Takedown Basics

The Stance should be the most secure part of every takedown. It is the foundation of a wrestler’s takedown success and the position from which all takedown attempts start. Therefore, the emphasis on keeping the knees flexed, keeping proper spacing between the feet, moving efficiently, keeping the arms close to the body, keeping the head up and maintaining your best position to attack as well as defend, should be considered a top priority when teaching or learning takedowns.

Wrestlers need to understand why they change levels and how it relates to the actual takedown. Wrestlers also need to understand how stance, motion, changing levels and the penetration step are all interrelated.

Learning how to penetrate is also one of the most awkward skills any wrestler has to learn. Perhaps that is why wrestlers have such a tough time mastering this very important skill. It is a skill that should be taught properly and should be drilled every day in practice. It takes a while to develop specific muscle groups and it also takes time to develop good penetrating balance and coordination. That can be accomplished by drilling 25-50 penetration steps across the wrestling room each day. Once a wrestler knows how to perform proper mechanics of the penetration step, this skill will improve very rapidly. Further, a great benefit of having a good penetration step is that you will be quicker, more efficient and will be able to learn takedowns at a much faster pace.