The Most Underrated Skills and Moves in Wrestling

The Most Underrated Skills and Moves in Wrestling

Wrestling is a complicated sport, but mastering a few basic skills and moves—while eventually perfecting some advanced ones—is critical to developing as a wrestler, especially at the youth and high school level.

Below, several wrestling coaches discuss some of the most underrated wrestling moves and skills, and what coaches and wrestlers should focus on to help become a complete wrestler:

Related: USA Wrestling 7 basic skills guide

Mastering the Basics Wins Championships

“Sometimes the most underrated moves are the most successful in the sport of wrestling,” says Dr. Bill Welker, author of The Wrestling Drill Book (Second Edition). “They are high-success, low-risk skills known as the basics.”

Contemporary wrestlers are exposed to an overwhelming barrage of freestyle skills, including those fancy tilts, Welker points out. “Although tilts score lots of match bonus points, you rarely see a referee slap the mat when tilts are applied,” Welker says. “However, falls are achieved via such fundamental maneuvers as half nelsons, arm bars, and cradles.”

Welker points out that at the highest level of wrestling, such as at the NCAA tournament or in international competition, the wrestlers who master the basics find a way to emerge victorious.

“It’s not about fancy takedowns,” Welker says. “The best of the best use a combination of single and double legs. One of the most decorated international wrestlers is Jordan Burroughs. Very, very few opponents can counter his devastating double leg.”

“Many national championships have been won by perfecting double legs, stand-ups, and cradles,” says Welker. “The most underrated moves are wrestling’s fundamentals. Why are they still around? That’s simple. They work!”
Go Behind

Steve Costanzo, head coach of NCAA Division II power St. Cloud State University, says one of the most underrated moves in wrestling is the go behind. 

“The go-behind scores points at all levels of wrestling and in any style the sport has to offer,” Costanzo says. “The go-behind can be used as a counter offensive attack or an offensive attack. The skill requires athleticism, speed, timing and technique.”

Joe Russell, Manager of Freestyle Programs at USA Wrestling, agrees. A great go behind is not considered a spectacular move, “but don’t underestimate the value in being able to stop your opponent’s attack and then capitalizing with a simple go behind,” says Russell. “Likewise, being able to snap your opponent underneath you and being able to go behind your opponent for the takedown can win titles.”

The 2017 World Freestyle Championships came down to the last match of the tournament for the team title to be decided. Kyle Snyder won an individual world championship and clinched the team championship for the USA with a go behind in the final half minute of the bout.

“Before that happened, people would have never said the go behind is the cool move to win a world title with, but in hindsight it was one of the most spectacular takedowns I have ever seen,” Russell says.

Stance and Motion Drills

Staying in good position is critical, Russell says, and stance and motion drills are essential for development.

“A wrestler must train their body and mind to stay solid for as long as the match lasts,” he says.

Ken Chertow, head coach at Queens University, a new DII program in Charlotte, North Carolina, agrees, encouraging wrestlers to perfect these moves through stance and motion drills, and shadow wrestling.

“You have to learn how to control your own body before you can control and dominate someone else,” said Chertow, who has taught technique and drilled with thousands of youth wrestlers from around the country through his Ken Chertow Gold Medal wrestling camp system.

Hip Heist

When Mike Clayton, National Coaches Education Program Manager for USA Wrestling, talks with coaches at the Olympic training center, they often mention that wrestlers lack the ability to execute a proper hip heist.

“Many of the techniques we teach daily require us to teach the movements required to execute those techniques,” says Clayton. “This is one area that all of us as coaches tend to fall short in.”

Clayton elaborated: “It’s important to think about the movements your athlete needs to be able to execute to complete a technique. It’s also important understand that athletes develop at different ages and stages. Some athletes may not be able to execute the movements required for certain techniques.

“That shouldn’t hold you back from teaching the athletes other techniques, but when we determine areas we can improve in our movement, it will help us in all other areas of our sport.”

