Critique My Wrestling Matches

[1v1]

I'm going to be a junior next year in HS wrestling and would like some feedback. This is after a long lay off from any type of grappling. I've focused most of the offseason to lifting and will ramp up wrestling this summer.

I was ultra stiff in these matches. I didn't finish one shot and mostly used my strength to out muscle my opponents. This is probably due to not wrestling in a while but I did do heavy 5x3 squats the day prior. I also went in with the mindset of getting over and underhooks and working high crotches and firemans from those positions. While I did tie up a bit I was really poor with head positioning, wasn't low enough in my stance, and too conservative. Looking back I had plenty of opportunities to snap the head and double.

I'm strong on bottom and top, but on top I mostly work arm bar tilts and chicken wings. I'm sure I could've worked a pin in each of these matches had I tried to work other moves.

I'm in the black singlet.

[YT]2YicUAxkjUw[/YT]
0:37 - Work the overhook for a potential fireman but can't get good head position.
0:59 - Stopped the shot with a wizzer. Should've snapped and reshot.
1:18 - Taken down. Not much I could've done.
0-2
1:55 - Solid escape
1-2
2:02 - Looking to hand fight and get a take down before the period is over
2:04 - Attempted arm drag to single. Poor head positioning and failed attempt.
2:28 - Attempt to chop arm and high crotch failed.
2:33 - Don't even know what kind've td I was looking for here.
3:33 - Looking to reverse by grabbing the foot
3:59 - Escape
2-2
4:03 - Shows my incredibly poor stance
4:15 - Get taken down by snap to sweep single
2-4
4:43 - On top
4:45 - Arm chop to two on one. Looking to bar up and tilt.
5:10 - Trying to get the guy to base up so I can bar up
5:33 - Opponent stalling

[YT]0YyfEMi_-7E[/YT]
0:13 - Hand fighting
0:17 - Attempt at russian
0:19 - Attempted sweep single. Should've snapped the head first.
0:25 - Solid single leg take down by opponent.
0:33 - I sprawl and hip in with a wizzer
0:35 - Work an overhook for a quick reshot
0:38 - Failed high crotch
0:57 - Opponent snaps my head
1:03 - Opponent looking for another low single
1:08 - Opponent latches on to double overs.
1:21 - Opponent shoots. I sprawl.
1:30 - Poor sprawl but I wizzer and hip in to end up on top.
2-0
1:38 - Could've ended the match here with a half.
1:47 - Work a quick tight waist, arm chop, and move to a two on one.
1:50 - Looking to tilt for quick points.
2:22 - I'm on bottom
2:46 - Escape
3-0
2:54 - Opponent is always making the first move
3:02 - Work an overhook
3:05 - Failed shot attempt
3:07 - Tight grip on opponents arm with overhook.
3:11 - Collision
3:12 - Should've shrugged across the arm and spun behind
3:22 - Opponent is tired. Should've snapped and blast doubled.
3:43 - Hit my left knee in a bad spot. Hurt like crazy.
Stalled on bottom the rest of the match.

[YT]TspAfgZDkf0[/YT]
0:22 - Snap head looking for a sweep single
0:23 - Opponents shoots a single, I sprawl,
0:26 - Attempt to cow catcher and quickly pin
0:33 - Looking to hand fight and get a baseball grip
0:41 - Looking for baseball grip again
0:43 - Opponent shoots, I sprawl, and quickly spin behind
2-0
0:45 - Work quick far side cradle
5-0 (I think 5?)
1:15 - Looking for two on one
1:21 - Trying to set up a tilt
1:29 - Bad attempt at scoring back points.
1:31 - Inexperience with leg riding is showing
1:46 - Have a banana split but let go for some reason
2:09 - Should've pulled the arm back for bulldog
2:25 - Choose top because I want a quick pin
3:02 - Have the chicken wing
3:05 - Run it
8-0
4:12 - Reversal
10-0
Win by tech

Just looking for some advice from others on what I can improve on. Thanks in advance!

 

[Bret Griffin]

Your videos are set to private.

 

[1v1]

Your videos are set to private.

Updated.

 

[Dirty Holt]

For a highschooler, you are doing ok. About average.

Your footwork and handfighting suck bro. I can say it because I dont know you. If you want to get to the next level, you need to improve those things drastically. BTW, your opponents were shitty too, so there is no excuse. 50% of your time should be spent on your stance/motion, handfighting, and footwork.

 

[karnifx]

For a highschooler, you are doing ok. About average.

