Northern Michigan University/Olympic Training Site head coach Rob Hermann is here with four simple yet effective techniques that all wrestlers should have in their arsenals.
These techniques, filmed by Hermann while in Austria for a week-long international training camp, are coming at a most important time in the US. Folkstyle season has all but wrapped up for the age groups, which means that the international styles will soon dominate the landscape. Of course, the time of year shouldn’t matter as much, simply because good moves are good moves, regardless of where we are on the calendar.
Technique #1 — Arm drags
Using NMU Greco athletes Alston Nutter and Benji Peak, Hermann starts out with what he calls “the #1 move in Greco-Roman wrestling” — arm drags. “The reason why this move works is because there are no steps really involved,” Hermann says in the video. “All you’re doing is pulling him by.”
KEYS TO REMEMBER
- Inner and outer wrist control.
- Shoulder pressure.
- A near-drag pulls opponent by.
- A far-drag involves splitting the legs with your back leg.
Technique #2 — Off-balance
Primarily performed from an over-under tie-up, off-balancing techniques are important for wrestlers who are looking to gain position or setup takedowns. In the second clip, Hermann explains his version of the off-balance by noting that “there is no arch involved, it’s hipping him all the way around, a 360 all the way to his back.” Nutter pressures in holding a right-side underhook and then pummels his left arm underneath Peak’s right. From there, Nutter’s left hand juts in and remains in place on Peak’s side. Then Nutter’s right hand darts up towards Peak’s shoulder blades.
But the most vital components of the technique reside with the hips and the legs. “If you notice, there’s no arch, it’s just twisting,” stresses Hermann. Nutter pressures in enough from the tie-up to create counter-pressure. As the counter-pressure hits, Nutter’s back leg goes inside and he twists to the underhook side to complete the maneuver.
KEYS TO REMEMBER
- Pressure from over/under.
- Leg on underhook side is forward.
- Your back leg steps in and then you twist to the underhook side.
- No arch — just twist in 360-degree motion.
Technique #3 — Pressure gutwrench
“One thing I like about this is that you can turn anyone a weight class or two weight classes above you,” Hermann opens before demonstrating the pressure gut. The reason for Hermann’s confidence? The isolation of downward force. As Hermann locks up the gutwrench, he doesn’t cinch it tight right away. Instead, he focuses pressure on the gut side of his opponent with his shoulder. That keeps the opposition in place. Next, Hermann steps out with his back leg and easily rolls the gutwrench over for a quick pair of points.
KEYS TO REMEMBER
- All pressure is directed on arm of gutwrench side.
- During the step-out, your back leg goes into the hip to extend opponent out.
- Your back leg acts as pry bar.
Technique #4 — Korean Front Headlock
The fourth and final clip of the video features the “Korean front headlock”, which starts off similarly to a conventional front headlock until the actual finish is applied.
After snapping down his partner (Nutter), Hermann keeps his lock around the head and arm. But rather than arch back or roll to the side, he instead pounds his shoulder into Nutter’s lower back. He then pulls up on the front headlock, steps to his feet, and yanks his opponent head over heels.
KEYS TO REMEMBER
- Cinch front headlock with opponent on his hands and knees.
- Shoulder pressures into the middle back of the trap-arm side of the front headlock.
- Pull head up and take opponent head over heels.
Special thanks to 2017-18 Cadet World Team coach/Combat Wrestling Club founder Lucas Steldt for the filming of this video and providing technical key points.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE USA GRECO-ROMAN PROGRAM
SUBSCRIBE TO THE FIVE POINT MOVE PODCAST
iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Play Music | RSS
