Roll Through Cradle From Front Headlock by Hudson Taylor
A cradle is a great way to pin your opponent that works even at the high levels of wrestling. There are basically two types of cradles, a farside cradle or a nearside cradle. Both are highly effective and have many different setups and ways to finish. In this technique video, Hudson Taylor, who was an NCAA All-American and in the top 10 pinners in NCAA history, shows a nearside cradle with a roll through finish from a front headlock position. Check out the video and watch exactly how he does it.
This is a highly effective cradle, but there are also a lot of technical aspects to it, meaning this isn’t a beginner move. Before you go out and start trying to hit this cradle, be sure you feel comfortable in a front headlock position.
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To start the setup of this cradle, you need to have your opponent in a front headlock. The position that Taylor shows is not a typical closed or open front headlock, but rather he reaches all the way across with his arm to secure the tricep and pulls it in tight to the chin. Pay attention to this when you watch the video. Also, be sure to look at how he is applying pressure in the front headlock position. His shoulder is at the base of his opponent’s neck making them carry all of his weight. By putting a lot of pressure on your opponent, it makes it much more difficult for them to drag out of the front headlock and follow you when you are circling while hunting for the ankle.
After the front headlock is secured, watch how he “puts the head in the hole” and secures the ankle. While he is doing this, he is keeping his other elbow tight so the head and arm stay secure. If you are having trouble getting to the ankle, you can try to incorporate a small sitout to help you secure the ankle. Be sure to keep the head deep in the hole throughout the entire movement. Once the ankle is secured, slide up to the knee.
From this position, you are going to keep everything really tight and roll towards your opponent’s feet and end up on your back. Be sure to keep the tricep nice and tight throughout the whole movement. Then continue the motion and pop your head out. At this point your opponent should be on their side; let go of the triceps and lock your hands together.
In the video, when Taylor is demonstrating the move, he pauses while he is on his back halfway through the movement to explain what he is doing, but in a real life situation, the roll through will be one continuous movement.
Now that you have the nearside cradle locked up, step over your opponent’s top leg. Watch how Taylor does this in the video, he steps over with one knee and kind of slides the leg forward then steps over with the other knee. From here, he steps up with the near leg and looks for the pin while using his head to tripod up.
When you have the cradle locked up, be sure to be patient at this point. You have your opponent in a really bad position, you don’t need to rush anything. Take your time and make sure everything is nice and tight before you take your opponent to their back and look for the pin.
Getting good a cradles is a great way to get a lot of pins. They are highly effective and can be hit from a variety of different positions. Make sure you practice and drill moves like this roll through cradle before you try to use it in a match. Hopefully it will help increase your pins next season.
If you would like to learn more wrestling technique from Hudson Taylor, be sure to check out his video “Magic Mat Work by Hudson Taylor”.