Your footwork and handfighting suck bro. I can say it because I dont know you. If you want to get to the next level, you need to improve those things drastically. BTW, your opponents were shitty too, so there is no excuse. 50% of your time should be spent on your stance/motion, handfighting, and footwork.

Even though I've never wrestled I do have some Tai-Chi experience and cardio training improves coordinated footwork/balance too.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/grapgym1.htm

 

[Gfreak]

Even though I've never wrestled I do have some Tai-Chi experience and cardio training improves coordinated footwork/balance too.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/grapgym1.htm

What?

 

[karnifx]

Did I stutter?

 

[Gfreak]

Did I stutter?

I don't know, did you? Hard to tell if you have a stutter or not over text.

But it was more me having to believe I read that wrong, or mis-interpreted what you were saying... ARe you saying that in order to get better foot work and grip fighting. He should be doing more cardio?

As opposed to say... I don't know...foot work and hand fighting drills? :icon_neut

 

[youngsteinel]

You need to improve your hands from neutral. Your hands need to be heavier, your opponents are shooting right past your first three lines of defense (head, hands, forearms). Match his head level. When your opponent is in a three point stance or lowers his level, match his head level or snap him. You are giving your opponent's easy offensive opportunities. Your weight distribution is up. Get off your heels, work on moving your feet more. You NEED to move your feet much more.

You are anticipating your opponent's movement/tie ups/offense as opposed to creating your own offense. Get to YOUR tie ups and your positions. When your opponent reaches to "tie up", with the full intent to shoot, you react and hesitate for a split second, and your opponent shoots and scores. You need to stop reaching to tie up with your front hand. You are giving your opponent your legs.

Your sprawl seemed okay. You were doing an decent job of squaring. My biggest gripe with this is when you reach for the cross face cradle while you are sprawling. Get your two, lace the leg, then look for your cradle. Worry first about scoring your takedowns, your short offense. Once you have scored, then you go for the cradle. I have seen kids get away with this at the rec level but it is a terrible habit. A decent wrestler will not let you get away with giving up position like that.

Take these comments and criticisms you receive here and use it to improve. Holt is an olympic level wrestler, so he is going to give great advice. Good luck.

 

[karnifx]

I don't know, did you? Hard to tell if you have a stutter or not over text.

But it was more me having to believe I read that wrong, or mis-interpreted what you were saying... ARe you saying that in order to get better foot work and grip fighting. He should be doing more cardio?

As opposed to say... I don't know...foot work and hand fighting drills? :icon_neut

Actually yes, if that's where his strengths lie then yes. Believe it or not cardio does wonders for grip strength; meaning if he's plateauing with his grip strengthening exercises....then YES add more endurance cardio. Besides that regular cardio sessions over a period of at least 16 weeks can greatly reduce anxiety (like performance anxiety before/during a comp).

I just meant it as an addition to what Holt suggested really.

 

[youngsteinel]

Actually yes, if that's where his strengths lie then yes. Believe it or not cardio does wonders for grip strength; meaning if he's plateauing with his grip strengthening exercises....then YES add more endurance cardio. Besides that regular cardio sessions over a period of at least 16 weeks can greatly reduce anxiety (like performance anxiety before/during a comp).

I just meant it as an addition to what Holt suggested really.

Cardio is not what he needs to improve his wrestling footwork. To improve his footwork, he should obviously work on wrestling specific footwork (e.g. stance/motion drills, down blocking drills).

 

[KILL KILL]

Actually yes, if that's where his strengths lie then yes. Believe it or not cardio does wonders for grip strength; meaning if he's plateauing with his grip strengthening exercises....then YES add more endurance cardio. Besides that regular cardio sessions over a period of at least 16 weeks can greatly reduce anxiety (like performance anxiety before/during a comp).

I just meant it as an addition to what Holt suggested really.

Dude, go back to tai chi and leave the wrestling advice to those that have wrestled.


Like Holt said, your footwork sucks. you kind of just plod along. A good wrestler would have hit ankle pick after ankle pick. Be more aggressive with your hand fighting. Also work on changing levels. Oh yeah, and avoid thai chi and wrestle more.

 

[karnifx]

Dude, go back to tai chi and leave the wrestling advice to those that have wrestled.


Like Holt said, your footwork sucks. you kind of just plod along. A good wrestler would have hit ankle pick after ankle pick. Be more aggressive with your hand fighting. Also work on changing levels. Oh yeah, and avoid thai chi and wrestle more.

