Youth Wrestling: Escape Fundamentals

Four-time All American Eric Akin has compiled a video full of essential techniques that wrestlers need to be tough on the mat.

Starting at square one, Coach Akin shows you stance and hand position skills in order to build a good stance on the bottom, which are essential to maintaining a base and defending attacks by the opponent. You'll learn how to be light on your hands to get hands and feet up quickly. The hip heist is a fundamental skill for escaping and reversing on bottom, and Akin demonstrates a hip heist drill series to learn how to feel comfortable executing the technique.

He then moves on to the fundamentals of a stand-up, switch, and finally the complex Granby Roll. The techniques you'll learn include:

• How to attack a hand and cut out for an escape. Hand control and cutting out to face the opponent are the foundation needed to finish to a stand up. No points are earned by the bottom man until he cuts out and faces the opponent.
• Sit out and head post. This is a great escape for developing wrestlers who struggle with stand up.
• A unique take on the switch. Coach Akin shows mistakes he believes are commonly taught on the switch and demonstrates a technique that may improve the switch from bottom.
• And much more!

He completes the DVD with several different counters to the highest used turns from the top position.

Coach Akin uses youth wrestlers of varying abilities to demonstrate the technique and drills that he uses in his own room. He has made this basic level series very easy to learn or teach.

54 minutes. 2014.