Two Cradle Combination With Hudson Taylor
Finishing the match with a pin is the clearest, most decisive way to win. It’s the KO punch of wrestling. Regardless of your level learning the finer methods to ending a match is a great idea. Hudson Taylor is one of the NCAA’s All-Time Leaders in pins. He is #5 overall in number of pins with 87!
One of Hudson’s favorite ways to pin his opponent is by using some variation of the cradle. In his instructional with FanaticWrestling, Magic Matwork, Hudson covers all sorts of tilts, turns, and of course the Cradle! Lets check out some footage from Magic Matwork!
Taylor starts us off with a variation of the cradle he refers to as one of the strongest, but simplest. If you are just beginning your wrestling career it’s important to keep things as simple as possible. Luckily if you are just starting out this cradle Hudson demonstrates will help immensely!
By forcing his opponent’s ankle to the floor he forces them into an interesting dilemma with an easy solution. As the ankle flattens, Taylor starts to circle opponent’s weight towards the flattened ankle. This forces the opponent to lift his knee. Otherwise he could injure himself. By forcing this position Taylor makes his opponent choose the lesser of two evils by giving up the cradle.
Want more match-winning techniques? Click Learn More!
Hudson avoids most of the risk of the technique by using a cool variation that reduces his own back exposure to the mat. Taylor explains that if possible he tries to avoid exposing his back at all costs. While this rule isn’t written into stone, he prefers a different method to finish the cradle instead of a ‘suicide roll’ style finish. Hudson instead opts for a sit out style finish where he takes his opponent backwards over his leg that blocks his opponent’s base which you can see at the 2:26 mark.
Here is another variation that Hudson likes to use from the front headlock position. With enough control Hudson is able to break the rule of exposing his back to the mat during the cradle process. One key detail is how Hudson uses his head during the technique. He also removes at a critical time to complete the roll through to the ¾ cradle.
Once Hudson’s head pops out he is able to fully lock his hands. He starts to back away over his opponent’s legs which allows hip to prop their trapped leg against his hips. This is important because Hudson uses it to flatten his opponent out for definite back points, and possibly the pin you were looking for!
Magic Mat Work by Hudson Taylor gives you the blueprint to the techniques that helped Hudson become such a dominant wrestler. In this 4-volume instructional you will learn the essential techniques to dominate the match from EVERYWHERE!