Winning Heavyweight Concepts: Mindset, Strategy & Techniques

with Tucker Lane,
University of Northern Colorado Assistant Coach;
4x NCAA Qualifier at heavyweight for the University of Nebraska;
4x NWCA All-Academic team

Mindset and strategy, regardless of stature, are just as important for victorious heavyweight wrestling. Tucker Lane was able to compete and win at heavyweight despite being at a size and strength disadvantage in many matches using the mindset and strategies taught in this video!

Creating Scoring Opportunities with Aggressive Head Control

Constantly moving and controlling the head forces a heavyweight to move, fatiguing them and presenting more opportunities to attack later in the match. Coach Lane demonstrates drills to develop the feel of how to effectively control the head. This pressure, applied constantly in the early rounds of a match, will lead to big dividends (scoring opportunities) in the latter stages of the match.

Control Ties: Underhooks

Once a wrestler has worn their opponent out with head pressure, it's time to focus on getting into a control tie so the athlete can attack their opponent. Lane focuses on three control ties:

• Collar Tie
• 2-on-1
• Underhook

He explains the objectives and reasons why he likes the collar tie and 2-on-1, but spends the majority of this segment showing attacks from the underhook.

Heavyweight wrestlers have monstrous hips and thighs, making it easy for them to defend bad shots by simply sprawling back. Lane shows why attacks from the underhook are ideal, because they don't put wrestlers in a precarious position when attacking, and, offer a high reward as the finishes are easy to execute.

The underhook is a dominant tie up, and no decent wrestler will just give it up, so Coach Lanes show you how to get into an underhook from two scenarios - when you have a collar tie and when an opponent over-extends. He also details the ideal head position from an underhook to maximize scoring opportunities.

After getting the underhook, four solid attacks are covered. These attacks complement each other and build a varied and highly successful strategy for heavyweight competitions:

• Snap down to a front headlock
• Execute a throw-by
• Hit a far knee pick
• Get a snatch single

Coach Lane goes into detail on how to execute and finish a snatch single, and why it should be a heavyweight's bread and butter move from this position on. After getting the snatch single, Tucker explains the more dynamic finishes from the single leg that don't work that well at heavyweight, and instead, shows how to elevate the leg to finish.

Defensive Techniques on the Mat

At heavyweight, a lot of easy points are given from the front head lock position. Coach Lane shows a simple method to get out of the front head lock by adhering to the principles of:

• Tripoding up
• Keeping arms close
• Grabbing the hand that's controlling the neck
• Getting the head across the chest
• Continuing to circle until you get out

When it comes to tactics on the mat, Tucker keeps it simple and shows why the best way for a heavyweight to get off their belly is to simply use their inside knee to get up into the referee's position, and pressure themselves to stand up from there. The technique is taught clearly, allowing even the most uncoordinated heavyweight to understand what they need to do. On top, you will learn how to counter this position to maintain top position and potentially rack up riding points.

Coach Lane provides all the techniques, positions, and strategies needed to be successful competing and winning in the heavyweight division!

66 minutes. 2018.