What are some good moves for long, strong legs?

[bigteeth96]

I consider my legs very lengthy compared to the rest of my body and they are pretty strong. I learned a little bit of leg riding, but I have heard of other moves like body scissors and figure four head scissors. Are any of those worth learning?
Also, what should I do if my opponent is A LOT stronger than me? My practice partner is a lot stronger than me and many of my opponents will be, so besides working out more, are there any tips for this? Tying up doesn't seem to work so well for me, so I try to shoot quickly, but he always sprawls or moves out of the way in time.

Thanks

[Schlottke]

Well you've already got the right idea.

Since you apparently are not as strong as these guys you will want to use leverage.

Controlling ties and applying pressure can make you feel unnaturally strong to your opponent. Using your length when in ties and in leg riding will wear on your stronger opponents and tire them out to level the playing field.

Constantly applying pressure to your opponents shoulders (from under hooks), head (head smashing while in ties), and circling (making them walk around the whole time you're applying pressure and smashing their head) will really help with dealing with stronger guys. Time shots to occur when his foot is just about to come down during a step (he cannot re-move his foot until it hits the mat and you know where it's going to be.)

Don't be afraid to tie up if YOU control the tie., back out if you don't feel in control and reset. If you can get him to chase you (2-3 times of breaking off where he felt in control) you can get him to be over aggressive and open up your offense by just taking a step or two back faking fear.

[MOJO]

Brother Bigteeth,
Watch as many Nat. Champ Quintin Wright matches as you can. He is a long & strong legged dude with very little fear (that one month blip this year was just him shaking off the cobwebs, as far as I can tell) and has a nice arsenal of trips that are fairly low risk with great pay-off. If you can catch a rerun or taped copy of this years NCAA quarterfinals (I believe, possibly semi's) where he has an over/under tie up, fakes an inside trip with his right leg on the overhook side, then, as tne guy is stepping over the trip (and stepping forward mind you) Q rewinds that right leg, giant step and plant deeep behind the opponents foot, keeping the over/under tie and leaning HARD to the overhook! Dude goes FLYING, right to his back, Q is on top with the over/under still. Small adjustment to make the angle more perpendicular and next sound is refs hand hitting the mat. This IMO is one perfect move for a guy with long, strong legs, strong enough uppseer body, and trust in his ability to step and arch. Back in the day, I had somewhat short, strong legs and this was one of my favorite moves. Especially good for a greco man wrestling freestyle because the step is similar to the arch used in a lateral, but you don't go to your back, you're driving him over your hip,knee,shin. I remember pinning both NCAA champ Bill Hyman and Olympic Silver Matt Ghaffari with this at the Hall of Fame Match, now called Sunkist open. And they were a head taller than me! Would have worked even better if I were tall. Watch Q do it though. A real thing of beauty.

[wrastler118]

I would assume with those long legs, you have long arms too, so I'd agree with what others are saying and learn to leg ride effectively. IMO, good leg riders take a ton of time learning this skill. Same goes for crab riding/claw riding. You need to learn balance and how to use leverage on top. Understand when you're in bad position and what you need to do to get back in good position. Two of the best leg riders IMO, were the Steiner Brothers. When Terry Steiner was coaching at Oregon State, he put on a leg riding clinic that myself and our team studied to no end. I really didn't start getting good at leg riding for about 2yrs, but after that, I felt I was very solid at it and could ride anyone. I am not super tall, but I wrestled 118 in college and I'm 5'9" so I was tall for my weight.

How I leg ride is a bit different than some, but it was developed from knowing my own style and how my body moved. Practice this stuff consistantly and you will likely do the same.

I would also consider learning how to cradle from different positions. We have a pretty tall 130lber on our team and he can cradle from pretty much any position.

Bottom line with all of this and any move is practice, practice, practice. Also, don't be afraid to try different positions, good and bad to get a feel for it.

Good luck.