Leg Attacks

Jarrod Garnett, assistant coach at North Dakota State University and a three-time ACC champion and 2013 All-American for Virginia Tech, says he succeeded at a young age because of his athleticism. He worked on body weight drills and exercises—plyometrics, flips, jump ropes, balance, and flexibility, while developing a lethal underhook

But at the college level, Garnett says the most complete collegiate wrestlers have a leg attack they can hit with both sides of the body. Working on single and double leg takedowns, from both sides, can make a wrestler tough to defend.

“Diversification with your offense can really take you a long way,” Garnett says.

Mat Returns

In the top position, a good, solid mat return seems to be very underrated, says Garnett. In folkstyle wrestling, the wrestler on top can control the match, especially after a whistle where they assume the top position.

“It can take a lot out of guys and really position you to be able to get to a solid riding position to be able to turn guys and accumulate back points,” Garnett says. “We work with our guys a lot at NDSU with different types of mat returns and how to become dominant on top.”

Basic Moves to Master

Chertow recommends focusing on the basics: The snap down, slide-by, ankle pick, and sprawl and spin are critical. 

“Teaching the snap down forces wrestlers to close the gap, hand fight, and grasp their opponent, rather than standing around and waiting or shooting from too far away,” Chertow says. “Working the head leads to scoring, opening up shots and tiring out opponent. The slide-by is simple, safe and high percentage. No athleticism needed. Just got to make sure you do not get caught in a headlock or open up legs.”

The ankle pick is a simple move and one of the most consistent takedowns used effectively by teams that compete at a high level, like Penn State University, under Cael Sanderson. 

Olympic Style Moves

In Olympic styles of wrestling (freestyle and Greco-Roman), wrestlers who develop the ability to turn their opponent through a leg lace or gut wrench “really can jump to the next level,” Garnett says. “I think it made a major difference with Jordan Burroughs when he started to really focus on getting a turn and it helped him to separate the gap against the rest of the world,” says Garnett, adding success from the par terre position is an overlooked skill when it comes to Greco-Roman wrestling.

Developing a Home Run Move

When the time is right—and that is different for every wrestler—having a home run move is always beneficial. When a wrestler develops a reputation for being able to hit a home run move, that can cause the opponent to focus on defending that move, versus some of the basics. It can lead to a mental advantage for that wrestler because the opponent competes in fear of being on the wrong end of the big move. What that move is varies for every wrestler.

“Being able to use one of your feet like a hand is something I like to teach,” says Russell. “Thus, I think trips and sweeps are underrated. Having a foot you can use like a hand opens up the more important basic skills and attacks.”

Defense/Positioning

While many wrestlers focus on perfecting offensive moves, it’s also important to perfect base defense. As the saying goes, good defense can create offense. “Solid basic defense can lead to go-behinds and re-attacks for easy points,” Garnett says.

Jerry Wigger, Vice Chairperson of South Carolina USA Wrestling, agrees.

“Everyone emphasizes offense, but as you move up in competition, the defense you face gets better and better,” Wigger says. “The next thing that is important is not necessarily moves, but positioning. You have to start somewhere, and learning basics like a single leg, a standup, are important, but wrestling is a sport of flowing movement, and you should learn to maintain good position as you work moves and the opponent reacts, and as moves are attempted against you. Once the basics are mastered, good positioning separates the good wrestlers from the great ones.”

Intangibles

Wrestlers develop differently at all levels. One wrestler may excel with single leg attacks. That wrestler can win a lot of matches at the youth level that way. Another may just be relentless and aggressive, and doesn’t have a lot skill but is a great athlete. Regardless of what a youth wrestler has as a go-to move, or as part of their arsenal, no move or skill is mastered overnight. And failure with a move in a match or tournament doesn’t mean one should give up on it. It means they should go back to practice and work on perfecting the move even more.

That’s why attitude plays a big role in the development of a wrestler, Costanzo says. Take the go behind, for example.

“Perhaps the best skill from scoring on a go-behind is pure attitude,” he says. “While the go-behind technique is very basic, the skill requires a lot of practice. Each level in the sport of wrestling should be drilling and learning the appropriate skills for scoring from a go-behind.”