How to Reverse Wrestling Moves

The beauty of wrestling is in its simplicity. You and your opponent circle the ring, each of you hoping to find some small advantage that will let you achieve victory. Part of being a successful wrestler means that you need to know how to reverse moves. Inevitably, an opponent will have an advantage over you and you need to be able to turn their momentum around on them. Sure, going on offense is important, but if you want to be a well-rounded wrestler, you’ll have to learn how to put up a good defense.

Instructions

    • 1

      Get your timing right. After all, the element of surprise can help you catch your opponent off balance. If you are in a headlock, it usually isn’t a good idea to struggle in a constant fashion. Make moves at irregular times so your opponent is always guessing. Once you’ve caught your opponent off balance, you can use the same move.

    • 2

      Alternate the force you apply. You can twist expectations by putting forth, say, 80% effort when it comes to struggling out of a move. Soon, your opponent will think this is all you can do. Once you’ve fooled them enough, apply all of your might to spring out of the hold and reverse it on them.

    • 3

      Borrow some principles from judo and employ an opponent’s momentum against them. If you are grappling and your foe is pushing against you, trying to get his arms in a good position, let them have their way. Give in and allow them to push in on you a little bit. Here’s where you start your reversal. Their center of gravity is now closer to you, which means you can reverse the move they tried to put on you and slap it on them.

    • 4

      Go for the pancake. Sometimes the only way to counteract a lot of force being applied to you is to throw yourself into it, literally. Use the pancake move to reverse a wrestling hold by launching your legs backwards and putting all of your weight onto your opponent’s back. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to knock your opponent down and spin into the same move in which you were caught.

    • 5

      Flatten yourself. Instead of trying to flatten your opponent like a pancake, you can try to reverse a wrestling move by throwing your weight to the ground as hard as possible. If you’re being held from above, loosen your limbs and cast yourself to the mat. If your opponent loses their grip on you, get out from under them quickly and reverse the move.