Joy cradle technique

[Dark Energy]

Figure fours right leg.  Starts an arm bar on left and pulls opponent left arm back, then hooks opponent left knee and uses the barred arm as a brace for a lever arm motion, pulling head and knee together enough to get the cradle locked.  Really clever.  Worked again and again. 

You all seen it before?  As someone else mentioned, this move is likely to be scouted.  Figure will be harder for Joy going forward.  

Edited December 7, 2025 by Dark Energy

[Dark Energy]

Also uses his left knee, which is pried forward due to his own figure four, to push opponent’s left leg / knee forward. 
 

With opponent left arm pulled back, can’t post with it, easier to crunch head to knee. 
 

This is what I’m seeing.  Others??

[1032004]

Yeah I don’t think I’ve seen it before, and yes I’m guessing it might be able to be scouted.  Even in the Bassett match while he did ride him for awhile he didn’t really come close to turning him

[MPhillips]

https://www.flowrestling.org/events/14589252-2025-cliff-keen-las-vegas-invitational/videos?playing=14903436&limit=60

 

[Truzzcat]

7 hours ago, Dark Energy said:

Figure fours right leg.  Starts an arm bar on left and pulls opponent left arm back, then hooks opponent left knee and uses the barred arm as a brace for a lever arm motion, pulling head and knee together enough to get the cradle locked.  Really clever.  Worked again and again. 

You all seen it before?  As someone else mentioned, this move is likely to be scouted.  Figure will be harder for Joy going forward.  

I believe Stieber use to set up his bar half sequence from the same position and daton used it to get trap arms in free or something similar.

[MPhillips]

15 minutes ago, Truzzcat said:

I believe Stieber use to set up his bar half sequence from the same position and daton used it to get trap arms in free or something similar.

[BarSeries]

 

[BarSeries]

 

[Dark Energy]

@BarSeries - thank you.  Seth saying new to him too.  Interesting.   Will be curious as he looks into it more, what he learns and his impressions.

[BarSeries]

Watching in slow motion his arm snake through there, have never seen anything like it. 

[1032004]

3 hours ago, Dark Energy said:

@BarSeries - thank you.  Seth saying new to him too.  Interesting.   Will be curious as he looks into it more, what he learns and his impressions.

Interesting that he also found Joy trying to use the same takedown technique against Larkin and Bassett as well.  Will be interesting to see if coaches/guys can adjust.  Of course some people you know what’s coming and you still can’t stop it, so will be interesting to see if that’s the case with Joy.

[wrestlingfan22]

I had seen long arm cradles from that figure four position, but never with the arm bar incorporated into the setup. I will be playing around with this for sure

[CHROMEBIRD]

4 hours ago, BarSeries said:

Watching in slow motion his arm snake through there, have never seen anything like it. 

Agree, that trap arm cradle setup is dope as hell. Hope to see more guys use it

[BarSeries]

 

[Rassling2]

On 12/7/2025 at 1:16 PM, Dark Energy said:

Figure fours right leg.  Starts an arm bar on left and pulls opponent left arm back, then hooks opponent left knee and uses the barred arm as a brace for a lever arm motion, pulling head and knee together enough to get the cradle locked.  Really clever.  Worked again and again. 

You all seen it before?  As someone else mentioned, this move is likely to be scouted.  Figure will be harder for Joy going forward.  

Great visual in your explanation- Ive never seen it and the cradle was my go to move when the opportunity presented itself.

[WrestlingRash]

it will get scouted and neutralized to some extent, but its going to be a problem for most of his opponents. 

[CHROMEBIRD]

1 hour ago, WrestlingRash said:

it will get scouted and neutralized to some extent, but its going to be a problem for most of his opponents. 

I agree that it won't be as effective at this level now that it's being scouted. Looks like it also takes a hell of a lot of strength and reach for the top guy to go behind his opponent's knee with the arm trapped and then cinch the cradle. Still a sick move. I wish Jax Joy saved it for Nationals.

[BigRedFan]

29 minutes ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

I agree that it won't be as effective at this level now that it's being scouted. Looks like it also takes a hell of a lot of strength and reach for the top guy to go behind his opponent's knee with the arm trapped and then cinch the cradle. Still a sick move. I wish Jax Joy saved it for Nationals.

It could be that it's one of those moves that, if you defend against it, Joy will throw some other move that is just as effective.  Either that, or you give up trying to get out from bottom.  We shall see!

(note that Rivera was defending against both the figure 4 (he failed) and the trapped arm (he succeeded once and failed the second time, fatally))

[CHROMEBIRD]

7 minutes ago, BigRedFan said:

It could be that it's one of those moves that, if you defend against it, Joy will throw some other move that is just as effective.  Either that, or you give up trying to get out from bottom.  We shall see!

(note that Rivera was defending against both the figure 4 (he failed) and the trapped arm (he succeeded once and failed the second time, fatally))

Good point, on bottom you could make yourself vulnerable to getting tilted or another armbar tactic, like in the video above (posted by the appropriately named @BarSeries)

[mspart]

It seems like the guy snaking the arm could get it snapped if the defensive guy straitens his leg.   It's like a sneak attack that works once.   But there may be variations that if the defensive guy tries to defend it, another offensive move opens up.   It will be interesting to see how this plays out.  

Very creative that's for sure.  

mspart

[MPhillips]

1 hour ago, BigRedFan said:

It could be that it's one of those moves that, if you defend against it, Joy will throw some other move that is just as effective.

 

4 minutes ago, mspart said:

 But there may be variations that if the defensive guy tries to defend it, another offensive move opens up.

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