What Are The Best Wrestling Moves and Techniques To Learn?

Wrestling is the best martial art today, with thousands of fans around the world. It is a very old sport, and people have been playing this sport since 3000 BC. Since then, there have been a lot of changes in the sport. When you compare the art of wrestling, which was played in ancient times, with the art played today, you will find a lot of differences, particularly in the moves and techniques. But the basics are the same. The purpose is also the same, with the primary purpose being to defend yourself.

If you are a beginner in wrestling, you might be confused just by seeing the moves and techniques in wrestling because there are a lot of moves that you can learn. At first, all these moves will look good to learn. But you must start with the moves that are easy to understand the concept behind them, and to execute. 

No need to be confused any longer because we have compiled a list of the best moves and techniques in wrestling, which are explained in the article.

The following are some of the best moves you should definitely consider for learning and training wrestling:

• The double leg takedown is a wrestling move in which a wrestler uses both arms to cover the legs of their opponent and grab both legs with both hands.

• The most important thing for executing the double leg takedown is that you have to be closer to your opponent. You cannot execute this move if you are far from your opponent. You should not be too close, and you should not be too far from your opponent; otherwise, you cannot execute a double leg takedown on your opponent. So, if you are not closer to your opponent, then the thing you must focus on is the penetration step.

• Penetration means that you are far from your opponent, and you are trying to get closer to them to grab their legs. This penetration step is very important for you, as it can decide whether you will be able to successfully execute this double-leg takedown or not. For example, if you are getting closer to your opponent too slowly, then your opponent will easily know you are going to do that, and they will, in response, do some action to save themselves from the double leg takedown you are trying to do to them.

Follow the steps given below to do the double leg takedown perfectly:

• The first thing you need to do is close the distance between you and your opponent. Don't get too close, and also don't stay too far. The distance between you and your opponent must be intermediate.

• After closing the distance between you and your opponent, the next step you need to take is the penetration step.

• There are a lot of ways to do the double-leg takedown step. You can do the head snaps in which you pound over your opponent’s head, and then you quickly bend down. Other ways include hand ties and baiting your opponent by changing your directions multiple times.

• The easiest way to do a double leg takedown is to just pound over your opponent’s shoulders. This will make your opponent think that you will stay in a standing position and execute a technique or move in a standing position. So you are baiting your opponent to execute the double leg takedown.

• After doing the previous step, suddenly bend down with one knee on the ground in front of your opponent’s legs, and your other leg must be a little bit farther away from your front leg.

• Now, drive yourself forward and put one leg between your opponent’s legs. Grab their legs with your hands. Move your other leg, which was far from your opponent’s legs, and wrap it around your opponent’s legs.

• In the final step, you have to form a T symbol with you and your opponent. Hold your opponent with their legs and put them down on the ground with your hands. The shape will be exactly like T between you and your opponent.

• The second wrestling move you should learn is the penetration step. Learning this move will help you in performing many other wrestling moves and techniques, such as double leg takedown and single leg takedown. These are both types of takedowns.

• If you are in a good martial arts or wrestling training school, then they certainly know the importance of this penetration step, and that is the reason most likely that they will teach you this step first, because this is the base for many wrestling takedowns. But there is one exception, and that is if you are following the style of Greco-Roman wrestling and training in the wrestling training school that also follows the same style, then you will not be able to practice this penetration step. This is due to the fact that in Greco-Roman wrestling style, it is prohibited to target your opponent’s legs for the attack.

• However, if you are in some other style of wrestling, you can target your opponent’s legs for your attack. So you should start practicing this step until you become a master at it.

Follow the steps given below to learn how to do the penetration step perfectly:

• First of all, close the distance between you and your training partner.

• Then put your one leg on the knee between your opponent’s legs.

• Then move your other leg and place it near your first leg.

• After this, get back to your initial standing position.

• Continue doing this penetration step for some days, and you will master the move.

A snap down wrestling move is a technique in which you snap your opponent down. In this move, you are pulling your opponent downward from a standing position when they are a little bit hunched. You do this typically by grabbing their head or neck.

Follow the steps given below to learn how to do the snap-down wrestling technique perfectly:

• Look for the opportunity when your opponent slightly bends down and moves their shoulders or head down, whether they are doing this to defend against your move or executing some move.

