10 Reasons Female Wrestlers Should Throw

Photo courtesy of Vanier College Athletics.

guest writer Shannyn Gillespie
IG: @coachshannyntalks
Twitter: @coachshannyn

Wrestling is a great way to stay in shape (mentally & physically) and throwing is one of the more effective ways to broaden skill sets, bring excitement to our sport, & perhaps even add more participants or sports to female wrestling. To those ends, below is some justification why coaches and students should add throwing to their toolbox of techniques.

Works in all wrestling styles
Many believe the top styles of wrestling in the US are folkstyle, freestyle, Greco-Roman, & Judo. Those same styles of wrestling are also visible in the sport of MMA or mixed martial arts. As you may have guessed by now, throws are used in all of the styles of wrestling just mentioned. So, if students of any of those sports learn & master throwing, they could potentially use them in all of those styles of wrestling with a high carry over value.

Actually, some of USA’s most successful wrestlers (who were also Judokas or Judo players) did transfer their Judo throws to wrestling throws i.e. Sandy Bacher: 3X Judo Olympian & Wrestling World Champ; Clarissa Chun: Wrestling Olympic Bronze & World Champ; Kristie Marano: 2X Wrestling World Champ & 9X World Medalist; Vicki Anthony: 2X Jr. World Champ & 4X WCWA Champ.

Score, pins
Most styles of wrestling keep score to determine a winner and the beauty of throws is they can be executed to pin opponents and immediately end the match. This means, if there is time left on the clock, wrestlers can throw & pin their opposition — no matter the difference in score. This makes throwing a very effective means for securing wins or pins in this case.

Basic skills of tie-ups, back step, & back arch reinforced
Three basic skills that many throws teach are tie-ups, back step, & the back arch. Again, the carry over value of learning basic movement skills, then applying basic skills to other moves is reinforced when learning & mastering many throws. A short list of techniques or wrestling skills that require either a tie-up, back step, or back arch are: most takedowns, neck bridge, gut wrench, ankle lace, & crotch lift. The importance of tie-ups will be discussed again during Greco-Roman World Championships below...

Sport-specific cross training
Because throws work the muscle groups from many different angles than many other wrestling technical skills, throws offer a form of cross training within our wonderful sport. Cross training is generally used to help or assist the body in strengthening muscles that will be used in the sport (for all sports).

Two other examples of cross training for wrestling include sprinting & weight lifting. Many coaches would not think of designing a wrestling training plan without sprinting nor weight lifting and many coaches add both of those methods to help or assist in strengthening the body for wrestling.

Throwing is such a unique wrestling skill that it can be seen as cross training to help or assist in strengthening the body for wrestling — and also a form of attacks or counter attacks specific to wrestling.

Counterability
One way to counter any wrestling technique is to learn that movement and essentially reverse its position. In other words, if one knows how the move works, it likely is easier to counter. The flipside of that theory is also true. This means, if wrestlers are unable to identify what wrestling technique is being applied, it will be harder to counter it. This idea is one of the main reasons many students of sport review or watch match videos → match video review helps wrestlers figure out what actually happened by watching the technique over & over again.

If a wrestler learns the move and the counter to it, she will be a more effective wrestler. In essence, learning & executing various throws gives students the ability to attack with those throws and identify or anticipate a counter attack with those same throws more effectively.

Broaden attacks
The next two paragraphs sort of go together. Good wrestlers seem to have a knack (anticipation skills) for when to execute certain skills based on the position or how their opponent moves or ties up with them. When a good wrestler can attack from most positions and ties from their feet, they become great wrestlers. Having more usable techniques in the “standup game” not only makes any wrestler more dangerous, it also gives them more moves to execute → which leads us to the next paragraph...

Less predictable
Adding throws to technical skills gives wrestlers an advantage to disguise or set up their attacks from similar ties, hand-fights, or transitions. An example of this idea could be a collar tie snap to a: double leg, front headlock, or headlock. Because all three just mentioned skills use the same set-up and tie, the opponent has to guess which attack is coming.

In other words, if any wrestler only has one move (technical skill) per set-up, they become much more predictable and much easier to counter. Throws give all wrestlers varied attacks especially when they have mastered leg attacks… Throws also give all wrestlers the ability to master hand fighting and tie-ups which again → leads us into another topic coming soon.

Many coaches don’t teach throws
Advantages in sports or games are central to scoring points in many cases… This suggests that because many coaches do not teach throws, wrestlers who are taught throws have a distinct advantage.

Greco-Roman World Championships
Greco, as Greco-Roman wrestling is called by many, typically has been a male only sport. Lately, many States have started to have female only Greco tournaments which is a great idea. Not only does this give females more opportunities in wrestling, but it opens up the door for female Greco: state tournaments, national tournaments, college tournaments, & eventually a Greco World Championships.

Greco, wrestling attacks from the waist up only, stresses hand fighting & tie-ups. This is mentioned because some wrestlers avoid tie-ups or hand fighting because either they were not taught both or do not like both. This is all the reason for many to get an advantage by learning those basic skills of wrestling. Advantages, in many sports, are why many teams practice i.e. trying to get an advantage over opponents.

Exciting & fun
Teaching throws and executing throws is fun plus creates a level of excitement parrelled only by pins in many cases. The beauty of throws, to the last point, is that many throws lead to pins. The other factor of excitement throws bring → is crowd enthusiasm. Throws allow the crowds or fans to enjoy our sport and really participate.

Many people understand knock-outs in boxing and most people understand when someone is tossed through the air to their back and pinned. Many readers likely have seen crowds erupt with enthusiasm when someone is thrown and pinned at a tournament. Excitement & fun brings more participants (fans & wrestlers) into wrestling and ultimately helps grow the sport...

Food for thought
I learned how to throw by default essentially… After my first year on varsity (my second year wrestling), I decided to learn how to defend headlocks because I had been pinned 10 times that year from being thrown in headlocks. Well, that lesson led me to not only yearn to defend headlocks, but also to learn the various other feet to back skills like chest-to-chest throws, inside trips, arm-spins, arm-throws, reverse lifts, & chest-to-back throws (suplays).

Most of those throws were taught to help me on my quest to learn Greco at a wrestling club (in the off-season). I was a good student partially because of the pain and memory of all of those headlock pins. Eventually, I became a high school state champion for Evanston Township High School (IL) and went on to place second at freestyle Jr. Nationals. After high school, I placed 3rd at the NCAAs or became an All-American for Lock Haven University (PA).

I can’t say throwing led to my success in wrestling — but I can say this… Before I was a high school state champion in folkstyle (or freestyle), I was a high school state champion in Greco. All this is to say, throwing was a huge part of my wrestling development and I believe it can be for you too either as a wrestler or a coach.