Any details of sprawling I should know?

[Freddy Fisticuffs]

Recently a wrestler showed me how to sprawl, the points I remember were: shoot hips out, spread my legs, put one arm based in front of his shoulder, and push my chest onto his back.

Are there any others things I should know or be doing?

 

[judoka loca]

Stuffing the head

 

[Judochopatemi]

Recently a wrestler showed me how to sprawl, the points I remember were: shoot hips out, spread my legs, put one arm based in front of his shoulder, and push my chest onto his back.

Are there any others things I should know or be doing?

Be in the right stance. If you aren't in the proper stance you won't be in time to stuff it, especially not at your level.

 

[rmongler]

In reality, 'sprawling' is a broad category that can cover a number of different particular procedures in anticipation of particular techniques.

If there's one key element to good mid-line defense that often gets overlooked by a lot of folks though, it's the part of you that's going forward. If a guy is shooting in on your hips, you want to hit him first. Hip drive is the secret sauce. You crack him in the face with your hips like you're trying to knock him out, and this is what kills their momentum, and you can counterattack. That's what makes the difference between being able to drive through a guy folding him up like a deck of cards, vs smacking into a guy like he's a concrete wall.

 

[Freddy Fisticuffs]

Thanks guys!

 

[ArtemV]

Not having your weight/head over your opponent's back; instead, try to have your head up (as if doing the Sphynx stretch - sorry, don't know what you guys call it.) and put some pressure on their shoulder with your hand. Dake has some really nice details in his instructional if you're interested.

 

[Gabicho]

Most important thing I learned is that "just sprawling" doesn't work with good wrestlers. Don't get too confident after stopping a shot, thinking it's all over and underestimating the risk.
It's a continuous flow. Good wrestlers will already be ready for your sprawl and will have a plan B, C or D. Some people even specialize on this.
If you fall for the illusion that sprawling on a good wrestler will be enough to stop them, it won't. They will chain switches, drags, sit ups, turn corners. It would be like thinking that just because you blocked a boxers 1-2, there's no 3 on the way.
After sprawling you have to keep defending or counter attack. If you just lay on them, you will be in trouble 99/100 times against any decent wrestler.

 

[EndlessCritic]

There are many lines of defence when it comes to stopping a shot. Distance. Head positioning. Dealing with their hands and arms. Angles.

If you're already out of position, sprawling isn't some magical defence to a takedown.

 

[ChickenBrother]

Most important thing I learned is that "just sprawling" doesn't work with good wrestlers. Don't get too confident after stopping a shot, thinking it's all over and underestimating the risk.
It's a continuous flow. Good wrestlers will already be ready for your sprawl and will have a plan B, C or D. Some people even specialize on this.
If you fall for the illusion that sprawling on a good wrestler will be enough to stop them, it won't. They will chain switches, drags, sit ups, turn corners. It would be like thinking that just because you blocked a boxers 1-2, there's no 3 on the way.
After sprawling you have to keep defending or counter attack. If you just lay on them, you will be in trouble 99/100 times against any decent wrestler.

+1

A former D1 guy I used to train with did what he called a "shuck" when you sprawled. As he was shooting in he would anticipate you sprawling out and as you did, in the split second when your feet were off the floor, he would cup his hand on your hip and "shuck" you sideways so you went flying and he ended up in side control.

It was the most bizarrely effective counter to a counter I've ever seen and despite him showing it to me step by step and trying to drill it, I just couldn't get the timing or technique right. He said he had been caught with it so many times by high level competitors that he didn't even sprawl anymore as an initial defense.

 

[Freddy Fisticuffs]

Most important thing I learned is that "just sprawling" doesn't work with good wrestlers. Don't get too confident after stopping a shot, thinking it's all over and underestimating the risk.
It's a continuous flow. Good wrestlers will already be ready for your sprawl and will have a plan B, C or D. Some people even specialize on this.
If you fall for the illusion that sprawling on a good wrestler will be enough to stop them, it won't. They will chain switches, drags, sit ups, turn corners. It would be like thinking that just because you blocked a boxers 1-2, there's no 3 on the way.
After sprawling you have to keep defending or counter attack. If you just lay on them, you will be in trouble 99/100 times against any decent wrestler.

Thats a good thing for me to keep in mind! ill make sure to be thinking of my own plan B, C or D!

 

[Freddy Fisticuffs]

+1

A former D1 guy I used to train with did what he called a "shuck" when you sprawled. As he was shooting in he would anticipate you sprawling out and as you did, in the split second when your feet were off the floor, he would cup his hand on your hip and "shuck" you sideways so you went flying and he ended up in side control.

It was the most bizarrely effective counter to a counter I've ever seen and despite him showing it to me step by step and trying to drill it, I just couldn't get the timing or technique right. He said he had been caught with it so many times by high level competitors that he didn't even sprawl anymore as an initial defense.

Thats really interesting! Ill have to tell the wrestlers at my gym about this, they might be able to use it! So what did he do to defend against the shuck?

