Wrestling without pausing at the edge of the mat is something that many athletes struggle with at the high school level. It is common practice to become lazy towards the edge because you feel nothing can happen and that is something we want to focus on breaking this week from your end and capitalizing on when your opponent does it.
As you and your opponent move towards the edge pay attention to a couple things about his movement:
- Is He Standing Up Straight?
- Is He On His Heels?
- Is He Looking At The Clock?
These first few are important and can happen at any point in the match. If he’s doing any of them, ankle picks at the edge (drag your feet) and duck-unders/drags are a great way to get a guy who isn’t tired but is already cutting corners.
Later on in the match you might find your guy doing the following after a push out.
- Walking Back To The Center Slowly
- Putting His Hands On His Hips or Head
- Breathing Heavily Out of His Mouth
These three are signs your opponent is getting tired. As a wrestler, train yourself to breath through your nose in long controlled breathes. This not only keeps you calmer and more in rhythm but it will prevent your opponent from hearing you’re tired.
Now that your opponent is running out of gas you will have a better chance of hitting doubles, fireman’s carries, and other “power” moves on the edge of the mat.
Let me tell you right now – nothing will break your opponent more in a close match than you scoring a take down at the edge of the mat.
