Wrestling: Wrestling Techniques | Takedowns On Your Feet | Shuck and Duck

Posted by Myosource Kinetic Bands on 2nd Feb 2014

Coach T believes that the phase of takedown is the most important phase of wrestling. The wrestler who controls the takedown action generally controls the tempo of the wrestling match.

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Coach T’s Takedown Philosophy:

Stay in the Center of the mat - Do not back up. A lot of wrestlers are continuously going off the mat every 5 to 6 seconds and Coach T believes in staying in there to go after your opponent.

Stay in good position: attack stance – one leg out in front of the other, head is up, elbows are in, fingers are curled and relaxed – ready to attack opponent

Create Opponent Discomfort: Yank around, shuck head down, slap arms, beating up opponent to get him out of position - Ware down your opponent so he is ineffective – keep the pressure – attack, attack, attack

Use Level Changes, up and down, circle around, and in and out movement

Shuck: This is where you take your opponents head and bash his face off the mat to get your easy 2-point take down. Notice in the video the right arm is around opponents head and he shucks him down, makes his right leg disappear going to the side, and reaches over and grabs the rear ankle. A lot of wrestlers want to reach around the waist at this point, which gives their opponent leverage. We do not want to do this. We want to control our opponent by grabbing his ankle. Continue putting pressure on your opponent, get off your knees, and drive your opponent to the mat.

Duck Under: Coach T is a collar and elbow kind of guy when it comes to wrestling control and warring down your opponent. The idea of the duck under is to go under your opponent. This is a great move when your opponent is tired or out of position. If your opponent is in great position work to move him around until he is out of position to perform a duck under. For a duck under you will mash your opponents elbow in and then quickly throw it out to duck under his arm while bending your knees to make your chest touch your opponent’s chest. Make sure that during a duck under you never let go of the head. Notice in the video that John still has ahold of his opponent’s head to maintain control and move his opponent around. Where the head goes the body follows so this is crucial. Snake your opponent’s leg. Remember not to grab around your opponents leg. Your hand will be in a snack position with your fingers facing downward. Pull your opponents leg upward and flip him on his back.

Follow these easy wrestling tips with Coach T to bring the action to your opponent. It is very important to stay in a good position to master the Shuck and Duck, taking your opponent from their feet to the mat.

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