The curriculum
36 studies in six stages. Work down the page; each stage stands on the one above it. Every study is a solo rehearsal of a shape a coach has already shown you, except the two marked as two-figure illustrations.
Foundations
The base, the level change and the four ways the feet move. Everything else stands on this.
- Stance / base checkRepeatable posture
- Level change / resetStable return
- Stance / circle movementDirection control
- Square stance / holdKnow both bases
- Forward step / rear foot followsStep, then base
- Lateral step / never crossMove over, not around
- Referee's position / bottom baseA base you can move from
- Stance motion ladderDirection without height
Mechanics
One movement at a time, slowed down: ties, entries, finishes and the shapes that stop them.
- Solo penetration stepOrder before speed
- Down block / hips back firstKeep your base
- Snap down / hips firstWeight in the pull
- Hand fighting / inside positionOne hand at a time
- Single leg entry / head outsideHead outside, hands low
- High crotch entry / hand highHand at the hip
- Double leg finish / drive throughThrough, not up
- Duck under / level then angleLevel before the dip
- Whizzer / hips inHips, not arm
- Hip lift shape / mat returnHips through
Chains
Two or three movements in the order they happen in a match, so the transitions get rehearsed as well as the shapes.
- Entry / circle movementRebuild the stance
- Penetration to finishThree beats, one shape
- Snap, sprawl, spinHands stay down
- Hand fight into a singleAttack off the tie
Defence and recovery
Sprawl, spin, front headlock, and getting back to a base from the mat.
- Solo sprawl / recoverControlled descent
- Front headlock shapeElbows tight
- Sprawl and spin behindCircle, hands down
- Seated-to-standing baseComfortable support
- Stand / rebuild stanceDeliberate recovery
- Sit-out from the bottomLeg through, not around
- Hip heist / turn to baseLift, then turn
- Back bridge / shoulder supportedHips up, head off the load
Conditioning
The same shapes, repeated on a clock, so the position survives being tired.
- Cued level changesRespond with control
- Sprawl ladderFull depth when tired
Situational
Partner mirror work, position illustrations with a second figure, and the review round.
- Collar tie and inside tie / two figuresSee the position, not the grip · two figures
- Sprawl on a shot / two figuresWhere the weight goes · two figures
- Partner mirror movementRead movement
- Stance and movement reviewOne lesson retained
The boards
Twelve boards, three of them four-week progressions with a printable sheet.
- Base firstStance, level and motion with generous resets.
- An entry studyConnect your coached entry to a stable recovery.
- Back in positionSlow base-return work on a suitable mat.
- The movement roomExplore directions and reaction without contact.
- Before practiceThree gentle reminders to bring into coached practice.
- Solo mat blockFour familiar movement studies with time to reset.
- Four directionsForward, back, sideways and around, then the ladder that joins them.
- Hands and tiesHand fighting, the snap and the whizzer, with the base checked between them.
- Bottom chainReferee's position, sit-out, hip heist and back to the feet.
- Four weeks: foundationsStance, level change, footwork and the bottom base, built up over four weeks of short sessions.
- Four weeks: entries and defenceSingle, high crotch, double finish, sprawl and spin, and the ties that set them up.
- Four weeks: competition prepChains and conditioning in the last four weeks before a tournament, with the load coming down in the final week.
Reference
- Rules and scoring primerWhere folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling differ, what generally scores, and what this site does not tell you about your rulebook.
- Equipment and sizing guideWhat is needed to use these studies at home or in a room: a mat, shoes, and the things that are not needed.
- Warm-up and cool-downHow to arrive at a solo mat block ready to move, and how to leave it, using the studies themselves.
- GlossaryThe wrestling words used on this site, each in a sentence or two.
- Training FAQAnswers to the questions people ask about using solo movement studies, the boards, the second figure and what the site does not do.
- How to use the studioA walk through the studies, the phases, the cameras, the boards, the clock and the notes, in the order a first session meets them.
- What this app is notThe limits of solo movement studies, stated plainly: not coaching, not a way to learn wrestling, not a form check, not a medical anything.