers' fundamental skills, discuss rule changes, and review healthy weight-management practices. Keeping with this philosophy from the beginning of the year will make for a safer and more rewarding season.
In-Season Daily Practice Sessions
The last two weeks of preseason practice should resemble your in-season practice sessions. At this point in the year, you shouldn't teach any new moves; instead, stress the perfection of previously taught maneuvers via drills and active wrestling.
The wrestling workout session is the most important phase of practice for two reasons. First, it allows you the opportunity to observe the wrestlers more thoroughly and correct their weak areas. Second, it is the best conditioning activity for preparing your wrestlers for competitive action.
On days before dual meets or tournaments, practice should be very light so the wrestlers get sufficient rest for their matches. A few conditioning exercises and wrestling drills would be adequate. If the dual meet or tournament begins early the next day, a discussion period and pep talk would suffice.
Of course, those wrestlers with weight-management problems may have to do additional work. This would include endurance activities, such as rope skipping, interval running, or riding the stationary bike to make weight. However, they should be close to match weight the day before competition. They should spend this time thinking about their opponents and wrestling, not thinking about food and making weight. If a wrestler is constantly dwelling on weight problems, you must step in and sternly suggest that he move up a weight class for his own physical and psychological well-being.
At the start of practices that follow a dual meet or tournament, point out mistakes made by individual wrestlers. They may need to work on their bridging skills, in which case you would reteach the half nelson bridging counter with partner drill. Or if they had trouble countering the double-leg takedown, you might revisit the double-leg reaction counter drill.
On the flip side, don't forget to praise those team members who had superior performances.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Use specialized wrestling workouts to train for tough matches
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Specialized Wrestling Workouts
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Likewise, for a change of pace you will sometimes want to incorporate workouts that add variation to the traditional wrestling session. Chain wrestling, situation wrestling, round-robin wrestling, and blindfold wrestling are excellent alternatives described in the following pages.
Chain Wrestling
Too often in contemporary scholastic matches, the bottom wrestler will attempt to escape or reverse his opponent by using only one or two moves. If they don't work, his opponent ultimately ends up riding him. We seem to have forgotten a lost art—chain wrestling, a fast-paced bottom maneuver and top countermaneuver wrestling activity. After perfecting the moves and countermoves that follow, you can incorporate chain wrestling. The most common chain wrestling skills include the following multiple moves:
Standard Chain Wrestling Workout
Step 1 Sit-out to turn-in (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-in (top wrestler)
Step 2 Sit-out to turn-out (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-out (top wrestler)
Step 3 Switch (bottom wrestler)
Reswitch (top wrestler)
Step 4 Side roll (bottom wrestler)
Re-side roll (top wrestler)
Step 5 Granby roll (bottom wrestler)
Granby roll follow-through on head (top wrestler)
Step 6 Stand-up (bottom wrestler)
Back heel trip to mat (top wrestler)
Wrestlers repeat this chain wrestling process as many times as you instruct (usually three to five cycles) with wrestler W1 on the bottom. Then wrestler W2 would assume the bottom position, repeating the cycle the same number of times.
Of course, you may develop variations to this chain wrestling format to suit your particular mat wrestling concerns. No matter how you plan your chain wrestling activity, the key purpose of the workout is to train the bottom wrestler not to stop after one or two moves.
Another benefit of chain wrestling is that it teaches the top wrestler how to follow moves performed by the bottom wrestler. Likewise, it is a superb conditioning tool for workout sessions. You may even want to create a practice competition out of chain wrestling, timing the wrestlers to see which pair is fastest in completing the cycles.
In recent decades, coaches have placed so much emphasis on takedowns that many have ignored the importance of moving on the bottom. Chain wrestling is a snappy workout activity that doesn't take much practice time and leads to improved mat wrestling.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
How to use takedown counter drills to your advantage
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent’s initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score.
The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition.
Takedown Counter Drills
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent's initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score. This is best accomplished by keeping in good position with a proper center-of-gravity (hip) location. In other words, do not allow your opponent to feel comfortable in the neutral position when he attempts takedown maneuvers.
