Position-based Defense and Counter Attacks

with Mark Cody,
Presbyterian College Director of Men's and Women's Wrestling;
former Head Coach at University of Oklahoma and American University;
2011 NWCA National Coach of the Year; 3x All-American

Fundamental defense from the feet is a trademark of great wrestlers. In order to win at the highest level, your athletes must be solid on their feet, and especially at defending opponent's shots.

Mark Cody's teams were known for their fundamentally sound defense and ability to score back points with their counter offense. In this video, he shows different defenses to the single leg and the high crotch. He emphasizes heavy hip pressure and shows ways to break a tight lock and finish the go-behind with a cradle or turn.

Stance, Motion and Downblocks

The most effective defense is always prevention. If your opponent cannot snap you down or get to your legs, he has no chance of scoring. Coach Cody demonstrates the proper stance and how to move in order to create angles to attack an opponent while keeping yourself in good position. You'll learn how to down block and sprawl, and how to recover from these movements to get yourself back in good position.

Coach Cody shares individual and partner stance and motion drills that are excellent for reinforcing solid positioning skills. They have a unique emphasis on creating forward pressure to prevent the opponent from initiating their own attacks.

Single Leg Defense

Coach Cody teaches defensive techniques from several positions:

• Low level - Various options depending if the opponent is in tight or extended; and how to score from a possible stalemate position
• High level - See a couple of options and how one can set up the other

When defending a single leg shot, Coach Cody emphasizes pressuring down on your opponent's head and applying hip pressure. You'll see how to apply constant hip pressure while attacking your opponents back ankle. He demonstrates how to score using a "high leg over leg under" technique, which puts the attacking wrestler in danger of going over to his back. Also, Coach Cody demonstrates locking through your opponents legs, which leads to cradle and turk opportunities.

High Crotch Defense

Coach Cody demonstrates leg in the air defense and a high crotch defense that is similar to the high single leg defense, except that the defensive wrestler squares their hips to negate the angle that the attacking wrestler has created. He pays special attention to defending against and countering the crackdown finish that has become so popular from the high crotch.

Defending and Clearing Ties

The Underhook and the 2-on-1 Russian tie are two positions from which many wrestlers will look to control the clock and set up their own offense. Here, Coach Cody shows several ways of safely clearing each tie-up without exposing yourself to attacks from the opposing wrestler.

Re-Shot Techniques

The re-shot is one of the best shots in the sport, and all elite wrestlers are good at it. Coach Cody demonstrates the basic theory of the re-shot and demonstrates how to use your opponent's motion to set up your own leg attack. Learn how to drill so that your opponent's shot becomes your set up.

The defensive techniques taught in this video will give your wrestlers an advantage on the mat. Being able to score from a defensive position is often the difference between winning and losing a match. Solid technique is critical in wrestling and can overcome strength and athletic ability.

"I can't think of a video that shows so many moves in an hour. Many of them are very unique so that makes this video valuable." - Customer Review

64 minutes. 2017.