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Mat Mastery Monday: How to shut down your opponents throws IMMEDIATELY

Ever had this happen to you?

Late in the match, you’re up by a few points.  Your adversary charges into you, (sometimes) gets you called for stalling…he locks you up in the 50/50 (aka over/under), launches you to your back and STEALS your match from you!

You did all the work, you built the lead, then he swiped it out from under you with one desperation move.

A move that could’ve been shut down immediately.

Whether you are a thrower now, in the future, or never, having the ability to shut down your opponents throws is key to winning closes matches like this one.

Its why, every spring, we train athletes to shut down the 50/50 right away, developing a system of attacks that fit like a glove with the shut-down techniques, so athletes can win using a 3 step process:

  1. excellent position including the precise details that get most wrestlers beat
  2. an array of shutdown techniques to keep you out of danger and off your back
  3. a 1-2-3 system of attacks based on your opponent’s naturally built-in human reactions

The first priority is excellent position and precise shut-down tactics – skills you can gain the very first night of ACE at our special Game of Throwns session.

You can also learn our slick 1-2-3 scoring system that will be taught at Game of Throwns advanced (learn more about that invitation-only session here

We start in a few short weeks, so join us now while there’s still space

Randy

PS:  This week’s bonus is a video – it will go out Friday morning to all who are signed up for ACE by Thursday at midnight.  This video will show you a subtle yet effective method for shutting down your opponents from the over/under position – a method covered on the first night at ACE, but you can see it now and use it in upcoming fall tournaments.   Its something that is rarely taught anywhere but can save you a ton of frustration and agony (in addition to greatly reducing your ‘air time’.)

Mat Mastery Monday: keys to winning from the most critical position on your feet

Today, I cover the most critical position to win from on your feet…

a position so important that state titles are won and lost from it every year.

This one position will have more to do with your success on your feet than your set up, leg attack or finish!

If you do what most do from here, you are likely to end up stalemated at best, or taken down at worst.

The position I refer to is the Short Offense position.

Front and center today is the most popular move from here, the Front Headlock.

There are hundreds of different takes on this position, and many ways to finish it.

The most successful methods meet the following four criteria:

  • good position is key.  Once you get the right hold, there should be close to ZERO % chance of your opponent scoring on you– and a very highpercentage of you scoring on your opponent.
  • put them on defense immediately – and keep them there.  If you wrestle to hold on – you will not score against the quality athletes
  • all moves from here should be fundamentally sound– never sacrifice position for a move(one of the biggest mistakes athletes make from here – especially hunting down fancy splash moves that get you beat more often than getting you takedowns)
  • a simple 1-2-3 step plan, with at least 3 moves in your pocket, that you can execute depending on the look you get from the opponent.

Our 3 step method to great front headlock positionis easy to learn.  Athletes who adapt to this method and learn it in a single session, and in a short amount of time, master it, resulting in shutting down their opponent immediately, and being ready to score.


The 3-move attack we utilize forces the opponent into one of a few choices – each of them leading right into your next attack.  I've seen athletes flip their front headlock from a liability to a major asset that they score multiple takedowns with, in only one week!

Since the front headlock is so crucial to success on your feet, it is a high priority that we implement at ACE (which starts in a few short weeks).

go here to join us this fall

Randy

The ‘don’t touch him’ advice a 3X state champ gave his buddy
The ‘don’t touch him’ advice a 3X state champ gave his buddy

Long long time ago in a galaxy not-so-far-away, I was working with a group of kids, along with mixing it up on the mats with them.

One of them, I call him Jeff (although his dad calls him Jeffrey), a particularly talented athlete (ended up winning 3 state titles), had just scrapped with me, and his buddy was next.

His buddy asks him, any advice?

Jeff replies, Yeah – just don’t touch him.

His way of saying he was about to get owned in handfighting.

Every since I became a competitor, I’ve loved handfighting – and have seeked out winning methods from near and far to add to my arsenal. Through my years competing in high school, college and international style, plus an additional 30 years of training athletes (woo, that’s old!), I’ve carefully crafted a system of handfighting that has helped wrestlers stymie top level opponents for decades.

So much so that it has helped many a ‘lesser’ athlete control and defeat athletes far more gifted than themselves.

Which goes hand in hand with this fact: most of the really talented athletes are lacking in handfighting skills. It leaves them vulnerable to athletes who learn how to handfight effectively and can tie them up in knots as a result.

Case in point, last year’s Big Ten championships where I observed a top level former national champion struggling to control his opponent, missing wide open handfighting opportunities – and losing as a result.

Here’s how you can tell if you struggle in handfighting….

If you get out of position (head down or away, elbows away from body, etc) when the opponents:

  • Grab your head
  • Get a two on one
  • Grab your wrist
  • Put a hand on you
  • Get an underhook
  • Get an over/under

Then you are potentially missing out on a ton of points and wins due to handfighting.

Even more:

If you struggle to flip ANY of those positions to your advantage, well…

Handfighting Superiority can help you

Even if you’re not convinced yet that you want to wrestle the Olympic styles of freestyle and greco – joining the club to supersize your handfighting skills is more valuable to your wrestling bottom line than just about anything else you can do.

Its a big reason why Freestyle and Greco will help you accelerate your handfighting skills to higher levels that are nearly impossible to reach without them.

Especially in my room where:

  • I don’t take 100 kids or pack it in as tightly as possible
  • I keep the number of athletes I accept to a level where every athlete gets my attention
  • Have a question? I will always make time for you (stay after, see me at water break time – we’ll make it happen)
  • Our culture here is built around support – veteran wrestlers often help less experienced athletes with their skill (my training regimen is designed to make this even more possible)
  • Video training throughout the spring to re-enforce what was taught in the room
  • Freestyle/greco essential DVD that every club member gets (and includes some excellent handfighting in it even though I rarely talk about that
  • Systematic fast implementation training methods developed over decades, meaning you have an opportunity to retain important details at a much higher level than ever thought possible
  • A full travel schedule that allows you to test your skills against athletes far and wide, not just in your back yard.

Speaking of numbers….

Because I insist on working with every athlete, and only take as many as I can work with in sessions, I strictly limit the spots available in my trainings.

Further, we are rapidly running out of openings. If you want in, grab your spot now before its gone.

Randy

How to advance your wrestling skills as fast as humanly possible this wrestling season.

Human Nature compels us to always look for a short cut. We are programmed to search for the fastest way to get better with the least amount of work.

Many times in wresting, that means going around to different places trying to find the latest, greatest move or technique…searching for better opponents or more opportunities to wrestle.

The truth?

There is no magic bullet.

But there is a proven path to greater skill advancement – faster than you can imagine. Many athletes have made huge leaps in skill from using this simple approach.

Just to be clear:

  • It will take some thought on your part.
  • It will take some work on your part.
  • It will take some commitment too.

But if you take this simple tool and use it, your skill level as a wrestler should look like this:

This free tool will show you the path to a more successful season starting with your first match. But don’t wait…one of your opponents is probably grabbing it right now.