• Whenever you find the opportunity, you must also bend down a little bit while trying simultaneously to hold their head or neck.

• After holding or grabbing their neck or head, move your legs a little bit back to assist yourself in pulling your opponent down to the ground.

• Now, pull them to the ground, and you will end up having your opponent in turtle position.

The fourth wrestling move you should learn is the sit-out position. In this technique, you are either escaping from a submissive position or putting your opponent into a submissive position.

Follow the steps given below to learn how to do the sit-out wrestling technique perfectly:

• The sit-out position steps depend mostly on the position you are in against your opponent.

• However, generally, the sit-out position has some of the same steps that you always go through, no matter what position you are in

• So consider yourself in a position or situation in which you are submissive against your opponent, or your opponent is trying to execute some move on you.

• So first you will move your one hand, which is free to move, against your opponent and take it away from yourself and your opponent.

• In the next step, you are going to place your leg that is opposite to the hand that you have placed far from yourself. For example, if you have moved your right hand away from yourself and your opponent, then you will move your left leg after this.

• So when you have moved one leg and one hand away from both you and your opponent, you will move the other hand and leg suddenly.

• No, while you are moving your second leg and arm, you have to make sure you are doing this suddenly, and you are now in a sitting position, away from your opponent. Mostly, you will have your back against your opponent at this position when you have moved both your hands and legs away from them.

• Next, clinch your hands and then move them in front of your chest. Push your hands against each other strongly. Not only this, your forearms must also be touching each other strongly.

• This is the sit-out position that you have entered, and you have successfully defended yourself against your opponent’s dominant position or move.

Single-leg takedown, as the name indicates, involves taking your opponent down using their single leg and grabbing them with both your hands. Single-leg takedown, unlike double-leg takedown, has many variations. You can choose any variation to learn and start practicing it. After mastering one variation, if you find any other variation better, you can go for learning that one also. One of its most common variations is the High crotch single leg takedown, or simply high C single leg takedown.

Follow the steps given below to learn how to do the single-leg takedown wrestling technique perfectly:

• For doing a single-leg takedown, the first step you need to take is to get closer to your opponent.

• After getting closer, get your one leg between your opponent’s legs. That leg must be on your knees. That is usually your rear leg. Keep your front leg behind you.

• After putting your leg between your opponent’s legs, grab their leg by putting both arms around it. You must place your arms around your opponent’s knees. Your one hand must be on one side of your opponent’s knees, and your other hand must be on the other side of their knees.

• Clap both arms together and put them tightly. Apply force on their knees so that they cannot get rid of your hands to free their knees from you.

• Your body must be straight in a way that your head is in line with your hips.

• Next, you must do two things at the same time. One thing is to lift your opponent by grabbing their knees with both your hands. The next thing is to stand up by getting your far leg closer to the leg between your opponent’s legs.

• These two things must be done by you at the same time. This will ensure that you are putting your opponent on the ground.

• The shape is usually a T shape, which forms when you have put your opponent on the ground.

Now you know about the leg takedowns, such as single and double leg takedowns. But you should also know how you can defend yourself against these leg takedowns when your opponent tries to do such moves against you. For that defense, there is a move or technique used in wrestling, which is known as a sprawl. Sprawl is a defensive technique used to prevent your legs from being grabbed by your opponent, whether it's one leg or both legs.

Follow the steps given below to learn how to do the sprawl defensive move perfectly:

• You have to keep looking when your opponent starts bending down a little bit. That is the point where there are maximum chances that they might be trying to execute a single-leg or double-leg takedown.

• So when they bend a little bit, you must step backwards.

• If somehow, they managed to reach your legs and have grabbed them, the next thing you need to do is to move backwards.

• You need to do three things. First, move your legs backward and away from you and your opponent. You can do this by slightly jumping off the mat and then moving backward.

• The second thing to do is to put your hips on the ground. The third and last thing is to push yourself against your opponent’s back.

• Now you have successfully taken yourself out of the danger situation and transformed yourself into a safe position.

• The next thing you can do is to take your opponent into any position in which you become dominant over them. So sprawl is a very good way to transfer yourself from a bad position to a good position.