Keep in mind that the fundamentals must be taught first, including conventional sprawling drills, proper crossface techniques and hip-positioning drills, and whizzer-hip counter drills to double-leg attacks. Also, review all single-leg counter maneuvers when the attack wrestler has control of the leg on or off the mat. Wrestlers must master these basic drills before they learn the more advanced takedown counter drills.
The following drill sequence is set up to demonstrate the first line of defense drills, using the hands to prevent your opponent from penetrating to the legs. The second line of defense drills will illustrate techniques used when the opponent is able to penetrate to the legs or body by maneuvering through the first line of defense.
Snap-Down Redirect
Setup
W1 controls W2's head with a collar tie with his right arm. W1 also establishes wrist control with his left hand and arm (a).
Action
As W2 begins his attempt to penetrate W1, W1 snaps his head and elbows to the mat while sprawling back. Pressing his chest on W2's back, W1 drives W2's head to the mat, blocking W2's right arm (b). Finally, W1 spins around W2 for the takedown (c).
Coaching Point
When the wrestlers sprawl, stress the importance of sprawling on the toes and placing pressure on the opponent's back before spinning around.
Common Error
A common mistake is the attacker dropping to his knees rather than staying on his toes when snapping the opponent down.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Execute a perfect pancake takedown to dominate your opponents
Bill Welker’s pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years.
The Pancake Takedown Series
Bill Welker's pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years. However, many wrestlers have found it to be a very effective maneuver at the scholastic, collegiate, and international levels. Ironically, this series has been a part of wrestling for centuries. Why there has never been any detailed description of the various pancake takedowns is a puzzle. Even one of the best-selling contemporary wrestling books, Winning Wrestling Moves by Mark Mysnyk et al. (1994), barely broaches the topic of the pancake takedown series. The remainder of this chapter describes in detail the pancake takedown series and its significance in the sport of wrestling.
To begin with, you must fully understand that the pancake takedown is a technical maneuver, not a muscle move. In fact, you are often using your opponent's momentum to catch him off balance and take him to the mat. Furthermore, it's a takedown tactic that can score multiple points for your wrestler. Finally, the pancake takedown is a dynamic move for wrestlers of all shapes and sizes--lightweights, middleweights, and heavyweights.
During my competitive days, I successfully executed the pancake takedown in numerous matches. To be honest, I referred to it as my “element of surprise” takedown. Every great wrestler knows, first and foremost, he must perfect his single- and double-leg takedowns. They are the “bread and butter” takedowns in wrestling. But these same championship wrestlers also perfect a third takedown maneuver such as a duck-under, arm drag, fireman's carry, or shrug. The pancake takedown was my very effective surprise trick move in competition. With practice, it can be your wrestlers' third takedown as well.
Pre-Pancake Takedown Series Skills
Before teaching your wrestlers the various pancake takedowns, you must expose them to the skills necessary for properly executing this unique takedown.
1. Pancake-On-Knees Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct down-on-their-knees pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. Important note: After hitting the pancake, the top wrestler should always be perpendicular to the bottom wrestler. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
2. Standing Pancake Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct standing pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. The drill should be performed in groups so there is enough room, and the wrestlers aren't bumping into each other. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
3. Post-Pancake Pinning
After executing the pancake takedown, the wrestlers must correctly position themselves. When the bottom wrestler turns into them, the top wrestler should scissor his legs to the belly-down position on their toes, driving into his opponent (a). Should the bottom wrestler turn away from them, the top wrestler must scissor his legs to the belly-up position, sagging back on his hips (b). On the whistle, the bottom wrestler turns in, and the top wrestler scissors to the proper position. When the whistle is blown again, the bottom wrestler turns out, while the top wrestler readjusts to the correct position. This would be a 15- to 30-second whistle drill for each wrestler.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
The importance of and best way to use daily practice sessions
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day.
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day. Daily practices must evolve with the needs of the athletes participating in the program. For example, if you are working with young and inexperienced wrestlers, you will need to spend more time on the perfection of fundamental techniques. After that, you can begin to move on to more advanced wrestling skills.
