Hi, a fellow student at the Judo class I'm taking happens to be a wrestler. Whenever I randori against him he keeps low and takes a really tight grip. I'm finding it very difficult to push or pull to set up any sweep throw or takedown as he stiff arms very well. I usually end up being taken down by one or 2 legs. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Theres a couple of wrestlers in my class, one of whom has been doing it for 16 years and hes as hard as nails. He wears a yellow belt but hes at least blue belt level except for submissions. From the sounds of it maybe you should try Tomoe-nage(?), the one where you plant your foot on their stomach and roll back, seems to be my best anti-wrestler weapon. Also, if his grip is really tight it might tire after a while, so work it a lot. Not many people can maintain a strong grip for long.
hmm, I've never done a successful tomoe-nage. I've never been taught it though I have tried it in randori a few times. Whenever i tried it however my opponent never ended up on his back, I'm not sure what it is im doing wrong as I've never been taught it. Can you perhaps properly explain how to do a tomoe nage to me? Well his grip, just didnt give. He didn't tire out at all.
Tomi Nage won't work if he's too low, have you thought about a sacrificial hiza gurmuma? I've had great success with it against 'bulling' attacks.
Wrestlers have a training regimen that places great emphasis on strength and endurance. Maybe you need to work these in your own time. Also, make him work a little. From the way you say it, it sounds like he makes you tire out with all your attempts to throw him.
hmm, yes I could veyr much so be in better shape, though im not too bad off. Well, i dont tire out tooeasily, it more..just frustrates me as I can't pull anything off on him. I know part of it is that im still very much so an amateur judoka. I've been taking judo for only about 2 and a half months now. Yet I still cant help but be frustrated at the fact that I can't do much against him.
Hmm..i didnt ask but judging by his groundwork I'd say for quite awhile. He was very fierce on the ground and I definitly tapped out plenty.
Most of the guys that come into our BJJ class have been high school wrestlers and many have wrestled in college. If he is just new to BJJ or Judo I would just take him to the ground and go for submissions. Wrestlers are trained to keep their back off the ground, thus often leaving their back exposed and open for good choke. Also a good knowledge of grips on the ground can really stop bring their ground game to a screeching halt. Its tougher in a no gi environment however but they still dont know triangles and arm bars etc. However once they blend the bjj and wrestling then they make an awsome combination.
You should try to keep your hips low as well. Try going down and the popping up real quick to see if his balance waivers. If you go down and up real quick and it does waiver, try a throw like Yoko Otoshi or maybe even Kosoto Gake. Sometimes with wrestlers you have to take them out of their game a little and try not to do throws that involve turning your back. Usually a straight in or a downward approach will work a little better. Good luck, Scot
Should, would, could... Wrestlers are trained in achieving and mainataining control. Couple that with considerable bodily strength and endurance, and you have a very tough nut to crack. In my experience, although not as sophisticated as those in BJJ or Judo, wrestlers have some knowledge of armbars and chokes.
I never said it would be easy but having wrestled in high school myself and having a shodan in traditional jiu-jitsu plus now training BJJ I can speak from experience. The wrestler is strong, fast and conditioned, but they dont know submissions very well and they give up their back which is a big no-no in the submission grappling world.
Well first of all, your opponent needs to low and very up-tight. You almost need to jump into the the throw. You snap backwards and plant your foot (use the side of your foot) on the inside of his hip. Once your on the mat you can roll backwards and shoot your opponent with your foot. I'm not very good at this throw so my directions might be a little flawed, so ask your instructor about tomoenage I'm a highschool wrestler as well, in wrestling your always uptight and very rough. Strength, Speed and endurance are all very important in wrestling. You may want to research wrestling conditioning too, that will help you tremdously. Best of Luck, Preston
Chris. My suggestion is to get low, jam him, and sprawl. Many wrestlers are really good (and damn fast) at shooting in with double or single leg take downs. Maintain your balance, and when he goes for it, lower your center of gravity, shoot your feet back, and widen them as much as possible. That's the best way I've seen to defend against their take downs. And it still can be hard. Hope that helps.
Hmm he hasn't been in class for the past 2 weeks, though I hope he will soon. I'm eager to try all the advice you guys've given me. Thanks
I fight against wrestlers fairly regularly. The MAIN way I take them down is to take a high collar (Or even an over the shoulder, middle of the back) grip and counter throw off them. Usually by taking the high collar grip with my right up, they feel they can move in to my right side and attack. When they do, 99% of the time I hit them with a right sided harai goshi. Use hiza guruma to set them up. Stiff arms don't work against hiza guruma. Hit them with it. Combo it with itself. I am well known for throwing 2 and 3 and 4 hiza gurumas in a row to get movement. right, right, left, right... boom boom boom! Make them stand up. Hiza guruma, hiza guruma, ouchi gari... get them moving with the hiza guruma and then stand them up by slamming into them with an ouchi gari. Wrestlers are tough. They have tons of stamina and strength usually, but I have not met one yet who can keep up with a continuous attack. I have specifically started working on an ouchi gari to uki waza/yoko guruma combination for people like this. Hit them hard with the ouchi gari to make them commit even more to their front and then instantly drop for uki waza/yoko guruma (I say it like that because for me, the hands feel more like uki waza, but my driving leg ends up between ukes legs).
Wrestlers fight for legs and takdowns. However they tend to lean with a lot of weight forward. This may allow you to try an Uki-waza.
