Types of wrestling pins

Wrestling is the ultimate one-on-one sport. Unlike the showmanship of professional wrestling, amateur wrestling relies on efficient moves and countermoves to end up with the victory or score a pin.

  1. The Half-Nelson

    • The half-nelson is a variation of the full-nelson and is one of the most common ways used to pin an opponent. The wrestler with the advantage slips his arm from behind under the downed opponent's arm. He uses his other hand to grab the back of his opponent's neck and pushes it down to the ground. He then drives with his chest and legs to roll the downed opponent over, making sure to end up chest to chest. The wrestler then lifts the downed man's head off the ground, finishing the move chest-to-chest with his head up and back arched, forcing the pin.

    Chicken Wing

    • The wrestler needs to start as the top man, with his opponent face down. The wrestler uses one arm to control his opponent's wrist and his other arm to hook the opponent's opposite arm. He then pulls the arm back to apply a chicken wing at a 90-degree angle across the man's back. He then drives his opponent over, ending up chest-to-chest. He immediately releases the arm from the chicken wing and locks in a reverse half-nelson to gain the pin.

    Cradle

    • When the opponent is face down on the ground, the wrestler in control reaches around his opponent's head and grabs the right shoulder with his left hand. The wrestler places his other hand between the opponent's legs, between the knees. He then lunges forward, forcing his opponent to curl up due to the pressure. The wrestler with the advantage then locks fingers and rolls backward, head-to-head with his opponent, driving the shoulders to the ground for the pin.

    Hip Toss

    • The two wrestlers face off in the over-under position. The aggressive wrestler steps across his opponent's leg with his far leg. He sets up his other leg to be the pivot point, drives in with his hip, pulls down on his opponent's elbow and flips him over to the ground. This move should drive the opponent to his back. The attacking wrestler then lands in a seated position, rotates to a chest-to-chest pinning position and scissors his legs for the pin.

    Guillotine

    • The attacking wrestler starts in the top position. He forces his opponent's near arm forward and "grapevines" the leg. He places his heel at his opponent's knee and then launches himself forward across the downed man's shoulder. He locks an arm under the downed man's chin in a cross-face, while keeping the leg secure and maneuvers him onto his back. With the leg secured, he drives his elbow forward, stretching the locked arm and forcing the opponent's head to the mat.