Rock The Cradle: Pinning With The Reverse Cradle

by Milt Sherman

By definition, a cradle is a pinning combination in which the offensive man locks his hands around the neck and knee of his opponent. In order to secure a cradle, it is necessary to either catch the opponent in a position in which his head is close to one of his knees, or force him into that position.

Cradles, like most pinning combinations, are usually thought of as being in the realm of the top man. In reality, cradles can be applied from the top, bottom, or standing positions; anytime the head and knee of the opponent are in close proximity. Cradles are least often used from the bottom position and that's where the Reverse Cradle comes in. For most coaches, the Reverse Cradle is a hold occasionally seen when the bottom wrestler just happens to catch his opponent really out of position. In fact, the Reverse Cradle can be a systematic pinning offense from the bottom position.

Step 1: Upon getting set in referee's position, the bottom man should look out the corner of his left eye towards his opponent as at right. Against most opponents, the bottom wrestler will be able to see the top man's left knee. (Coaching point: When the top man gets set so far behind that the knee can't be seen, go to "Plan B" and hit another move. Save the Reverse Cradle for later.) If the top man is out to the side enough for the knee to be seen, then on the whistle wheel around to the left and hook the top man's knee, elbow deep.

In the photo to the right the bottom man "reinforces" this grip by hooking his left hand on his own left knee. Note that the head is elevated to show the grip. Reinforced as such it is very difficult for the top man to free the knee.

Step 2: The bottom man's free arm must now capture the top man's head as shown at right. Even the better high school wrestlers will lower their heads fairly often. After capturing the head with the elbow behind the neck, the bottom man should again reinforce this grip by hooking his own (right) knee. The reason for catching the knee instead of immediately attempting to lock hands is the "bulldog effect." As soon as the bottom wrestler catches the top man's neck it's like trying to "bulldog" a steer in the rodeo. The top man will fight to get his head back up and he may well do so before the bottom man can lock his hands securely. By reinforcing the grip at the knee first, the bottom man has the head trapped down and can "pick his spot" to lock hands and complete the move.

Step 3: Lock the hands and work for the pin. Force the top man to do a forward roll directly to his back and hold him there as shown at right. Don't rush it or it might allow the top man the momentum to roll through. If that happens, don't release the grip; simply reset to the knees and roll the top man to his back again more carefully this time!

Step 4: The Peterson Roll option ­ When the bottom man has captured the top man's knee but cannot secure his head, then move to the Peterson Roll. This is a great option when the top man's right hand is either around the bottom man's waist or is holding his right foot. The bottom man should capture the top man's right wrist as shown at right and complete the Peterson Roll.

To do this the bottom man places his right hip and elbow on the mat as shown in the top photo and rolls his opponent to his back in the bottom photo. While not a tight pinning combination, this is potentially a 5-point move: 2 points reversal and 3 points nearfall. Following the Peterson Roll, either of the opponent's legs can be locked while maintaining the pinning combination.

Counters: Once it's locked up there really isn't a counter to the Reverse Cradle. Just pray hard and fight! If only the knee has been captured, however, the top man should keep his head up and with his right Hand control either the bottom man's left foot or reach up the crotch. These actions will negate both the Reverse Cradle and the Peterson Roll. To free the knee, stir in equal measures of patience, toughness, and a firm crossface. If Will Rogers had been a coach he might have said: "I never met a crossface I didn't like!"

The advantages of the Reverse Cradle are that 1) it can pin almost anybody, and 2) once secured there is no real counter to it. It's only disadvantage is that since it's not a motion offense there are only two options after trapping the leg. In reference to the comment that it can pin almost anybody, one of our local rivals had a 3-time state champion a few years back that lost only 5 matches in his four years of high school. Two of those losses were to us, in both cases to a much slower, weaker athlete using the Reverse Cradle! There's probably a wrestler on your team who is ready to "Rock the Cradle."

Featured in the photos are NC State tournament qualifiers Ryan Kurtz (top) and Mike Taylor. Photos by the author, Milt Sherman.