Four Awesome Turns With Hudson Taylor

Hudson Taylor was an NCAA All-American who is on the top ten list of most pins during a college career. Just like with all aspects of wrestling, pinning is a skill that you have to work at in order to get better. 

There are three main ways to improve your pinning. The first is to have a pinning mindset. Most of the time, pins don’t accidently happen. They are something you have to work for. So if you aren’t going out on the mat with a mindset and a determination to pin your opponent, then you most likely won’t. The next way to get better at pinning is by repetition. Every pinning combination has minor details that you can only pick up by drilling the move over and over again. The last way is to have options from various positions. Since no two wrestling matches are the same, you must know how to put your opponent on their back from anywhere the match ends up. Here are four different turns that Hudson Taylor used to rack up pins in college. 

Far Side Cradle

This first turn is a far side cradle that starts in referee’s position. It is similar to a crossface cradle but there are some differences. This first and most obvious difference is that instead of coming across the face, Taylor reaches across to hook into his partner’s armpit. Another difference is Taylor is posting his partners ankle to the mat to get the knee pop up. Once the knee pops up, it is easy to lock up the cradle. From here, use your favorite way to finish a far side cradle. In the video, Taylor likes to hop to the opposite side and bring his opponent straight back for the pin. 

Near Side Cradle

Here is another cradle from Hudson Taylor. This time, instead of a far side cradle, this is a near side cradle that starts in front headlock position, but it might not be the type of near side cradle you are thinking of. A lot of people like to bury the head and lock up a near side cradle from a front headlock, but with this cradle, when you bury your head in your opponent’s side, you will roll both you and your opponent to your backs so you can hip heist back to belly down and lock up the cradle. Check it out.

A couple of additional points to this cradle. First, make sure you keep a tight hold of the triceps. If you don’t, there is no way this cradle will work for you. Secondly, in the video, Taylor is going so for demonstration purposes, but in a live match, don’t stop your momentum when you get to your back. The roll and locking up the cradle should be one move. Lastly, once you have the cradle locked up, take your time. There is no reason to rush the finish. 

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Wheelbarrow Turn

This next turn looks like some distant cousin to a leg lace freestyle turn and it is very unique. This turn works well if your opponent is on bottom and is not opening up at all. It is a great example that if you can control your opponent’s hips, you can control where they are. This turn will take some practice, but if done correctly, it has the potential to earn you a lot of back points.

Seatbelt Turn 

As previously mentioned, one of the ways to get better at turning your opponent is to learn how to put your opponent to their back from various positions. This seatbelt turn is a great example. It starts with a crossbody leg ride and the guy on bottom sits out to put the top guy on their hip. From here, if you didn’t know this seatbelt turn, you might start to panic because you feel you are close to being reversed, but all you have to do is come over the head and lock you hands around the head and near arm. Then, drop you your side, bridge, then roll them all the way through. This is a great turn especially for a wrestler who likes to ride legs. 

If you would like to learn more wrestling technique from one of the best pinners ever in the NCAA, be sure to check out Hudson Taylor’s eight part video series titled “Magic Mat Work by Hudson Taylor”. In this series, he breaks down the techniques he used throughout his college career. 

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