Increase Your Pins With These Four Moves
Just like all areas of wrestling, pinning is a skill you have to develop. You have to learn different pinning combinations, then drill them and use them countless times in order to execute them correctly out on the mat. In each match, you will find yourself in a variety of different situations that so it is helpful to know how to put your opponent on their back from a wide range of positions. Here are four great moves that will help you increase the number of pins you will earn this upcoming season.
Double Leg to a Turk with Henry Cejudo
One of the best ways to put your opponent on their back is to go immediately from a takedown to a turn. When you first take someone down, they are much more open and vulnerable because they haven’t had a chance to build their base yet. In this video, Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo demonstrates how he likes to hit a double leg then go immediately into a turk.
As you can see in the video, the turk starts with the way Henry finishes his double leg. Instead of a typical up and in finish, he uses a windshield wipers motion with his feet to turn the corner and take his opponent down to their hip. From this position, he lifts the top leg and takes a big step between the legs. Notice how throughout the entire move, he is driving into his opponent. He takes a big step, almost like a penetration step in order to lock up high on the thigh with a figure four lock.
Once you have the leg locked, keep your head up and attack your opponent’s head and arm and look for the pin. When you get to this position, you will need to make adjustments because your opponent will be fighting to get off of their back. If they are turning into you, elevate the leg and if they are turning away from you, make your hips heavy slide back just a little. Make sure you hold them there for your five count. Then, you can start to work to get the pin.
Pushing Whip Over with Adam Wheeler
This next move is called a pushing whip over and is similar to a cement mixer. In this video, Olympic bronze medalist Adam Wheeler shows how he likes to hit the pushing whip over; check it out.
This move starts in a short offense position. Common ways wrestlers end up here is after a snap down or after your opponent shoots on you and sprawl and break the lock they have on your leg. As you can see in the video, you want to be putting pressure on them and one hand comes under the chin, like a front headlock and the other comes inside the arm. Once you have the hand position correct, instead of whipping them over like you would with a cement mixer, you are going to drive straight through them.
A couple key points about driving through them are first, you need to start with your chest low. If your chest is high and you drive into them, you don’t have the correct leverage you need to plow them over and you are potentially just giving them your leg. Secondly, when you drive into them, you need to stay controlled from start to finish.
Near Wrist Roll Under Arm Bar with Logan Stieber
Logan Stieber was one of the greatest college wrestlers of all time. During his time at Ohio State, he won four NCAA national titles. One of the things he was well known for was hit brutal arm bar series that he used to get a lot of pins during his career. Check out this video of him hitting a near wrist roll under arm bar.
This arm bar starts with a spiral ride breakdown which allows you to get your opponent flat and get wrist control on the near side. When your opponent is broken down and the wrist is secured, drive them forward and roll the wrist under so it pops out of the side. Pay attention to Stieber’s position in relation to his opponent. He is keeping a lot of pressure on him by keeping his head and chest up and drives his feet into the mat. One common mistake is wrestlers stay on their knees which does not keep enough pressure on their opponent.
From here, pull the arm out and secure it on the low back. If you are struggling to get the arm out, watch how Stieber sits out and uses both hands to attack the wrist and secures it on the low back. When you have the wrist pinned to the low back, get on top of your opponent. Use your belly to help pin the wrist and arm to the low back. Keeping your chest up ensures there will be pressure on your opponent the entire time.
Stieber has shown that arm bars will work at the highest levels of competition. Once you understand how to use pressure correctly and learn different ways to get the arm bar in, you will be able to use arm bars to get a lot of pins.
The Pin up with Hudon Taylor
Riding legs is a great way to put a lot of pressure on your opponent. There are a lot of different ways you can turn the bottom guy when you are riding legs. One really cool turn is called a pin up. Check out this video from Hudson Taylor where he demonstrates how he likes to hip a pin up.
One common thing that happens when you have a leg in is your opponent sits out which puts you down to your hip and takes away your power. If you know how to do the pin up, you can actually use it to your advantage. In the video, Taylor has the leg in and has the ankle hooked. When his partner sits him down to his hip, he grabs in the far armpit and keeps the momentum going rolls through anticipating the other guy will post.
When they post, he traps the arm in his elbow and locks his hand onto his own head. He stays in the armpit and uses it as a hook to roll his opponent to their back. A key point here is that Taylor keeps the arm trapped in his elbow and uses this to help him keep him on this back. Once he gets his five count, he throws the other leg in and rotates on top for the pin.
This is a great way to get a pin for any wrestler who likes to ride legs.
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