Hm, somebody on their period ic...

Yeah, stick with wrestling specific cardio drills and not tai-chi guy, obviously. It will improve your footwork.

 

[Dirty Holt]

I thought his cardio wasnt bad to be honest. Its an offseason tourny btw, so suggesting cardio as a means to get better over technique is backwards from what I would do.

 

[1v1]

Hey guys this was my first match of the season and I wrestled at 138. Please let me know what I need to work on to improve.

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[YT]OCRR-BzyzUY[/YT]

 

[1v1]

As you all can see I go for a lot of tilts and arm bars but my neutral is still definitely a weak point.

 

[Dirty Holt]

You have improved since this summer. Alot. That being said:

You reach so much and so badly that even shitty wrestlers can get to your legs with no set ups. Again, your hand fighting and head position are atrocious. Being a college and highschool coach I will tell you point blank: If you cannot learn to do that, you will have virtually zero chance at beating good guys.

You do not set up your shots. Ever. Against turds this might be okay, but you dont have the speed to get away with that against good guys.

Your top control and defense are pretty good. You need to learn to block the arm on your go behinds.

 

[Slick_36]

Damn, I wish I had coaching like this back in high school. Got to love the future...

 

[deadlizard]

what Holt said.

Your hand work and foot work sucks.

 

[youngsteinel]

You are reaching up high with your right hand.. and you are a right leg lead! It's not like you are tying up with it all the time either. HUGE mistake there. You have to avoid that.
You have to thumb-block or palm block with your back leg side hand first IF you want to tie with your lead leg hand. And I would say that you should probably stay out of that all together.
This hand (lead leg hand) needs to be down for defense. It's unacceptable to have your right hand positioned where it is. I understand it can be a nervous twitch, but look at how Tony Ramos has a stance. Heavy hands and they are down ready to block.
Another thing of note, this is your shooting hand! When you try to collar tie him with your lead hand every time, he is going to control your elbow every time. You want to avoid these types of things. You can get away with them against some opponents, but not high level wrestlers.

Look for arm drags as a go behind or some way to block your opponent from reaching up and stopping you from spinning. You HAVE TO block the arm. Also, NEVER fish for that cross face cradle while sprawling until you get your takedown and have your opponent's near leg hooked. It will only work on mediocre wrestlers. Get your takedown first. As soon as you fish for that cradle, you just give him your legs.

You are rushing your setups. I saw you try to go tap or snap and go, but you rushed it and it was extremely telegraphed. Work on the fluidity of your footwork and your level change so you can be more deceptive with this technique.

Same with the shrug. The technique was actually decent, you had your left leg forward, you grabbed semi-deep on your opponent's arm, it was just telegraphed a bit too much. Focus on the little things, like the proper footwork that will get your body out of the way for a shrug. Looking away as you are shrugging, which ensures the next thing I will say. When you look away, you are able to grab deeper on your opponent's arm. You want to get his tricep. You want to get deeper than you were when you attempted.
Work on elbow passes, underhooks, russians, snaps (good, solid, high percentage setups). I understand you want to be offensive, but you can't just dive-bomb at the legs. You should have a go to takedown (in my opinion) that is your bread and butter. Shrugs don't count. Once a guy knows all you have is a shrug, you are in trouble. My favorite (by favorite I mean, high percentage takedown that I can hit most effectively/comfortably) is my elbow pass high crotch. I suggest you get that bread and butter takedown. I'm not telling you to be a one trick pony, but every wrestler has their "favorite" or bread and butter takedown. Then as you add and learn new moves, more positions start to make sense. The moves start to flow into a chain, as opposed to just one move. Example of great wrestlers and their go to move:
Example: Jordan Burroughs- using fakes to shoot from space and hit blast double.
Another: John Smith- Low single from distance

Defensively:
Good whizzer, but you didn't work to sprawl, stuff his head, or square your hips when he shot in on that single. You just relied on your whizzer. A good guy will limp arm right out of that. Improve the sprawl from single leg takedown defense. Keeping your hips heavy and square to your opponent and the mat and stuffing the head.

Take this in stride, the wrestler's on here are blunt. You are improving and doing what you need to do. Have fun, enjoy wrestling, it's fun. I miss it, I wish I could wrestle still (if you couldn't tell).

Edit: Just noticed that my post earlier in the thread echoed many of the same sentiments. This was a more thorough breakdown though. I guess it shows that you are improving, but still showing the same overall weaknesses. Work on these things and you will keep making strides.