Cradle

1. Assume the top position, with your partner flat on his stomach. Your hips should be behind your partners hips, and your hands should be in a position to reach around your partner's waist.

2. Plant one of your hands behind the corresponding knee of your partner: left hand behind left knee, or right hand behind right knee.

3. With your other arm, apply pressure across your partner's face with the forearm, and lift their head, moving it toward the knee that is pinned in position. It can take several lifting motions to inch an opponent's head close enough to their knee to lock up the cradle when they are giving full resistance.

4. When your partner's head is close enough to their knee, slip the arm behind the knee under their leg, and and clasp your hands. One arm will be around the knee, and one around the head. How far you must move the head to the knee is determined by the wingspan of the wrestler using the cradle. A wrestler with long arms will be able to clasp their hands without moving their opponent's head as far, and will generally find the cradle more effective. Use a finger-on-finger grip instead of a hand-on-hand grip. If you can reach far enough, a grip where each hand grasps the wrist of the opposite arm can be effective, and will result in a tighter cradle.

5. When you have locked your grip, rock backward, so that your partner's back is to the ground, and you are off to the side, with your grip still locked. Putting pressure on your opponent's side with your knee and extending your arms outward, while keeping them clasped, will tighten the cradle.