Thread the Needle Roll Through Tilt by Logan Stieber
Being a good top wrestler means being able to adapt to certain situations. Whether you can’t bump your opponent forward during a dozer, snub their arm out for a tilt, or even hit the half nelson, you need a back-up plan in case your first line of offense does not work. This is especially true if you’re a leg rider. Leg riding requires such precision in your overall positioning and the articulation of your opponent’s limbs. Simply sliding your hooks in isn’t enough when you have a stubborn opponent who will not let you turn them over. You need to have a contingency in place.
Although it may seem unorthodox, what if you were to roll through with your leg ride and turn it into a tilt? Today, you’re about to learn how effective it is, as former wrestler from The Ohio State University Logan Stieber demonstrates the thread the needle roll through tilt in the video below.
Setting Up the Leg Ride
Before initiating the tilt, you need to be in a proper leg riding position. One of the easiest ways to do so is with a simple hip bump. With your opponent in bottom position, drive your knee into their buttocks while pressing into their nearside arm with your arm. The movement will cause them to shift their weight forward, leaving their hips open for entry. Once space has been created, keep weight on your opponent’s hips, rise on your toes, and slide in your nearside leg into the gap and interlock your heel against their heel. At the same time, reach your nearside arm across and under their farside arm. As you can see in the video, the crook of Stieber’s elbow is just above his opponent’s elbow, locking it in tight as if he was curling a dumbbell.
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Feeding the Needle
Once you set yourself into the leg riding position, your opponent may respond by shifting their weight back into their hips to compensate for the additional weight. What this does is create another potential opening for you to thread the needle. In the video, Stieber does so by feeding his free arm between his opponent’s legs to lock onto the captured arm. Even if the opponent decides to pinch their arm close to their chest to prevent greater access, the hand positioning is close enough to create the connection.
Rolling Through
The most influential portion of this tilt is the roll through. After locking your opponent in place with both the leg ride and wrist control, their posture will be lowered enough for you to hit the roll effectively. Stieber is threading the needle with his left arm, so he will roll across his left shoulder. A key thing that he points out is the head positioning through the roll; you will need to look in the opposite direction of where you’re rolling unless you don’t mind planting your face into the mat. Stieber rolls laterally across, bringing his opponent with him and creating back exposure. In addition to maintaining wrist control, Stieber also keeps his leg hooked in. This combination opens his opponent’s legs and allows for limited mobility.
When your best move isn’t enough, sometimes you need to have a back-up plan. Combining a simple leg ride with a roll through tilt, as Logan Stieber shows above, can give you the necessary points you need to overcome a stubborn opponent.
There are very few people walking on earth with the type of credentials that Logan Stieber has. World Championship Takedowns By Logan Stieber gives you a look at the techniques that helped him become a World Champ!