Folkstyle Wrestling Moves

What are Folkstyle Wrestling Moves?

There are three types of wrestling. The first type of wrestling is folkstyle. This is also known as collegiate style wrestling. This is what you see in the junior highs, high schools and colleges in the United States.

The two other types of wrestling are Freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling. These to types of wrestling are the international or Olympic wrestling styles. The United States is the only country that practices folkstyle wrestling.

What are folkstyle wrestling moves?

Folkstyle wrestling moves are any wrestling move that is legal or that is not illegal rather within the rules of folkstyle wrestling or collegiate wrestling. Many moves from Greco Roman and Freestyle wrestling are legal and carry over into folkstyle wrestling.

On my blog I recently posted some videos that demonstrate different folkstyle wrestling moves and drills. If you are interested in learning more wrestling skills then I suggest that you go to my blog and watch the videos. However, since this is an article and thus does not use video I will attempt to describe or explain what these moves are, how they are done and when you would use them.

The Granby Roll.

The Granby roll is a classic example of a folkstyle wrestling move. This skill is ONLY used in folkstyle wrestling and not in freestyle or Greco Roman Wrestling. This is a move that the wrestler will do from the bottom position.

You execute the Granby Roll by creating enough space between you and the top wrestler to move your hips out so that you are now at a T to your opponent. You are perpendicular to him rather. Then you want to catch his wrist and roll towards his head. As you roll you through your elbow in between his legs and catch the leg closest to you. When you come through you should, if done correctly, have your opponent on his back. You should be holding him there by locking his arm and leg around your body. Video explains this skill far better than I can with words, but I hope this helps.

Dive and Roll Single Leg Defence.

This move is not a high percentage move but from time to time, when a kid is really athletic or is a lot better than his opponent, this move works. This is a last resort way of getting out when your opponent has shot in and picked up your leg into the air. You are now hopping on one foot hoping not to get taken down. So, in desperation you turn away from the other wrestler, dive and roll. As you roll your leg kicks free. You then turn and face your opponent. Again, this is hard to explain if you have never seen the move. There is video of the move on my blog.

Head Lock.

The head lock is one of the most effective and most ineffective moves there is. It is a great way to score 5 points when you are losing or to get a much needed pin. It is important to do correctly and to know when to hit it otherwise a wrestler can get in trouble. You start by doing what is called a back step. It is a step you take to pop your hips through underneath your opponent so that you can then through him over the lower part of your back and onto his back. A great drill to practice this move is to have one wrestler pop his hips through and throw tehn hold the other person up. Then the other person pops his hips through and throws. You repeat this over and over.

Other folkstyle wrestling moves include:

the single leg, double leg, high c, fireman’s carry, arm bar, cheap tilt, stand up, knee slide, tight waist, cross face, 2 on 1, under hook.

I hope this is helpful.