• One defensive move is not at all sufficient for you to defend every time. Because if you are using the same technique for all your defensives, then your opponent will surely prepare themselves for the next time you make the same defensive move. This will be because you become too predictable if you continue doing the move again and again. They will find something to act against your defensive move.

• So the point is that you cannot rely on only one move for the whole of your wrestling match. You should learn some additional defensive moves. This way, you can execute different moves against your opponent, and they won't be able to predict your next defensive move, so they have no solution other than quitting their take-down attempt on you.

• The move that you should learn is the whizzer move. This is the move that can help you defend against many takedown attempts, including leg takedowns such as single leg takedown and double leg takedown.

• Whizzer allows you to defend against your opponent’s takedowns by applying pressure on their shoulders and armpit. Under this pressure, they are not able to perform the takedown.

Follow the steps given below to learn how to do the whizzer defensive move perfectly:

• The first step in the Whizzer wrestling move is the overhook step. In this overhook, you put your arms over your opponent’s arms.

• The next thing to do is to direct your arms, forcing your thighs or your shin.

• The last step is controlling your hips. You have to direct your hips towards your opponent’s head.

• These three steps will apply pressure on your opponent’s shoulders, and ultimately, they have to stop their takedown attempt, keeping you safe from takedown.

The chicken wing wrestling move is a very effective move used to target your opponent’s arms. It is like an armbar in wrestling. Armbar is used in BJJ. The same technique with the same target but with a little bit of variation is used in wrestling. Chicken wing has two variations depending on the control of your opponent’s arms. If you are controlling their single arm, then it will be known as a single chicken wing, and if you grab and control both arms, then it is known as a double chicken wing.

Follow the steps given below to learn how to do the chicken wing move perfectly:

• The target in the chicken wing is the upper arm of your opponent.

• So, first, find an opportunity where you can grab their arm or biceps. It is usually done when the back of your opponent is exposed to you. Leveraging this good opportunity, all you have to do is grab their arm across their back.

• Across your opponent’s back, you can control one or both arms at the same time.

• Once you have grabbed their one or both arms, the next thing to do is to apply pressure using your body weight and movement.

• The pressure will cause a lot of pain for them, leading them to submit themselves to you.

The front quarter nelson is a very effective technique used in many martial arts, but with a little bit of variation. A variation of the front quarter nelson is also used in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. If you can master it, then it is a very easy and quick technique for forcing your opponent into your control.

Follow the steps given below to learn how to do the front quarter nelson wrestling technique perfectly:

• In this technique, you are doing a clinch hold across your opponent. Mostly, you are holding your opponent’s head or neck.

• To do the technique, put one of your hands on your opponent’s back and move the other hand into your opponent’s arms, and then grab both hands together. In this way, you have grabbed your opponent’s head or neck with both your hands.

• Next is the step that depends on you, on how you can precode with it. There are various options available for you. The first option is that you can put your opponent on their back on the mat. You can do this by circling around against your opponent while keeping their head or neck grabbed.

• The second option you can do from there is to push their head downward towards the mat.

• There are various other options available that you can do from this position. It depends on you whether you want to attack further or move them into some submissive position.

The last wrestling move in the list of best wrestling moves is the switch technique. This technique, as the name indicates, helps you to change or transform your position from a submissive position to a dominant position. You often experience the moments in the professional wrestling sport where you are under your opponent and getting dominated by them. You might think, What is the way for you to get out of such a position? The answer is a switch wrestling technique.

Follow the steps given below to learn how to do the switch wrestling technique perfectly:

• The first step is to break the grip of your opponent. The most effective way to do this is to try to move the grip and then to your free hand. Use your free hand with your gripped hand to break the grip. Try to move the grip in different directions. This will help you loosen their grip.

• The next step is to move your hips away from your opponent.

• Grab their one leg with both your hands.

• Then push them on the mat, and now you are in a dominant position. You have switched from the submissive position to the dominant position. 

Wrestling is a very extensive sport that consists of a lot of techniques and moves. But to avoid your confusion, you can start your wrestling journey with these moves and techniques. These are considered the top 10 wrestling moves to learn, both as a beginner and an expert. The list contains both defensive and offensive strategies and techniques. So pick one move and start training it. Do it daily until you think you have become a master at it, and then move to the next technique.