As you probably know by now, taking an opponent down is difficult to do on your first move. A tough opponent isn’t just going to stand in front of you like a lifeless takedown dummy and let you hit your shot. In reality, most takedowns are a dogfight. You must be prepared to impose your position ruthlessly and finish your takedown even when you aren’t in a good position.
A way to increase your takedown success is to work the single leg position drill into your practice routine. Just like you would drill the technique of a takedown, it is equally important to drill takedown positioning from when your opponent starts to defend. The single leg is one of the most widely used types of takedowns, and being able to maintain good position and create opportunities to score in this position correlates to winning matches, especially at the intermediate level.
This guide will not explain specific single leg technique. Rather, the focus here is on drilling positioning when you’re in on the single and your opponent defends, and being able to quickly get to a position that you’re able to score from.
How it Works
The single leg position drill is extremely straightforward. One wrestler will start in on a single leg, and will constantly try to correct his position as his partner defends. The defensive wrestler will defend the single by pressuring into his partner with his hips, and also by throwing the offensive wrestler’s head inside and outside of his hip to add extra difficulty. Throwing the head is extremely important in this drill.
This drill is mutually beneficial for both the offensive and defensive wrestlers. Although it is used mainly to improve the offensive wrestler’s position when he is in on the single leg, it is also beneficial for the defensive wrestler as well because it allows him to drill basic single leg defense.
Getting Started
To get in position for the drill, one wrestler will start in on a single leg. This will be the offensive wrestler in the drill. It doesn’t matter if this wrestler starts with his head to the inside or outside of his opponent’s body (high crotch or outside single). The defensive wrestler stays standing and in good position to defend the takedown.
From here the drill starts. The offensive wrestler will try to maintain good position throughout the drill despite how his partner defends. The defensive wrestlers will constantly be pressuring in and trying to keep the offensive wrestler extended underneath him.
The offensive wrestler’s ultimate goal in this drill is to make it to the “corner.” The corner is the term used to describe the proper angle (in relation to an opponent’s body) one must assume when attempting to finish a takedown, and will be explained further in this guide. When the offensive wrestler successfully corrects his position and gets to the corner, the defending wrestler’s job is to throw the offensive wrestler’s head to the inside or outside of his hip using his hand or forearm. This will force the offensive wrestler to correct his position yet again, and make him work towards finishing the takedown some other way.
Getting to the Corner
There are many ways to finish a single leg, but you will experience the highest rate of success by finishing from the corner. The corner is the term to describe positioning your body at an angle to your opponent’s where you can finish. This is the best position for the offensive wrestler because your opponent cannot properly defend and pressure into you. Keep in mind that you want to get to the corner and finish your takedown as quickly as possible. Here are a few of the finer details of getting to the corner:
When your head is thrown to the outside: “Scoot” towards the outside of your partner’s body (the side of your partner’s body where your head is). Do this by knee-sliding on your near knee towards the leg you have control of. This may take many knee-slides. Get your outside leg up to pressure into your partner. As you do this, pull the leg you have gripped behind the knee in towards your hips, while getting your head and chest up. Maintain this good position and continue to scoot to the outside of your partner’s body, pressuring in with your outside leg until you are able to finish.
When your head is thrown inside: With your head to the inside, you want to circle towards the leg you have control of until you and your partner are facing generally in the same direction: This is the desired angle. Do this by getting your outside leg up to pressure into your partner. Circle towards the leg you have control of on your inside knee, pulling the leg tightly (behind the knee) to your hips as you pressure in. The key here is getting your inside knee close to your partner’s foot. As you circle to the corner, force your head and chest up, using your outside leg to pressure in. Once you are in a solid position with your head and chest up, and facing the same direction as your partner, finish as desired.
Finishing
After around 15 seconds the offensive wrestler will finish the takedown. You can go slightly shorter or longer, but the whole point is to reflect a match-like situation where both wrestlers are fighting for the takedown.
The best way to finish this drill is to have a coach or teammate signal for the offensive wrestler to finish using a whistle, or simply by yelling “finish!” This forces the offensive wrestler to finish the takedown from a less than desirable position rather than choosing the more comfortable way to finish. This will help the offensive wrestler get used to finishing the takedown from any position.
The focus of this drill is getting into a good position before you finish, so don’t rush for the takedown with sloppy technique. Get to the corner first, and then finish the single however you’d like. Converting to a double leg, cracking down, dumping, or just simply standing up with the single are a few good ways to finish. Drill a variety of finishes, but master a few that work with your style of wrestling.
Purpose of the Drill
The single leg position drill is very important for intermediate wrestlers to practice, as it reinforces the importance of adjusting your position when your opponent stops your initial shot. It is also beneficial for the defensive wrestler, as it forces him to react to each takedown that the offensive wrestler attempts, and reinforces solid defensive skill and strategy.
In order for the drill to be beneficial to the offensive wrestler, the defending wrestler must make it tough for the offensive wrestler to correct his position. The defending wrestler must actively defend whatever single leg position the offensive wrestler moves to, pressuring in to him and throwing his head inside and outside to simulate how an opponent would defend in a match. If the defending wrestler makes it easy for the offensive wrestler to finish the takedown he will not fully understand his positioning, and what he needs to do to correct it and finish a takedown in a match. So be a good partner, and drill hard!
