High Crotch and Double Leg

Cornell Camp Moves:

High Crotch and Double Leg

Clint Wattenberg

The set-ups and finishes that I use for my high crotch are the same as for my double leg. My favorite and most effective set-up is the POST.

(NOTE: all directions in parenthesis refer to a right-handed wrestler)

High Crotch & Double Leg Set-up #1: Post

If your opponent reaches and touches your shoulder, drapes his arm on your shoulder or head, or controls you with a collar tie, then your post will be effective. When your opponent does one of these things, block his arm just above the elbow with your (left) hand, with your palm facing away from you, and thumb inside. You can grab the arm if you want, but the key to this move is to drive his elbow toward his ear, at a diagonal angle. This creates the correct angle, both to get him off balance and to block him from getting his elbow down and countering your shot. As you drive his arm into his ear with your right hand, you grab whichever leg of his is forward with your left hand as you penetrate. If his left leg is in front, then you will end up with a double leg, and if it is his right leg forward, then you have a high crotch.

High Crotch & Double Leg Set-up #2: Elbow By

When you have inside control on your opponent, you can elbow him by to either a high crotch or a double leg. Once you have inside control (my arms are inside his) I need my fingers to drape outside his elbow, keeping my thumb on the inside. As I straighten my arm quickly, I must push his elbow across his body. At this point, I need to hold his elbow tightly to keep his elbow extended across his body. Now, attack his lead leg, either with a high crotch or a double leg. A trick to this set-up that is often forgotten is the pressure that I put on his elbow. As I push it across his body I need to pressure down toward his opposite (left) foot.

High Crotch

Good penetration is key, as is not “shooting across the body”, meaning not shooting at the back leg or at an angle. Once you set your opponent up, your penetration step with the inside (right) leg, should be at least even with the leg you are shooting at. This way you are able to drive into your opponent. As your knee comes down, and not before, your trail leg (left) will swing around and your foot will plant even with your right knee. Make sure that your foot does not drag as this swing takes place because that will slow you down. This is the position that you should strive to get to: right knee down, left foot planted, ready to drive off of, with your back straight, chest up and hips in.

Double Leg

The simplest shot, which is not a bad thing. The double leg is very similar to the high crotch, only you attack his other (left) leg with your attack (right) hand. You penetrate with your inside leg (right), at least as far as your opponent’s lead foot. This allows you to drive into your opponent and knock him backwards. When your knee drives through and hits the ground, your trail leg swings around the side and you will plant your foot even with your other knee, which is planted in the mat. Position should be the same as for the high crotch, only the goal here is to lock your hands around his legs, just below his but.

Bump Across finish to High Crotch or Double Leg (Clint Wattenberg)

When in good high crotch position, you should be elbow deep around your opponent’s (right) leg with both of your hands. Move your (right) hand to your opponent’s other (left) leg. Now step up with your (right) leg that was on its knee, and step parallel to you opponent’s feet. DO NOT DRIVE INTO YOUR OPPONENT! This will result in you being rolled through or cement jobbed. Drive across his feet, blocking his (left) leg, lifting his other (right) leg, and driving your (right) ear into his ribs, knocking him off balance. Remain on your feet and keep driving or shuffling or side-stepping (to your right) until he falls to the mat. As he falls, you drive your (right) shoulder into his belly/ribs and secure the takedown in this double leg position.

Turk finish to High Crotch or Double Leg

The Turk works best when you are doing the Bump across finish. As your opponent begins to fall when you are shuffling across his feet, you must lift his (right) leg and hook his other leg above the knee with your left heel. As you both fall to the mat, you must elevate your heel, and keep it above his knee. As you do this, you need to clear your arm (right) that was blocking his knee by limp arming it to the other side of is body. From here, reach back and secure a cross face. The importance of Clearing your arm is that is ensures that he cannot roll away from you, and he shouldn’t be able to escape into you if you have is leg properly elevated with yours (left).

Mat Returns (Clint Wattenberg)

There are two mat returns that I like to do. The first is the most basic, where I simply lock around his waist, lift him up, use my knee to sweep his legs out from under. I drive him into the mat by driving my shoulder into his ribs. It is important to make sure that his hip or side hits first, not his shoulder in order for this to be a legal mat return rather than a slam.

The mat return that I prefer, though, I am able to score back points out of. When my opponent stands, I will try to lock my hands, or go to a spiral ride. As my opponent cuts away, and tries to face, I reach up with my hand (right) and secure hook on his shoulder, much like the top half of a spiral ride. As I secure the shoulder my other (left) arm drops around his (right) leg, and wraps it like I am in on a shot, which I will be soon. Once the leg is secure, I release the shoulder, and my hand (right) reaches across and blocks his far knee (left). Now I am in a double leg bump across position, and I will finish to my Turk.

Legs (Clint Wattenberg)

I get into my legs when I’m riding by hooking my opponent’s (right) ankle with my (left) leg while he is on his knees. Once you get into this position, you need to drive with your back (right) leg, which lifts up his hooked leg. This is the opening that you need to throw your boot. As you are driving, and lifting his leg, you need to almost jump with your back (right) leg and throw your heel into his upper-inner thigh. Your other foot releases his back ankle as you anchor under his thigh, and hooks under his (left) ankle. Make sure that your hips are high on his back, and not sliding off to the side. You need to be mostly parallel to your opponent’s body. Now you are in good position, but if the guy is strong, you may have a tough time breaking him down. To do this, grab his (left) wrist with both hands, thumbs pointed away from you. Now all you have to do is rip this arm out, while lifting up on his (right) thigh and out on his (left) ankle.