 

[ChickenBrother]

Thats really interesting! Ill have to tell the wrestlers at my gym about this, they might be able to use it! So what did he do to defend against the shuck?

I've since asked other former college wrestlers about the move and they weren't familiar with it so could have just been his particular game. Obviously required high level technique and timing and was out of my league to add to my game. For context the guy was 2 years removed from 4 years of D1 wrestling and walked about 155 though he had wrestled 133. So was definitely a smaller, agile guy move.

He was very smooth on his feet and liked to fake tie ups and head snaps into shots. I wasn't in his league so couldn't ever push him on the feet but he said against other high level guys, he would be wary of the shuck and would never sprawl back with both feet at the same time.

But if you're just learning how to sprawl, don't change what you're doing on account of this guy. I know I haven't. Sprawling is an effective defense against 99% of guys who aren't high level wrestlers. This guy was an example of "levels to this shit."

 

[Freddy Fisticuffs]

I've since asked other former college wrestlers about the move and they weren't familiar with it so could have just been his particular game. Obviously required high level technique and timing and was out of my league to add to my game. For context the guy was 2 years removed from 4 years of D1 wrestling and walked about 155 though he had wrestled 133. So was definitely a smaller, agile guy move.

He was very smooth on his feet and liked to fake tie ups and head snaps into shots. I wasn't in his league so couldn't ever push him on the feet but he said against other high level guys, he would be wary of the shuck and would never sprawl back with both feet at the same time.

But if you're just learning how to sprawl, don't change what you're doing on account of this guy. I know I haven't. Sprawling is an effective defense against 99% of guys who aren't high level wrestlers. This guy was an example of "levels to this shit."

I gotcha. well than i wont worry about it for now then.

 

[rmongler]

Thats really interesting! Ill have to tell the wrestlers at my gym about this, they might be able to use it! So what did he do to defend against the shuck?

That's something Askren touched on in his demo actually. Like you see JV kids do this a lot when drilling sprawls; they'll be practically throwing themselves flying through the air jumping and kicking their legs up, and that just puts you out of position. The point of sprawling back is as a method of stopping him from getting underneath you, in that particular moment against that particular effort, and that isn't served by hopping like a frog; you just directly drop your hips to the ground, taking the shortest path to getting your hips down.

 

[Freddy Fisticuffs]

That's something Askren touched on in his demo actually. Like you see JV kids do this a lot when drilling sprawls; they'll be practically throwing themselves flying through the air jumping and kicking their legs up, and that just puts you out of position. The point of sprawling back is as a method of stopping him from getting underneath you, in that particular moment against that particular effort, and that isn't served by hopping like a frog; you just directly drop your hips to the ground, taking the shortest path to getting your hips down.

I gotcha

 

[KOMRADE]

Recently a wrestler showed me how to sprawl, the points I remember were: shoot hips out, spread my legs, put one arm based in front of his shoulder, and push my chest onto his back.

Are there any others things I should know or be doing?

Sprawling is the easy part, learning what to do afterwards is the most important thing. Maintaining a good grip on your opponent as you kick your hips out is a huge Factor as the best spawlers either shoot right afterwards or hit their duck under/ sit through series as soon as they hit the mat because quite often it's simply a race back to the feet and you can exploit your opponent's overzealous stand up. On the other hand faking shots and getting your opponent to sprawl is a fantastic way to wear them down especially if you snatch a quick front headlock on your feet while your opponent has sprawled. Many points in wrestling are scored from Simply tricking your opponent into sprawling and then snatching his head and arm with a quick run around for the take down.

 

[Freddy Fisticuffs]

Sprawling is the easy part, learning what to do afterwards is the most important thing. Maintaining a good grip on your opponent as you kick your hips out is a huge Factor as the best spawlers either shoot right afterwards or hit their duck under/ sit through series as soon as they hit the mat because quite often it's simply a race back to the feet and you can exploit your opponent's overzealous stand up. On the other hand faking shots and getting your opponent to sprawl is a fantastic way to wear them down especially if you snatch a quick front headlock on your feet while your opponent has sprawled. Many points in wrestling are scored from Simply tricking your opponent into sprawling and then snatching his head and arm with a quick run around for the take down.

I gotcha! Thanks for the tips!

 

[KOMRADE]

I gotcha! Thanks for the tips!

Especially at the beginning levels if you can sprawl well after achieving any kind of head and arm control you are very likely to get the runaround. grab a head and arm and sprawl out (he should be in turtle or tripod with you sprawled out on your toes or knees) then reach under his armpit (with your head control arm) and grab his near tricep, then just spin to his back and immediately put your hooks in while you pushes his head down with the forearm that was once wrapped around his head. By reaching under his throat and armpit and grabbing the near tricep you stop him from using it to block your hips or seatbelts you as you try to run around.
This is by far the safest and most effective type of running around because you never lose intense pressure on his head and arm until you're locking in your hooks