Preseason Daily Practice Sessions
Many state high school associations designate dates when participating schools may begin organized wrestling practices. Because a six-week training period is considered ideal in preparing wrestlers for competitive action, it would be to your advantage to schedule dual meets and tournaments to allow for at least this amount of preseason practice time.
Preseason practices should start with conditioning activities and passive to semiactive drill work. In the first two weeks of practice, emphasis should be on preparing the wrestlers for wrestling.
Following are some examples of conditioning drills for strength, quickness, agility, endurance, flexibility, balance, and mental toughness that can be implemented during preseason practices:
- Strength: Big 10, weight-room lifting, and rope climbing.
- Quickness, agility, flexibility, and balance: Spin drill, stretching exercises, shadow wrestling (on feet and bottom), quickness and agility games, hip heist, and rope skipping.
- Endurance and mental toughness: stair running, Ironman drill, and LOBO round-up.
Always remember, if you begin active wrestling before the participants are properly conditioned, you may find yourself facing an abundance of injuries. Moreover, when you do begin all-out wrestling in practice, it would be wise to start with mat (or ground) wrestling and gradually work into active takedown wrestling.
This is also the time of year you will want to work on your wrestlers' fundamental skills, discuss rule changes, and review healthy weight-management practices. Keeping with this philosophy from the beginning of the year will make for a safer and more rewarding season.
In-Season Daily Practice Sessions
The last two weeks of preseason practice should resemble your in-season practice sessions. At this point in the year, you shouldn't teach any new moves; instead, stress the perfection of previously taught maneuvers via drills and active wrestling.
The wrestling workout session is the most important phase of practice for two reasons. First, it allows you the opportunity to observe the wrestlers more thoroughly and correct their weak areas. Second, it is the best conditioning activity for preparing your wrestlers for competitive action.
On days before dual meets or tournaments, practice should be very light so the wrestlers get sufficient rest for their matches. A few conditioning exercises and wrestling drills would be adequate. If the dual meet or tournament begins early the next day, a discussion period and pep talk would suffice.
Of course, those wrestlers with weight-management problems may have to do additional work. This would include endurance activities, such as rope skipping, interval running, or riding the stationary bike to make weight. However, they should be close to match weight the day before competition. They should spend this time thinking about their opponents and wrestling, not thinking about food and making weight. If a wrestler is constantly dwelling on weight problems, you must step in and sternly suggest that he move up a weight class for his own physical and psychological well-being.
At the start of practices that follow a dual meet or tournament, point out mistakes made by individual wrestlers. They may need to work on their bridging skills, in which case you would reteach the half nelson bridging counter with partner drill. Or if they had trouble countering the double-leg takedown, you might revisit the double-leg reaction counter drill.
On the flip side, don't forget to praise those team members who had superior performances.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Use specialized wrestling workouts to train for tough matches
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Specialized Wrestling Workouts
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Likewise, for a change of pace you will sometimes want to incorporate workouts that add variation to the traditional wrestling session. Chain wrestling, situation wrestling, round-robin wrestling, and blindfold wrestling are excellent alternatives described in the following pages.
Chain Wrestling
Too often in contemporary scholastic matches, the bottom wrestler will attempt to escape or reverse his opponent by using only one or two moves. If they don't work, his opponent ultimately ends up riding him. We seem to have forgotten a lost art—chain wrestling, a fast-paced bottom maneuver and top countermaneuver wrestling activity. After perfecting the moves and countermoves that follow, you can incorporate chain wrestling. The most common chain wrestling skills include the following multiple moves:
Standard Chain Wrestling Workout
Step 1 Sit-out to turn-in (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-in (top wrestler)
Step 2 Sit-out to turn-out (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-out (top wrestler)
Step 3 Switch (bottom wrestler)
Reswitch (top wrestler)
Step 4 Side roll (bottom wrestler)
Re-side roll (top wrestler)
Step 5 Granby roll (bottom wrestler)
Granby roll follow-through on head (top wrestler)
Step 6 Stand-up (bottom wrestler)
Back heel trip to mat (top wrestler)
Wrestlers repeat this chain wrestling process as many times as you instruct (usually three to five cycles) with wrestler W1 on the bottom. Then wrestler W2 would assume the bottom position, repeating the cycle the same number of times.
