Light Years from the Spin Drill

It’s probably one of the most entertaining things to watch in youth sports. Little wrestlers with oversized headgear locked in a titanic struggle to capture the elusive takedown to win the match. All the while mom and dad, grandma and grandpa with video camera in tow earnestly help the coach in yelling instructions. In unison, “spin behind him, Spin behind him, SPIN BEHIND him.” From a distance the technique on the mat with the intense coaching and pleading from the corner, takes on an almost comical feel. But, years from now with practice, training, and countless hours of mat-time behind him the young wrestler will have advanced light years from the beginning technique of “spin behind him.”

Wrestlers starting out in the sport at some point in time learn the spin drill. One wrestler in the down position his partners chest to his back, spins to his left a short whistle burst sounds, and the wrestler on top begins to spin the other direction. The spin drill is the necessary beginning for coaches starting to teach motion from a close contact position. Wrestlers are encouraged to be quick with short choppy steps that spring around the bottom man. Eventually coaches instruct kids on the bottom to stop the spinning man holding up one arm, forcing the top man to change directions.

Kids in youth practices perform the spin-drill with such intensity that shirts become intertwined and the top man loses his balance from dizziness. All the while coaches are working hard to teach the youth to move in defense of an opponent’s shot.

Once wrestlers are successful at keeping balance and moving quickly in the spinning position, it is helpful to then progress the athlete’s footwork. Although wrestlers will still need to practice the basic skill in the spin drill and the speed it entails, at some point they’ll need to learn to high-leg out of a grip. The high-leg motion that wrestlers should learn is a great movement skill that will help increase a wrestler’s hip-heisting ability.

To teach the steps of hi-legging, practice using the motion from the spin drill position. Starting in front of the opponent’s head and moving to the right, have the moving wrestler (the attacker) cross-step under with his left leg. After the cross-step under, the attacker’s right leg—-his throw-leg continues the motion. Then, the wrestler will high-leg with his left leg. Following the high-leg step the wrestler will then cross step under with his right leg. Eventually, with practice a wrestler should build speed and be able to repeatedly cross-step, throw-step, high-leg, cross-step around an opponent. Of course, this motion skill should be perfected to both directions.

The ability to high-leg in close contact is a necessary skill in wrestling. At some point mom, dad, and coach begin to realize that “spin-behind” just doesn’t get the job done anymore. Young to experienced wrestlers at some point give up a shot and they are forced to fight against an opponent’s grip on their leg. The skill of high-legging out of the lock advances a wrestler’s ability to move effectively by increasing the pressure on the opponent’s grasping hands.

In practicing the high-legging drill wrestlers can see that their hands are more available to them to peel the opponent’s grip and perfect a go-behind for the score. Wrestlers will then have the ability to spin behind quickly, but if they are slowed by an attacker’s lock on their leg, then they can switch to the high-leg motion to break the grip and go-behind.

In the close contact situations that arise from an opponent’s shot, wrestlers must build upon the basic skill of motion. Wrestlers have to be able to quickly move in all directions and counter the attack in an effort to score. The mindset of defending or fighting off an attack doesn’t win matches by itself. Wrestlers must find ways to score and win. A real key in scoring is feeling comfortable in using motion in all directions against an opponent’s shot.

Wrestler’s learn early on to square off and limp leg against an attack. This ability of course is important in stopping the initial attack. There are many different directions and motions that a defender can use to maintain balance and reposition in order to seek the score. Competitive wrestlers should be able to move from contact in all directions.

Typically wrestlers, when faced with an opponent’s leg attack a wrestler will only sprawl and spin towards the reaching arm of the shooter. Wrestlers should learn that motion to the far side is still possible and when successfully learned can advance a wrestler’s takedown skills. The drive-switch to the far side is similar to reaching for a switch from the bottom position. The defending wrestler sits to his hip as he drives to the far leg. The defender will work into a seated position, much like a hurdler’s stretch. This far side attack gives a wrestler another option in defense of the single leg.

To go with the ability to high-leg to the nearside, limp-leg away from a shot, and drive-switch to the far side, wrestlers can learn more advanced motion skills off of an opponent’s shot. The motions of spinning-off a shot and back-stepping over a single are advanced motion skills. In order to perfect the timing, and balance required in these maneuvers a wrestler must practice these repeatedly.

Both skills require collapsing a hip on to the attacker’s back. The spin-off is best hit quickly after an opponent’s shot. Timing is a key element in spinning-off the shot. Once wrestlers learn the basic motion of the spin-off, then heavy emphasis should be put on practicing the move off of a drilling partner’s sweep single. Essentially a spin-off is a hard rotation back to the shooter’s hips. Instead of squaring off and trying to get chest weight on the shooter, the defender collapses his hip with the shot while reaching back and catching the far hip of the shooter.

