We followed up last week's training with more focus on setups. This week, we closely drilled 3 types:
Head Pull -> Outside Single Leg
Duck Under -> High Crotch
2-on-1 Armdrag (Russian Arm Drag) -> Double Leg

My approach to training takedowns is to associate certain setups with certain types of shots. This is because not every setup can be used for every attack. Some setups work better with certain shots and it is important that these standard combinations are understood by every wrestler. These moves are not only the most basic, they are also the most commonly used moves in high level competition. Once the basic movements are learned, some variations are possible with each setup. But this is a lesson for some other time!

We did another interesting drill today where we wrestled from sprawling/scrambling positions. This is a good drill which we will use more in future. This video shows some of the best scrambling I have ever seen: John Smith vs John Fisher. Take note of their excellent defence to each shot (sprawl), their control of the arm and the head (whizzer) and the counter-attacks. Study it carefully and you will see both wrestlers using the moves we learned today, but they go from one attack to defence to counterattack to counter-counterattack very quickly. This is what scrambling is all about.