Of course, you may develop variations to this chain wrestling format to suit your particular mat wrestling concerns. No matter how you plan your chain wrestling activity, the key purpose of the workout is to train the bottom wrestler not to stop after one or two moves.
Another benefit of chain wrestling is that it teaches the top wrestler how to follow moves performed by the bottom wrestler. Likewise, it is a superb conditioning tool for workout sessions. You may even want to create a practice competition out of chain wrestling, timing the wrestlers to see which pair is fastest in completing the cycles.
In recent decades, coaches have placed so much emphasis on takedowns that many have ignored the importance of moving on the bottom. Chain wrestling is a snappy workout activity that doesn't take much practice time and leads to improved mat wrestling.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
How to use takedown counter drills to your advantage
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent’s initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score.
The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition.
Takedown Counter Drills
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent's initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score. This is best accomplished by keeping in good position with a proper center-of-gravity (hip) location. In other words, do not allow your opponent to feel comfortable in the neutral position when he attempts takedown maneuvers.
Keep in mind that the fundamentals must be taught first, including conventional sprawling drills, proper crossface techniques and hip-positioning drills, and whizzer-hip counter drills to double-leg attacks. Also, review all single-leg counter maneuvers when the attack wrestler has control of the leg on or off the mat. Wrestlers must master these basic drills before they learn the more advanced takedown counter drills.
The following drill sequence is set up to demonstrate the first line of defense drills, using the hands to prevent your opponent from penetrating to the legs. The second line of defense drills will illustrate techniques used when the opponent is able to penetrate to the legs or body by maneuvering through the first line of defense.
Snap-Down Redirect
Setup
W1 controls W2's head with a collar tie with his right arm. W1 also establishes wrist control with his left hand and arm (a).
Action
As W2 begins his attempt to penetrate W1, W1 snaps his head and elbows to the mat while sprawling back. Pressing his chest on W2's back, W1 drives W2's head to the mat, blocking W2's right arm (b). Finally, W1 spins around W2 for the takedown (c).
Coaching Point
When the wrestlers sprawl, stress the importance of sprawling on the toes and placing pressure on the opponent's back before spinning around.
Common Error
A common mistake is the attacker dropping to his knees rather than staying on his toes when snapping the opponent down.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Execute a perfect pancake takedown to dominate your opponents
Bill Welker’s pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years.
The Pancake Takedown Series
Bill Welker's pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years. However, many wrestlers have found it to be a very effective maneuver at the scholastic, collegiate, and international levels. Ironically, this series has been a part of wrestling for centuries. Why there has never been any detailed description of the various pancake takedowns is a puzzle. Even one of the best-selling contemporary wrestling books, Winning Wrestling Moves by Mark Mysnyk et al. (1994), barely broaches the topic of the pancake takedown series. The remainder of this chapter describes in detail the pancake takedown series and its significance in the sport of wrestling.
To begin with, you must fully understand that the pancake takedown is a technical maneuver, not a muscle move. In fact, you are often using your opponent's momentum to catch him off balance and take him to the mat. Furthermore, it's a takedown tactic that can score multiple points for your wrestler. Finally, the pancake takedown is a dynamic move for wrestlers of all shapes and sizes--lightweights, middleweights, and heavyweights.
During my competitive days, I successfully executed the pancake takedown in numerous matches. To be honest, I referred to it as my “element of surprise” takedown. Every great wrestler knows, first and foremost, he must perfect his single- and double-leg takedowns. They are the “bread and butter” takedowns in wrestling. But these same championship wrestlers also perfect a third takedown maneuver such as a duck-under, arm drag, fireman's carry, or shrug. The pancake takedown was my very effective surprise trick move in competition. With practice, it can be your wrestlers' third takedown as well.
Pre-Pancake Takedown Series Skills
Before teaching your wrestlers the various pancake takedowns, you must expose them to the skills necessary for properly executing this unique takedown.
