Greco Roman Throw by with Pat Smith
Greco Roman wrestling is not a sport for the weak or faint of heart. There are no leg attacks whatsoever. Greco Roman is explosive and has an emphasis on throws from the upper body and tilts while on the floor.
Wrestlers are forbidden for any contact with the lower body. So trips are not allowed and a wrestler cannot make contact with the lower body in order to avoid a throw either.
Once on the mat a wrestler cannot touch the legs to tilt or turn their opponent either. Unlike freestyle where a leg lace is a go to turning maneuver, that is off limits in Greco competition.
A hallmark of Greco Roman Wrestling is the hand positions that are used. Much more variations are seen in Greco than Freestyle as the primary mode of scoring is throwing, making grips one of the most important aspects of the sport.
Gripping is an important mode of attack and defense and those roles can be changed in an instant. One minute you could be attacking with a cross grip the next you are losing position due to holding the grip for too long.
Currently one of the best Greco Roman Wrestlers in the USA is Pat Smith. A Former member of the Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota Pat Smith had a good career there. He split his time of eligibility up because he took a Olympic Red Shirt in 2016.
After his time at Minnesota Pat has been a wrecking ball in the US Wrestling system. Having won the Pan American Games in 2015,2016 and 2017. He won the 2017 US Open and has been a two time world team member for the USA.
Pat’s technical skills are second to none and he has implemented them at the highest level of competition for many years. His ability to transition from position to position makes him dangerous on the mat.
Look at this transition from two on one, to underhook to sag throw by. This is high level Greco at its finest.
Pat Starts with a double over hand two on one. This is where both palms are down on the wrist and forearm on an opponent's single arm. Using the arm that is on the forearm Pat digs for a deep underhook.
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As Pats partner clamps down hard on his underhook with a whizzer Pat begins to circle toward the underhook side while pulling down hard on that shoulder and the other hand helps break the opponents posture by securing a overhand grip on the backside of the neck.
As Pat circles his opponent is going to make an attempt to square their position to him. It is at this time Pat will throw his underhook arm across his opponents shoulders while stepping with the opposite leg and reaching the opposite arm to the far side waist. If done right this should cause the opponent to get thrown by and the attacking wrestler will end up with a rear body lock. Which in Greco means big points are coming.
This is the kind of action Greco Fans dream of, a throw by to rear bodylock can be a one way ticket to Suplex City. It is this highly technical approach to Greco that has Pat Smith Joining the other US greats on the National team. Pat has created a starting point for wrestles looking to transition into Greco Roman.
“Effective Greco Roman Wrestling: Introduction to positioning and upper body attacks” is a both a starting point and a masterclass in how to create scoring opportunities in Greco Roman Wrestling without falling into the common pitfalls .
It is the A-Z manual for Greco Roman, Pat Smith presents the material clearly and concisely and covers the major positions a wrestler will find themselves wrestling in.
If you are new to the sport of Greco or are looking to add some upper body throws to your wrestling, Pat Smiths Instructional will give you all the tools needed to do so. Check it out here!