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...

  Alright guys and gals, if you remember earlier in the summer, I did a piece entitled the “Too Early Top 25.”  This is going to be a bit more of a broad view on that previous piece. These are the top 25...

  Alright guys, as some of you I’m sure have already read, we here at Fanatic Wrestling have released the men’s freestyle roster for the world championships September 14-22, 2019 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.  In the men’s freestyle blog we told you who would...

  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:September 14-22, 2019 Where: Nur-Sultan Kazakhstan Later this month, the USA is sending its best wrestlers in the country to the freestyle and Greco world championships.  This will be the last big tournament on the international circuit before the 2020 Olympics next...

  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...

  A majority of wrestlers offense comes from taking shots and other attacks like front headlocks or ankle picks. One area that is sometimes neglected is upper body throws. Even though throws won’t be a wrestler’s primary form of offense, it is still...

  There have been many great athletes in the realm of combat sports, but none have been able to accomplish what Henry Cejudo has been able to. At only 32 years old, Cejudo has won an Olympic gold medal in wrestling and currently...

I’ve been on this kick lately about some of the unspoken transferable skills that transcend the sport of wrestling, and help wrestlers on their way to becoming successful adults.  Success comes in many different shapes and forms, and it definitely varies on the...

  You can’t go wrong with a single leg takedown, that’s for sure. Always reliable, never wavering, the single leg takedown is one of the most basic wrestling moves that are taught to new and inexperienced grapplers. There have been many variations of...