1. Pancake-On-Knees Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct down-on-their-knees pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. Important note: After hitting the pancake, the top wrestler should always be perpendicular to the bottom wrestler. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
2. Standing Pancake Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct standing pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. The drill should be performed in groups so there is enough room, and the wrestlers aren't bumping into each other. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
3. Post-Pancake Pinning
After executing the pancake takedown, the wrestlers must correctly position themselves. When the bottom wrestler turns into them, the top wrestler should scissor his legs to the belly-down position on their toes, driving into his opponent (a). Should the bottom wrestler turn away from them, the top wrestler must scissor his legs to the belly-up position, sagging back on his hips (b). On the whistle, the bottom wrestler turns in, and the top wrestler scissors to the proper position. When the whistle is blown again, the bottom wrestler turns out, while the top wrestler readjusts to the correct position. This would be a 15- to 30-second whistle drill for each wrestler.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
The importance of and best way to use daily practice sessions
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day.
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day. Daily practices must evolve with the needs of the athletes participating in the program. For example, if you are working with young and inexperienced wrestlers, you will need to spend more time on the perfection of fundamental techniques. After that, you can begin to move on to more advanced wrestling skills.
Preseason Daily Practice Sessions
Many state high school associations designate dates when participating schools may begin organized wrestling practices. Because a six-week training period is considered ideal in preparing wrestlers for competitive action, it would be to your advantage to schedule dual meets and tournaments to allow for at least this amount of preseason practice time.
Preseason practices should start with conditioning activities and passive to semiactive drill work. In the first two weeks of practice, emphasis should be on preparing the wrestlers for wrestling.
Following are some examples of conditioning drills for strength, quickness, agility, endurance, flexibility, balance, and mental toughness that can be implemented during preseason practices:
- Strength: Big 10, weight-room lifting, and rope climbing.
- Quickness, agility, flexibility, and balance: Spin drill, stretching exercises, shadow wrestling (on feet and bottom), quickness and agility games, hip heist, and rope skipping.
- Endurance and mental toughness: stair running, Ironman drill, and LOBO round-up.
Always remember, if you begin active wrestling before the participants are properly conditioned, you may find yourself facing an abundance of injuries. Moreover, when you do begin all-out wrestling in practice, it would be wise to start with mat (or ground) wrestling and gradually work into active takedown wrestling.
This is also the time of year you will want to work on your wrestlers' fundamental skills, discuss rule changes, and review healthy weight-management practices. Keeping with this philosophy from the beginning of the year will make for a safer and more rewarding season.
In-Season Daily Practice Sessions
The last two weeks of preseason practice should resemble your in-season practice sessions. At this point in the year, you shouldn't teach any new moves; instead, stress the perfection of previously taught maneuvers via drills and active wrestling.
The wrestling workout session is the most important phase of practice for two reasons. First, it allows you the opportunity to observe the wrestlers more thoroughly and correct their weak areas. Second, it is the best conditioning activity for preparing your wrestlers for competitive action.
On days before dual meets or tournaments, practice should be very light so the wrestlers get sufficient rest for their matches. A few conditioning exercises and wrestling drills would be adequate. If the dual meet or tournament begins early the next day, a discussion period and pep talk would suffice.
Of course, those wrestlers with weight-management problems may have to do additional work. This would include endurance activities, such as rope skipping, interval running, or riding the stationary bike to make weight. However, they should be close to match weight the day before competition. They should spend this time thinking about their opponents and wrestling, not thinking about food and making weight. If a wrestler is constantly dwelling on weight problems, you must step in and sternly suggest that he move up a weight class for his own physical and psychological well-being.
At the start of practices that follow a dual meet or tournament, point out mistakes made by individual wrestlers. They may need to work on their bridging skills, in which case you would reteach the half nelson bridging counter with partner drill. Or if they had trouble countering the double-leg takedown, you might revisit the double-leg reaction counter drill.
