Wrestling Practice Drills

The wrestling practice drills used by Greco-Roman wrestlers may look unusual to the casual observer. It is important to remember that Greco-Roman wrestling happens quickly, and the execution of moves needs to happen rapidly as well. That is why the best practice drills develop speed and agility while leaving the strength to the weight room exercises.

1. Bridging Drill. Learning how to properly execute a bridge is essential to winning in Greco-Roman wrestling. The drill itself is simple, but as you get better at it your speed and strength will increase. Lie flat on your back with your feet shoulder width apart. Bend your arms at the elbow with your palms spread out flat. Keep moving your hands over your head until your elbows are sticking straight up, you arms are shoulder width apart and your hands are flat on the mat. Now slowly raise your hips until your body is in an arc with your hands and feet as the supports. Make sure to get your shoulders off the mat. Keep slowly repeating this until you become faster and more confident with it.
2. Line Hopping. Foot speed is essential to maintaining your advantage in Greco-Roman wrestling. One way to work on your foot speed is to do line hopping. Set up a series of three lines that are each two feet apart. With your feet together, hop side to side over each line while maintaining your balance. The faster you can hop from side to side over the lines, the more you are helping your foot speed.
3. One-Leg Balance. Some wrestling practice drills can seem to make no sense until you apply them in a match. To execute the one-leg balance drill, simply stand on one leg, extend your arms and other leg outward until they are parallel to the ground and hold that position for a count of 10. After the first leg is done, switch to the other leg. This simple exercise will give you the balance you need to win.
4. Shoot for the Leg. You need a training partner to do the leg shooting drill. You and your partner lock arms in the standing position. Then you bend your lead knee, drop your shoulder and shoot for your partner's leg. This is a take-down move, and you need to be very careful when using it. Alternate between who shoots for the leg, and the leg you are shooting for. Remember to practice dropping the knee and the shoulder prior to going for the leg.
5. Hip Toss. Greco-Roman wrestling is done at close quarters, that is why the wrestling practice drills are so important. The hip toss is done from one or both knees. Place your arm under your partner's arm, and toss him over your hip. The key is to practice the move until it is smooth enough that you can follow through with a pin or submission hold.