Signature Move Series: Cliff Moore's Push Back Series

with Cliff Moore,
Edinboro University Assistant Coach;
2017 EWL Champions;
2004 NCAA Champion; 3x All-American at Iowa; Back-to-Back Big Ten Champion

NCAA Champion Cliff Moore shares the bottom technique that made him one of the most difficult wrestlers in the country to ride. In a step-by-step demonstration, he shows you how to perform the push back and how to adapt it to overcome the most difficult wrestling rides.

Top wrestling has become increasingly better in recent years so any new tools wrestlers can put in their repertoire will help them win at the highest level. The best top wrestlers are using the claw, tight waist and crab ride to immobilize the bottom wrestler. Coach Moore shows you how to beat these rides with his push back position.

He begins with the fundamentals of the push back. He covers how to start from the bottom, how to drive through hips, how to crash the opposite side elbow and finally, how to react when the top man defends your positioning. He demonstrates a great drill for the beginning wrestlers that teaches them to switch hips as the top man digs for tight waists from side-to-side.

From there, there are three ways to go: Stand up, tripod, or attack the head.

• Stand up: Coach Moore shows how to attack hands properly to not give up wrists. He demonstrates a great drill to attack the top hand and put it into the pocket, which prevents opponents from using the opposite hand to lock up the wrists.
• Tripod: The goal is to push back into the opponent, getting him to slide forward off your wrestler's shoulders. By continuing to use hand control, your wrestler can clear his hips and escape.
• Switch: Coach Moore shows how to recover if the tight waist is close to your athlete's belly and also how to recover from the belly. A modified push back drill will get the opponent's weight off of your wrestler.

Defending the Crab Ride, Tight Waist and Claw

Crab Ride Defense: Coach Moore covers all three ways to reverse from a crib ride. He demonstrates many common positions and how to clear hips to get a reversal. He finishes by showing how to stand-up from a crab rider.

Claw Ride Defense: Coach Moore starts by demonstrating how to get into the sit out/push back position when a claw is put in. It is crucial to keep the opponent's hips off and to stay down low. The keys to defending the claw all go back to the sit back position, picking a side and attacking hands. Coach Moore shows some instinctual positions that actually prevent your wrestlers from getting away and how those habits can be broken.

Near Wrist/Bar Arm Defense: Coach Moore shows a technique that will eliminate a near wrist ride. He demonstrates how to get back to the basic push back position and how to transition from almost going to the back to getting to your feet and away.

Coach Moore includes five specific drills to help inexperienced wrestlers grasp the fundamental positions needed to be effective, and he shows advanced wrestlers how repeatedly going to these positions can clear any position from the bottom.

More and more wrestlers feel comfortable riding in a crab or claw and keeping opponents down on the mat. This series of techniques eliminates that advantage by using the top man's comfort and tightness to the bottom man's advantage.

60 minutes. 2014.