On the flip side, don't forget to praise those team members who had superior performances.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Use specialized wrestling workouts to train for tough matches
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Specialized Wrestling Workouts
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Likewise, for a change of pace you will sometimes want to incorporate workouts that add variation to the traditional wrestling session. Chain wrestling, situation wrestling, round-robin wrestling, and blindfold wrestling are excellent alternatives described in the following pages.
Chain Wrestling
Too often in contemporary scholastic matches, the bottom wrestler will attempt to escape or reverse his opponent by using only one or two moves. If they don't work, his opponent ultimately ends up riding him. We seem to have forgotten a lost art—chain wrestling, a fast-paced bottom maneuver and top countermaneuver wrestling activity. After perfecting the moves and countermoves that follow, you can incorporate chain wrestling. The most common chain wrestling skills include the following multiple moves:
Standard Chain Wrestling Workout
Step 1 Sit-out to turn-in (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-in (top wrestler)
Step 2 Sit-out to turn-out (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-out (top wrestler)
Step 3 Switch (bottom wrestler)
Reswitch (top wrestler)
Step 4 Side roll (bottom wrestler)
Re-side roll (top wrestler)
Step 5 Granby roll (bottom wrestler)
Granby roll follow-through on head (top wrestler)
Step 6 Stand-up (bottom wrestler)
Back heel trip to mat (top wrestler)
Wrestlers repeat this chain wrestling process as many times as you instruct (usually three to five cycles) with wrestler W1 on the bottom. Then wrestler W2 would assume the bottom position, repeating the cycle the same number of times.
Of course, you may develop variations to this chain wrestling format to suit your particular mat wrestling concerns. No matter how you plan your chain wrestling activity, the key purpose of the workout is to train the bottom wrestler not to stop after one or two moves.
Another benefit of chain wrestling is that it teaches the top wrestler how to follow moves performed by the bottom wrestler. Likewise, it is a superb conditioning tool for workout sessions. You may even want to create a practice competition out of chain wrestling, timing the wrestlers to see which pair is fastest in completing the cycles.
In recent decades, coaches have placed so much emphasis on takedowns that many have ignored the importance of moving on the bottom. Chain wrestling is a snappy workout activity that doesn't take much practice time and leads to improved mat wrestling.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
How to use takedown counter drills to your advantage
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent’s initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score.
The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition.
Takedown Counter Drills
The premise for takedown counter drills is to stop your opponent's initial attack and then create a counterattack in which you score. This is best accomplished by keeping in good position with a proper center-of-gravity (hip) location. In other words, do not allow your opponent to feel comfortable in the neutral position when he attempts takedown maneuvers.
Keep in mind that the fundamentals must be taught first, including conventional sprawling drills, proper crossface techniques and hip-positioning drills, and whizzer-hip counter drills to double-leg attacks. Also, review all single-leg counter maneuvers when the attack wrestler has control of the leg on or off the mat. Wrestlers must master these basic drills before they learn the more advanced takedown counter drills.
The following drill sequence is set up to demonstrate the first line of defense drills, using the hands to prevent your opponent from penetrating to the legs. The second line of defense drills will illustrate techniques used when the opponent is able to penetrate to the legs or body by maneuvering through the first line of defense.
Snap-Down Redirect
Setup
W1 controls W2's head with a collar tie with his right arm. W1 also establishes wrist control with his left hand and arm (a).
Action
As W2 begins his attempt to penetrate W1, W1 snaps his head and elbows to the mat while sprawling back. Pressing his chest on W2's back, W1 drives W2's head to the mat, blocking W2's right arm (b). Finally, W1 spins around W2 for the takedown (c).
Coaching Point
When the wrestlers sprawl, stress the importance of sprawling on the toes and placing pressure on the opponent's back before spinning around.
Common Error
A common mistake is the attacker dropping to his knees rather than staying on his toes when snapping the opponent down.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Execute a perfect pancake takedown to dominate your opponents
Bill Welker’s pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years.
