SPRAWL
By Burton Richardson
One of the most important takedown defenses in wrestling is the sprawl. The sprawl is essential to keep a good grappler from putting you on your back, especially if your strength is striking.
The wrestler wants to pull your legs in while driving your upper body backwards, smashing you to the mat. The concept of the sprawl is to extend your legs back and lean your upper body forward, creating a position of leverage that makes it impossible for the wrestler to secure your legs.
As the wrestler shoots, drop your lead foot back while turning to crash your hips down onto him. You are now on top with the opponent carrying your weight. From here you can move to his back or push away and stand up.
