Newer Female Grapplers, Be Aggressive, Always, Here Is How And Why

April 21, 2023,

You would think that during fully competitive female submission wrestling that both combatants should know that being aggressive is extremely important and yet, during our extensive match reviews, time after time, one wrestler is not.

This is especially true during certain sequences of the match.

During the opening segment, where there should be aggressive hand struggle and behind the neck grasps, time after time we have seen a wrestler raise her hands up, in a blocking position, waiting for her opponent to attack her, as though her defense is her best weapon.

Mostly a very bad decision.

Then, there is the odd “sitting on the floor with your legs out” strategy where the wrestler involved dares her opponent to come forward. All the opponent has to do is move forward, swat her legs to the side and fall upon her in a cross body pin.

Later in the match, a passive approach is to fight from the bottom position because the wrestler involved has employed a floor to sitting, kneeling or standing body scissor. Though that may seem like aggression, it is not. It is very passive because now you have placed yourself in a position where, if your opponent breaks your scissor, and gravity is on their side, if they are fairly skilled, they will keep you on your back until they submit you.

We reviewed a match where Bianca of Italy kept Hungary’s muscle girl Dolly on her back for about 90 minutes of the match. We think you can guess who won that encounter.

Let’s remind ourselves what aggression means.

Sport aggression is the behavior that will exert force upon your opponent.

The power of aggression is that it often stuns or catches your opponent off guard. It may take them some time to recover and adjust to your power, thus, it provides you with an opportunity to make the first move and take the first step on a pathway that will lead to a submission.

Now, she is on the defensive.

What are two aggressive moves that may temporarily stun your opponent?

One, that has gone out of fashion, but as we’ve viewed in recent videos, is very effective, is the Monkey Flip.

A ground level Monkey Flip will stun your opponent. We have seen Hungary’s Sheena do this to perfection. Then it provides you with the opportunity to quickly turn and fall upon your temporarily stunned opponent. We know it sounds like big time wrestling but it does work.

The other not so often used technique is the hip toss and the arm drag. Instead of a full forward flip, it is more like a side take down.

This is a very good instructional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY3NgKb4pTo

So much of this starts with wrist grabbing. Once you get your opponent’s wrists within your grasp, it gives you so many options to maneuver and flip them around.

AGGRESSION FROM THE START

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We are throwing a lot at you so let’s simplify and look at this as a step by step process, right from the beginning of your match. In the majority of our female submission wrestling matches, you will begin from the knees.

First begins the hand fighting and wrist grabbing. Simultaneously, you might try and slip your hand behind your opponent’s neck to bring them downward towards a Guillotine or Triangle Choke.

Keep up the upper body war of attrition and through aggression, take a risk, and lunge at their head area for a headlock. If you can capture that headlock, you are at least 25 percent of the way towards a submission. Always remember, with the headlock, fall on top of their body. Applying a head lock from a bottom position is futile.

Here is a powerful video of the headlock, hip toss combination: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7N6Z27vf1U

The other surprise aggression option is to bull rush them. While you are hand fighting, lead them to believe that it will continue that way and then surprise them, hands out, pushing forward, with a bull rush. The key is to fall on top of them.

Very important, we say push with your hands because you don’t want to charge in and accidentally head butt her. Again, charge with your hands out first. Palms flat, so that you do not poke her in the eye.

ON THE GROUND

If things go well, your Monkey Flip, Hip Toss, Arm Drag, Headlock or Bull Rush will have your opponent down on the mat floor.

What might you do next?

Try and keep them on the mat floor.

The following is what we have seen viewing hundreds of videos of those who win and those who let their windows of opportunity close.

If they are on their stomach, as you sit upon them, work the head and neck area first.

If you have trapped them in a headlock, keep it from the top position.

As you work the head and neck area and they are trying to fend you off with their hands, pull backwards, roll them to their side and surprise them with a side body scissor. The combination of your head lock and side body scissor is brutal.

They only have two arms and hands so which one do they try and pry open first?

If they try and break the headlock, squeeze hard on that scissor.

If they try and pry open that side body scissor, squeeze hard on the headlock.

Something has to give.

Usually it will be your opponent.

After your take down, if they are on their back, try and keep moving forward towards the smother position. The key here is to slide your hand behind their neck and bring it forward to your chest while you press your chess down upon them, using all of your body weight.

It will become very hard for them to breathe.

Gravity is on your side.

The other situation that will tend to happen, as you more forward towards that smother, they will try and fence you off with clenched arms, blocking your forward progress.

Through a war of attrition, give them the impression that the smother is indeed important to you, then surprise them with a wrist grab, since they have made that easier for you through their fence blocking, and then pull them sideways for a body scissor at their waist while you are controlling their wrist and arms.

SUMMARY

We have reviewed countless videos of the elite in our industry and while they all take different aggressive approaches, they tend to end up in the same successful place.

Always remember, trained skilled aggression is always better than being passive.