One of them, I call him Jeff (although his dad calls him Jeffrey), a particularly talented athlete (ended up winning 3 state titles), had just scrapped with me, and his buddy was next.

His buddy asks him, any advice?

Jeff replies, Yeah – just don’t touch him.

His way of saying he was about to get owned in handfighting.

Every since I became a competitor, I’ve loved handfighting – and have seeked out winning methods from near and far to add to my arsenal. Through my years competing in high school, college and international style, plus an additional 30 years of training athletes (woo, that’s old!), I’ve carefully crafted a system of handfighting that has helped wrestlers stymie top level opponents for decades.

So much so that it has helped many a ‘lesser’ athlete control and defeat athletes far more gifted than themselves.

Which goes hand in hand with this fact: most of the really talented athletes are lacking in handfighting skills. It leaves them vulnerable to athletes who learn how to handfight effectively and can tie them up in knots as a result.

Case in point, last year’s Big Ten championships where I observed a top level former national champion struggling to control his opponent, missing wide open handfighting opportunities – and losing as a result.

Here’s how you can tell if you struggle in handfighting….

If you get out of position (head down or away, elbows away from body, etc) when the opponents:

• Grab your head
• Get a two on one
• Grab your wrist
• Put a hand on you
• Get an underhook
• Get an over/under

Then you are potentially missing out on a ton of points and wins due to handfighting.

Even more:

If you struggle to flip ANY of those positions to your advantage, well…

Handfighting Superiority can help you

Even if you’re not convinced yet that you want to wrestle the Olympic styles of freestyle and greco – joining the club to supersize your handfighting skills is more valuable to your wrestling bottom line than just about anything else you can do.

Its a big reason why Freestyle and Greco will help you accelerate your handfighting skills to higher levels that are nearly impossible to reach without them.

Especially in my room where:

• I don’t take 100 kids or pack it in as tightly as possible
• I keep the number of athletes I accept to a level where every athlete gets my attention
• Have a question? I will always make time for you (stay after, see me at water break time – we’ll make it happen)
• Our culture here is built around support – veteran wrestlers often help less experienced athletes with their skill (my training regimen is designed to make this even more possible)
• Video training throughout the spring to re-enforce what was taught in the room
• Freestyle/greco essential DVD that every club member gets (and includes some excellent handfighting in it even though I rarely talk about that
• Systematic fast implementation training methods developed over decades, meaning you have an opportunity to retain important details at a much higher level than ever thought possible
• A full travel schedule that allows you to test your skills against athletes far and wide, not just in your back yard.

Speaking of numbers….

Because I insist on working with every athlete, and only take as many as I can work with in sessions, I strictly limit the spots available in my trainings.

Further, we are rapidly running out of openings. If you want in, grab your spot now before its gone.

Randy

Every year I see athletes commit two very big flaws while attempting a takedown.  These two are so prevalent that they can be seen in practically every single wrestling match.

Leg riders benefit greatly from two huge flaws that nearly every wrestler commits in attempting to counter legs.

Here are some of the most common fatal flaws in wrestling:

• Locking hands wrong on a standing single (cost the above mentioned wrestler a national title)
• Go behind attempt for takedown (2 flaws)
• Leg riding – positioning (going to the hip) and attacking with the wrong arm
• Two on One counters (committed by many high level athletes and taught incorrectly by many high level coaches)

Interestingly enough, most wrestlers and coaches believe they know exactly how to win from these positions, but sadly, most of them are misinformed, which is why these flaws continue to perpetuate.

There are at least 4 more on the feet that I can think of at the top of my head, (and probably another dozen if you give me another half hour), but I won't get into the specifics until the upcoming Takedown Master Camp, where I will be exposing these critical flaws in detail…and showing athletes in attendance how to beat their opponents by exploiting these weaknesses.

There are tons of them from the top/down position, in addition to the leg counters and top position, and you will be trained to take advantage at the upcoming Mat Crush Camp.

Youth wrestlers face even more fatal flaws, some related to beating head & arm and cement mixers.  These are easily fixed and you will be trained to do so at the Fall Youth Takedown Camp.

Every wrestler can win more matches immediately by learning how to beat fatal flaws.  That's why these flaws are exposed during camp – so you are ready to take advantage when the season gets rolling.

Please don't make the mistake of thinking you will “learn it on the fly” in the middle of the season.  Its a fatal error many people make, and unfortunately, the result is desperately trying to play catch-up in the middle of the season instead of excelling right out of the gate.

If you're a wrestler, now is your chance to learn what most don't know, expose and beat these fatal flaws.  Its agonizing seeing wrestlers devastated by losing in these ways.