The Pancake Takedown Series
Bill Welker's pancake takedown series is a neutral position maneuver that very few wrestling authors have given attention to over the years. However, many wrestlers have found it to be a very effective maneuver at the scholastic, collegiate, and international levels. Ironically, this series has been a part of wrestling for centuries. Why there has never been any detailed description of the various pancake takedowns is a puzzle. Even one of the best-selling contemporary wrestling books, Winning Wrestling Moves by Mark Mysnyk et al. (1994), barely broaches the topic of the pancake takedown series. The remainder of this chapter describes in detail the pancake takedown series and its significance in the sport of wrestling.
To begin with, you must fully understand that the pancake takedown is a technical maneuver, not a muscle move. In fact, you are often using your opponent's momentum to catch him off balance and take him to the mat. Furthermore, it's a takedown tactic that can score multiple points for your wrestler. Finally, the pancake takedown is a dynamic move for wrestlers of all shapes and sizes--lightweights, middleweights, and heavyweights.
During my competitive days, I successfully executed the pancake takedown in numerous matches. To be honest, I referred to it as my “element of surprise” takedown. Every great wrestler knows, first and foremost, he must perfect his single- and double-leg takedowns. They are the “bread and butter” takedowns in wrestling. But these same championship wrestlers also perfect a third takedown maneuver such as a duck-under, arm drag, fireman's carry, or shrug. The pancake takedown was my very effective surprise trick move in competition. With practice, it can be your wrestlers' third takedown as well.
Pre-Pancake Takedown Series Skills
Before teaching your wrestlers the various pancake takedowns, you must expose them to the skills necessary for properly executing this unique takedown.
1. Pancake-On-Knees Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct down-on-their-knees pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. Important note: After hitting the pancake, the top wrestler should always be perpendicular to the bottom wrestler. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
2. Standing Pancake Balance
This drill is introduced to the wrestlers to put them into the correct standing pancake position. The wrestlers are placed in the overhook and underhook situation with their heads on the overhook side. On the whistle, the wrestlers attempt to force their partner off balance and take him to the mat on his back. The drill should be performed in groups so there is enough room, and the wrestlers aren't bumping into each other. The wrestlers have 15 seconds from the whistle to perform the maneuver.
3. Post-Pancake Pinning
After executing the pancake takedown, the wrestlers must correctly position themselves. When the bottom wrestler turns into them, the top wrestler should scissor his legs to the belly-down position on their toes, driving into his opponent (a). Should the bottom wrestler turn away from them, the top wrestler must scissor his legs to the belly-up position, sagging back on his hips (b). On the whistle, the bottom wrestler turns in, and the top wrestler scissors to the proper position. When the whistle is blown again, the bottom wrestler turns out, while the top wrestler readjusts to the correct position. This would be a 15- to 30-second whistle drill for each wrestler.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
The importance of and best way to use daily practice sessions
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day.
The success of your scholastic wrestling program will depend largely on how well you prepare practice sessions from day to day. Daily practices must evolve with the needs of the athletes participating in the program. For example, if you are working with young and inexperienced wrestlers, you will need to spend more time on the perfection of fundamental techniques. After that, you can begin to move on to more advanced wrestling skills.
Preseason Daily Practice Sessions
Many state high school associations designate dates when participating schools may begin organized wrestling practices. Because a six-week training period is considered ideal in preparing wrestlers for competitive action, it would be to your advantage to schedule dual meets and tournaments to allow for at least this amount of preseason practice time.
Preseason practices should start with conditioning activities and passive to semiactive drill work. In the first two weeks of practice, emphasis should be on preparing the wrestlers for wrestling.
Following are some examples of conditioning drills for strength, quickness, agility, endurance, flexibility, balance, and mental toughness that can be implemented during preseason practices:
- Strength: Big 10, weight-room lifting, and rope climbing.
- Quickness, agility, flexibility, and balance: Spin drill, stretching exercises, shadow wrestling (on feet and bottom), quickness and agility games, hip heist, and rope skipping.
- Endurance and mental toughness: stair running, Ironman drill, and LOBO round-up.
Always remember, if you begin active wrestling before the participants are properly conditioned, you may find yourself facing an abundance of injuries. Moreover, when you do begin all-out wrestling in practice, it would be wise to start with mat (or ground) wrestling and gradually work into active takedown wrestling.