The back-step over a single unlike the spin-off is most commonly attempted from a prolonged struggle after a single leg attempt. A wrester that fights off the initial shot but still has an opponent locked on his leg, should try to work the defender down lower on the leg towards the ankle. As the defender slides down the leg, space is created to allow a wrestler to move back to the other side.

Generally a wrestler should be able to position himself into a crotch lift. From there the wrestler should elevate his opponent’s hips, while driving off the soles of his feet. The goal is to stand his opponent on his head, while working his leg free to go-behind for the takedown.

However, sometimes a wrestler may back-step over too deep and miss the crotch lift. During these struggles wrestlers will be in a low-single scramble situation. When this occurs the defender of the shot should have an advantage because he has created the scramble. If he is prepared to win the position, he will aggressively sprawl his legs free and earn a go-behind takedown.

Occasionally wrestlers will face situations where an opponent elevates their leg in to a tree-top position. Even in these cases a well-practiced defender still has motion available to him to help counter the attack. Wrestlers with hopping and jumping power combined with cat-like balance can hit a kickout in defense of a shot. Kerry Boumans in the 2000 Olympic Trials successfully defended opponent Terry Brands’ single leg with a kickout. The kickout must be practiced and requires a real commitment to learn this advanced countering motion.

Once this skill is learned a wrestler should have a wide arsenal of ways to move against an opponent’s contact after a shot. Whether it be high-legging to the near side or drive-switching to the far side, collapsing a hip or kicking out of a high level single, motion is a crucial component for a wrestler to maintain in close contact wrestling.

As wrestlers further their skills of motion in all directions, eventually they will see more positions to score against an opponent’s shot. When an opponent elevates a single leg there is an instant in a match where a knowledgeable wrestler can hit a re-shot hi-c to the far side. The re-shot takes advantage of the motion skills that wrestlers develop through practice. By hopping hard to the far side and pounding the attacked leg back to the mat, a wrestler can re-shoot off of an elevated single leg.

Another position to score from a single leg comes with the development of motion and back arching skills. Often time in a high level single a wrestler will have an overhook on the near side. Since he is not in position to re-shoot against the single, he may choose to create a scramble by arching the opponent off of his feet using a lateral-drop. A key component to a successful lateral off of a single is the use of the lifted leg as an elevation tool against the shooter. Although the lateral takes time to learn, it can be used against a hard driving opponent.

In collegiate style wrestling, a defending wrestler can battle against the high level single by executing a complex rolling and re-shooting maneuver, often called a diver, dive-through, or hook and roll. This technique must be well practiced before it can be successfully used in a match. The dive-through counters in college wrestling have increasingly become more apparent in matches nationally. Wrestlers have found a way to defend against even the best of shots. Many times wrestlers like Jody Strittmatter of Iowa or Mark Munoz of Oklahoma State frustrated their opponent’s by countering a tough shot with a diver counter. A quality wrestler will be able to re-attack his opponent and limp-leg free for the takedown.

Once wrestlers learn motion in all directions and see the potential in attacking an opponent who is already in on their own legs, the possibilities are absolutely limitless. With practice and patience and an eye on advancing their technique wrestlers will then be ready to learn more complex, exciting, and match winning moves.

Wrestlers are often intrigued by the big scoring moves that can come from close contact counters. One such move that is taught to wrestlers in this position is the spladal. The spladal when performed correctly can be a thrilling match ending move. To correctly perform a spladal wrestlers will need many of the movement and balance skills that are practiced through the basics of wrestling.

Other moves that are highly advanced from close contact situations are match-breakers as well. When wrestlers are skilled in balance and motion and coached to learn knew moves the advancement is limitless. For example, out of a high level single a wrestler can counter an opponent with a back-trip tilt, also known as a cut-back tilt. The cut-back tilt can be an unexpected counter when unleashed in a match.

From the low-level position wrestlers are increasingly becoming better at off balancing an opponent by using a hip tip. Throughout the NCAA Championships last season more wrestlers were successfully countering the single leg position by tipping an opponent to his hip and spinning behind. A select few had perfected the ability to encircle an opponent’s head and arm while holding a defender to his back. A hip tip is another potential scoring move from close contact for wrestlers to learn.

Wrestling by all accounts is a difficult sport to learn quickly. The variety of techniques and the ability to “hit” moves against a defending opponent is not a simple task. To take a wrestler from the beginning of youth wrestling when they are still in “spin drill” mode and mentor them through increasingly more complex movements and maneuvers is an enjoyable and rewarding part of the sport of wrestling.

Fundamentally wrestlers should learn basic movements before they try the complex moves. But, wrestlers should always try to advance their technique in all different aspects of wrestling. There will be opportunities when talented and practiced wrestlers can use an advanced move to win a match. It will take time to perfect and careful study of technique coupled with sound basic skills. However, eventually, wrestlers should look back and remember the days when they first learned the spin drill motion, and be able to say, “man, I’m light years from that now.”