The Fundamentals of Wrestling

Your success as a wrestler is a direct result of your mastery of the fundamentals. These fundamentals are critical to the sport and should be the focus of your child's development. These skills are still necessary at the high school, college, and Olympic levels and are the foundation for all other skills. After mastering them, a wrestler can build upon them to expand their overall technique and skill.

The 10 Fundamentals of Wrestling

While there are a number of different ways these fundamentals can be used and shown, these ten elements are going to be the basis of what your child will learn with the club.

1. Stance: The stance is your body position and posture on the mat while in neutral. It can be parallel or staggered depending on the situation or personal preference. It provides the perfect balance of offensive maneuverability and defensive protection.

2. Penetration Step: The first offensive movement that puts you in a position to score. Without a sound penetration step, the wrestler will struggle to consistently take their opponent down.

3. Level Change: The act of raising and lowering your hips to set up or execute an attack or to counter the moves of an opponent.

4. Neutral Position: The starting position in which you stand face to face with your opponents with your shoulders square in the wrestling area.

5. Referee's Position: The starting position in which one wrestler is in top position and the other wrestler is in bottom position.

6. Takedown: A move which you take your opponent to the mat and gain control from the neutral position.

7. Reversal: A move in which you go from the bottom position of defense to the top position and gain control.

8. Escape: A move used from bottom position to separate from your opponent and get out of their control.

9. Breakdown: A move used from the top position to get an opponent to the mat and in a better position to be turned.

10. Finish: The act of pinning your opponent and techniques used to secure a fall.