Score More Points With These Awesome Turns
Being able to turn your opponent is very important if you want to be successful in wrestling. Not only can you score a lot of points with turns, but the main goal of wrestling isn’t to just score points, it is to pin your opponent and you can’t do that unless you can put them to their back. There are so many different ways you can turn your opponent and some of them work better than others. There are definitely turns that will work in middle school or JV level wrestling, but you want to make sure the techniques you are using work at the highest levels of the sport. Here are some turns that some of the top wrestlers in the world like to use.
Thread the Needle Roll Through Tilt
The first turn is a tilt that four time NCAA champion and world champion Logan Stieber likes to hit called a thread the needle roll through tilt.
It starts in a crossbody ride and after you get your leg in, the next step is to scoop the opposite elbow like you are going for an armbar. When most guys feel their arm being attacked, their natural response will be to grab their own leg to prevent you from pulling it out.
To hit this tilt, you actually want your opponent to grab their thigh, because now you can slide your arm out a little and with the other hand, reach between their legs and grab your opponent’s wrist that is on the thigh.
When you have the wrist, the next step is to roll over your front shoulder; while the roll is happening, it is important to look behind your own shoulder. To generate the power for the roll, use the leg that is not hooked in to push off the mat to kick to create momentum.
After the roll through, keep the elbow and wrist locked up tight and keep the leg hooked. Just as with any tilt position, the guy will be trying to fight off his back, so the top guy needs to make adjustments to keep him on his back. Tilts work better the tighter you keep everything.
Front Headlock Roll Through Cradle
If you like front headlocks and you like cradles, you will love this next turn. It is a roll through cradle that starts in front headlock position. In this video, Hudson Taylor shows how he likes to hit it.
A lot of wrestlers like to hit a near side cradle from a front headlock by burying their head in there opponent’s side and attacking the leg to lock up the cradle, but this is different because you don’t actually have the cradle locked up until the end of the move.
It starts with a normal front headlock with a lot of pressure on the base of your opponent’s neck and keeping the arm tight to your chest. The pressure is important because it allows you to circle to the side so you can put your head in the hole without your opponent escaping.
Once you get your head in the hole, the next step is to reach over and secure the near leg. It is important to keep secure the leg for two reasons. First is to keep the other guy from ciricing away from you. The second reason is that you need to have control of the leg before you roll so that you can use it to lock the cradle up. Notice in the video, Taylor keeps the triceps tight and grabs on to his own wrist to lock the cradle up.
After the roll, Taylor has a standard near side cradle. There are a lot of finishes that can be done from here, but he chooses to step over the top leg with both of his legs and tripods up on his head. Watch how he takes his time when he gets the cradle locked up. If you get this locked up and step over the leg, it is extremely difficult for someone to escape. One of the big mistakes people make when using this finish is they try to rush through it. Take your time and keep everything tight so there is no space for your opponent to defend the cradle.
Wrist Roll Tilt
This is another tilt that three time NCAA champion Ed Ruth from Penn State likes to use called a wrist roll tilt and it comes from a hammerlock position.
To hit this tilt, the first thing you have to do is break your opponent down flat to their belly. It doesn’t matter what breakdown you use as long as they end up flat. Once you have them flat on the mat, the next step is to get wrist control on one side and drive forward to roll the wrist under. After you do that, you can pull the wrist out and put it across the back like you are setting up a hammerlock. Watch how Ruth uses his whole body to create pressure to roll the wrist out. Be sure not to let the arm bend past ninety degrees once it is on the back or the referee will stop the match for potentially dangerous.
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Once you have the elbow secured and are blocking it with your knee, use your other hand to either hook in their armpit or you can reach across their neck almost like you have a claw ride. From here you will lift up then roll to your side for the turn. Notice how Ruth is using his knee and placing it on the elbow to create a pivot point to turn his opponent.
Once you actually have your opponent’s back exposed, be sure to keep everything very tight, especially the arm that is across the back so you can get your five count. Also, pay attention to what Ruth is doing with his legs to control his opponent.
There are very few people walking on earth with the type of credentials that Logan Stieber has. The Armbar Blueprint By Logan Stieber gives you a look at the techniques that helped him become a World Champ!