In any combat sports scenario, what can be considered the most vulnerable and attack part of the human body? While you might be inclined to think it’s the arms or legs, it can arguably be considered the head. Think about it, how...

  Making contact is a critical first step in a wrestling match. How you make contact and what you do afterwards dictates the initial ebb and flow for the match’s pace. Ideally, you want to be the first one to make contact, but...

  As I’m sure most of you know by now, the UWW World Championships are set to take place in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan September 14-22, 2019.  After blogs on both the men’s Freestyle and Greco teams, it wouldn’t be right without showing the lady...

  Think about how you move in your everyday life. You always have to be cognizant about your surroundings, or else you may face danger. Whether your hand is too close to the stove top or your feet are not close enough to...

  If you are serious about becoming a great wrestler, you must focus on the fundamentals. There are a lot of crazy moves and techniques out there, but when you watch high level wrestling, the guys that are out there winning NCAA titles...

  Ben Askren is one of the most successful college wrestlers of all time. During his wrestling career at the University of Missouri, he was a two time runner up and a two time NCAA champion. After college, Akren went on to wrestling...

  There are an infinite number of ways to take your opponent down in wrestling. There are some very complex setups that can lead to pretty technical takedowns, but more complicated doesn’t always mean better. In fact, when you watch high level wrestling,...

  Every wrestler is looking or better ways to earn takedowns. There are so many complicated and advanced techniques out there that can work, but in reality, simple is often better. Even though a technique may seem simple, that does not mean that...

  There is a timeless saying is sports that says “defense with championships”. Originally this saying was directed towards football, but it is safe to say that it has stood the test of time is many other sports including wrestling.  Ask any good...

  The shot is arguably the most fundamental aspect of wrestling. Just like knowing how to dribble is paramount for basketball or learning to catch for baseball, picking up shooting skills is the one technique that can make or break your wrestling career....

  The Olympics is the highest level of competition in the sport of wrestling. It only happens once every four years and there isn’t as many weight classes as there are for the world championships which means more wrestlers are competing per weight...

  One of the most effective ways to pin someone in wrestling is with a cradle. There are two main types of cradles, the first is a near side cradle and the second is a far side cradle. They both involve using your...

  Having a good short offense can make a huge difference in how successful you are as a wrestler. If you don’t know what a short offense is, it is when one wrestler is down on the mat and the other guy is...

  Cradles are a great way to get pins in wrestling. Once you really start to understand them, you will realize that there are so many opportunities during a match to lock up a cradle. There are generally two types of cradles, a...

  Learning how to wrestle requires more than just going through the motions of shots and sprawls. Each move you do requires a set-up, something to act as a catalyst for movement. Set-ups can take many forms, whether it’s a basic collar tie...

  When you think of the word “takedown”, what comes to mind? Images of driving double legs or snazzy single legs or even quick ankle picks may conjure up in your mind. For the most part, takedowns are done on the feet, which...

  A good sprawl is the lynch pin for defensive wrestling. It’s the defense for most common attacks in grappling, and the start of countering shot attempts. Despite being so important, a lot of wrestlers sprawl the wrong way.  Below, Ben Askren goes...

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...

  It is important to be able to escape from the bottom position, but it is a difficult position for many wrestlers, especially newer wrestlers who are trying to earn escapes. There is no one move that will get you an escape every...

  Even if you don’t wrestle Greco very often, it is still very important to learn how to wrestle and throw from Greco positions. Greco style throws can sometimes be more effective when used in folkstyle or freestyle wrestling because you can use...