This is also the time of year you will want to work on your wrestlers' fundamental skills, discuss rule changes, and review healthy weight-management practices. Keeping with this philosophy from the beginning of the year will make for a safer and more rewarding season.
In-Season Daily Practice Sessions
The last two weeks of preseason practice should resemble your in-season practice sessions. At this point in the year, you shouldn't teach any new moves; instead, stress the perfection of previously taught maneuvers via drills and active wrestling.
The wrestling workout session is the most important phase of practice for two reasons. First, it allows you the opportunity to observe the wrestlers more thoroughly and correct their weak areas. Second, it is the best conditioning activity for preparing your wrestlers for competitive action.
On days before dual meets or tournaments, practice should be very light so the wrestlers get sufficient rest for their matches. A few conditioning exercises and wrestling drills would be adequate. If the dual meet or tournament begins early the next day, a discussion period and pep talk would suffice.
Of course, those wrestlers with weight-management problems may have to do additional work. This would include endurance activities, such as rope skipping, interval running, or riding the stationary bike to make weight. However, they should be close to match weight the day before competition. They should spend this time thinking about their opponents and wrestling, not thinking about food and making weight. If a wrestler is constantly dwelling on weight problems, you must step in and sternly suggest that he move up a weight class for his own physical and psychological well-being.
At the start of practices that follow a dual meet or tournament, point out mistakes made by individual wrestlers. They may need to work on their bridging skills, in which case you would reteach the half nelson bridging counter with partner drill. Or if they had trouble countering the double-leg takedown, you might revisit the double-leg reaction counter drill.
On the flip side, don't forget to praise those team members who had superior performances.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
Use specialized wrestling workouts to train for tough matches
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Specialized Wrestling Workouts
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches. Next, both bottom and top mat wrestling would be equally divided for the purpose of polishing escape or reversal and ride or pinning combination skills.
Likewise, for a change of pace you will sometimes want to incorporate workouts that add variation to the traditional wrestling session. Chain wrestling, situation wrestling, round-robin wrestling, and blindfold wrestling are excellent alternatives described in the following pages.
Chain Wrestling
Too often in contemporary scholastic matches, the bottom wrestler will attempt to escape or reverse his opponent by using only one or two moves. If they don't work, his opponent ultimately ends up riding him. We seem to have forgotten a lost art—chain wrestling, a fast-paced bottom maneuver and top countermaneuver wrestling activity. After perfecting the moves and countermoves that follow, you can incorporate chain wrestling. The most common chain wrestling skills include the following multiple moves:
Standard Chain Wrestling Workout
Step 1 Sit-out to turn-in (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-in (top wrestler)
Step 2 Sit-out to turn-out (bottom wrestler)
Follow sit-out to turn-out (top wrestler)
Step 3 Switch (bottom wrestler)
Reswitch (top wrestler)
Step 4 Side roll (bottom wrestler)
Re-side roll (top wrestler)
Step 5 Granby roll (bottom wrestler)
Granby roll follow-through on head (top wrestler)
Step 6 Stand-up (bottom wrestler)
Back heel trip to mat (top wrestler)
Wrestlers repeat this chain wrestling process as many times as you instruct (usually three to five cycles) with wrestler W1 on the bottom. Then wrestler W2 would assume the bottom position, repeating the cycle the same number of times.
Of course, you may develop variations to this chain wrestling format to suit your particular mat wrestling concerns. No matter how you plan your chain wrestling activity, the key purpose of the workout is to train the bottom wrestler not to stop after one or two moves.
Another benefit of chain wrestling is that it teaches the top wrestler how to follow moves performed by the bottom wrestler. Likewise, it is a superb conditioning tool for workout sessions. You may even want to create a practice competition out of chain wrestling, timing the wrestlers to see which pair is fastest in completing the cycles.
In recent decades, coaches have placed so much emphasis on takedowns that many have ignored the importance of moving on the bottom. Chain wrestling is a snappy workout activity that doesn't take much practice time and leads to improved mat wrestling.
Read more from The Wrestling Drill Book, 2nd Edition by William Welker.
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