Now that you have your opponent broken down, you don’t need to hook his (left) ankle with your toe, unless he is able to build back up to a base. If this happens, break him back down the same way that you just did. Hook your (right) toe on your now free (left) heel. Make sure that you keep your knees wide. This provides a good lever to crank your opponent over with. To do this, lift up with your (right) foot, which will lift his leg and bow his back. Swivel your hips and weight over his far (left) hip, which you have blocked with your (left) knee. You also need to apply a cross-face at the same time as you turn him with your legs. Be sure not to fall down to your (left) hip. STAY UP ON YOUR (RIGHT) KNEE. You should be able to expose his shoulders here, but sometimes, he can squirm his chest down toward the mat just enough to not give up backs. To secure back points here, you must let go of the cross-face, and reach past his face, and GRAB his far (left) shoulder. Now, straighten your arm, and his back should be exposed.

Once you receive your near fall points, its time to go for the fall. Release his shoulder (right arm), and place your forearm along the side of his face. Now, turn his face so that his cheek touches the mat, and put it under your chest. Sometimes he will try to turn hard into you, in which case you will let your (right) leg slip out, and you will slide into a double grape-ride, or “Saturday night ride” position.

Duck-Unders:

Steve Garland

A duck under is any move where you use your level change as a means of getting around your opponent quickly and scoring a takedown.

Main Parts:

Your level change is imperative in executing any duck under successfully. I use a “split step” duck under to finish the move. The split step level change is very simple. I use it as a means of generating power on my duck. All I do is change my feet and lower my level at the same time.

Set Ups:

From a head and collar tie up: I use this one a lot when the man is tired. What you do is get a good grip on the head and then with your other hand you get an inside tie on the tricep/bicep and pull his arm down and in to his body. His natural reaction of course is to pull his arm out. When he does, you use your split step to get under the arm and then you finish the move by cutting the corner.

**Notice on all duck-unders your head must be looking to the ceiling. You must keep your head looking up and over the opponent’s body. This helps you keep good position and helps you finish the move.

This duck is the most common duck you will see.

The Cross Duck:

This duck-under is more complicated and harder to hit. With this move there is a different “step” or level change. In any cross duck you want to make your opponent think you are attacking one side of the body (by faking that side) and then you will duck back to the other side.

Set Ups:

The most common set up to this comes from a double inside tie up. This means that you have both your arms inside the opponent’s arms, controlling him using your fingers around his triceps and your thumbs inside his biceps. From this position your fake a single to one side and duck back the other way. You want to penetrate deep on the fake single. This is what sets up the duck the other side. You almost want your head to hit the man’s hip and right before it does your duck back the other side. This is the “two step” set up. Your body goes to one side and then duck back the other side.

More specifically here’s an example: If I am leading my right leg, I will fake a single to the right side and then duck back the other side using the two step level change.

Elevators

Steve Garland

An elevator is a move used from the bottom position on the mat where you actually use your opponents momentum to reverse or escape.

The move itself:

When using an elevator from the bottom position it is extremely important to remember that it is your opponent that actually reverses himself when it is done right. You want to use your opponent’s pressure against him. The more tork he has on you, the better off you are.

First step in executing this move is that you have to use your foot to hook his leg. I usually try to hook right under the knee cap (so that if the foot slides down you still have the opponent hooked at the calf). Once you have the hook secure you wait until the opponent drives your forward or runs a spiral ride. As he does this you use the momentum of his movement against him by locking him at the elbow (on the same side of the hook) and hitting your hip and rolling. As you roll you hip heist out. This is the most important point of the end of the move. If your hip heist isn’t good, then you won’t get the points.

Parts of the move:

1)hooking the leg right where the knee and the top of the calf meet.

2)use opponents pressure against him

3)hook arm (at triceps) and roll

4)hip heist thru

Short Offense:

Steve Garland

In order to learn the techniques behind short offense you must first know exactly what short offense is. This term is used to describe the position in which you stop your opponent’s offensive attack (or shot) and you in turn counter-attack and score off of his bad shot. Basically, when your opponent takes a bad shot, or you stop a one of his good shots you end up in a “short offensive” position. If you have executed your defense properly you will have an underhook on one side and your other hand will be tugging down on the opponent’s triceps (pulling him towards the mat). You must keep all your weight on him/her, using your hips to drive his/her head into their own chest. This makes the opponent very uncomfortable as well as keeping him immobile. Once you are in this position you are ready to score. Here are your options:

1) If opponent stays down you: SNAP AND PULL. You will snap out the underhook side and pull down hard with your other hand (the hand on his/her tricep). This drives your opponent into the mat and you then can execute a “go behind”.

2) If opponent comes up hard and fast after you snap him/her: You can execute a “pancake”. The harder the opponent fights the snap and comes up the easier it is to hit. A pancake is when you whip the man over using your underhook and hip power.

3) If opponent hits hip on pancake but doesn’t go all the way over: you can then take the arm off the triceps and use it like a sledge hammer. Take this arm and smash it in the back of oppponent’s head. This will cause him/her to nose plant into the mat and then you can execute a “go behind” the other direction.

4) If opponent tri-pods up: you can hit and ankle pick. This works great (in my opinion) on the shorter, stockier guys who like to come up in this fashion. To execute the ankle pick you merely drive the persons head over the ankle you want to pick and then attack at heel.

**Remember: The most important part of this move is to feel comfortable in the Short Offense position. I strongly recommend getting in this position with partner and get used to it before trying it live. Once you have the position down the rest of the moves come easy.