Two Great Turns From A Crossbody Ride
Riding legs is a great position to be in when wrestling in the top position. It puts a lot of pressure on the guy on the bottom because all of the top guys weight is riding directly on them. When it comes to riding legs, there are a couple of different variations. One of the more common is a crossbody ride. A crossbody ride is when the guy on top puts one leg in and rides across his opponent’s body as opposed to parallel. Here are two great turns from a crossbody ride.
The Pin Up
To start this move, you must first get the leg in. If you are starting in referee’s position, the best way is to simply bump the arm forward on the side you want to put the leg in. Watch how Taylor does this to make room for him to slide his leg in.
After the leg is in, the front hand comes over the top of the opponent’s armpit and hooks onto the big tendon that is there. At this point, a very common defense for the bottom guy is for them to sit to their hip, but when they do, use the hook in the armpit and the other hand on the waist to roll them all the way through.
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When you roll them, you will be all the way on your side and they will be posted up on their arm. If they do not post up on their arm, then you can just roll them the rest of the way through. Be sure at this point you still have a nice deep lace on the ankle and have the hook in the armpit. With the arm and shoulder that are on the mat, you will hook the opponent’s wrist and lock onto the back of your own head.
Once you have the wrist locked onto your own head, a hook in the armpit, and the leg still in, pop your hips and roll them to their back. Once there, hold them there to get your five count. The control you have on the wrist will help to prevent them from rolling away from you and the hook in the armpit will help to prevent them from rolling into you.
After you have gotten your five count, start to transition over top to work for the pin. Watch how Taylor throws the other leg over top and works for a power half and slowly transitions to a deep half position.
Thread the Needle Roll Through Tilt
This move starts the same way the other did, by bumping the bottom guy forward then blocking the arm to put the leg in. Once the leg is in, the arm in front is going to hunt for the far arm and scoop it up at the elbow. When the guy on the bottom feels their arm getting scooped off the mat, they will often grab their own thigh to prevent it from being pulled out.
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Now from this position, the guy on top should have the leg in in a crossbody ride position with their opponent elbow hooked. Top guy needs to slide his arm out just a little then with the back arm, reach through his opponent’s legs to grab the wrist is locked onto the thigh. Once the wrist is secured, the top guy is going to roll. Guy on top needs to roll over their front shoulder. While the roll is happening, top guy needs to turn his head and look back behind himself. To generate the power to make the roll happen, the top guy is going to use the leg that is not hooked in to push off the mat then kick it 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. The tighter the top guy can keep the bottom guy the better.
Be sure to spend a lot of time in a crossbody ride in practice before you go out in a match and try to throw a leg in. A leg ride is a difficult top position that takes time before a wrestler is comfortable in it.
Logan Stieber and Hudson Taylor are among the top college wrestlers. Stieber was a four time national champion and Taylor is in the top ten most pins in NCAA history. If you would like to learn more in depth technique from them, be sure to check out their video series. Stieber’s is called “The Armbar Blueprint by Logan Stieber” and Taylor’s is called “Magic Mat Work by Hudson Taylor”.