pmilk

103..you are correct! I was actually stalling: by running the clock out, keeping my lead, not taking risks... but I WAS scoring at the same time. RT is scoring. Getting him frustrated and tired was scoring. Feeling him quit underneath me was scoring. Scoring to me didn't necessarily mean points. It meant that I had control and an edge. That translates to his reactions being slower if/when he gets to neutral, which then makes my job easier. On top was a rest for me and a lot of work for him because of how I was using, weight, torques, leverages, and imbalances to make him fight hard to stay even and HIM not get called or stalling. Any "turn" or pinning combination requires tying up or anchoring wrists, ankles, arms, legs, waist, etc. "Stalling" is obvious. Smart stalling is not. No ref could assume that with all the action, movement, change offs, and "turn" attempts, that I was stalling...because I wasn't according to the rules. The only time it was obvious was in the last 20-30 seconds of a match, in neutral, with a very good opponent or in the closing seconds of a championship match (not all of them tho). Usually, that's when an opponent will try "desperation" techniques...which are very easy to see coming and counter. Since we had no TechFall rule, there was no point to take a risk that might not work out well for me. Get ahead, stay ahead, wrestle smart (smart stall), work the clock, get my hand raised. There's a lot more to this...I haven't even gotten into edge of the mat strategies, off the whistle strategies, scouting strategies, technique strategies, drilling strategies, etc. You also have to remember, back then we did not get to avoid top or bottom...everyone had to take top and he had to take bottom if he didn't get pinned along the way...and the matches were 8 min...long freaking time to wrestle.

103...again, you miss the point and beauty of stalling being a science. It's virtually undetectable until the very end. The constant change offs and action on top is "wrestling." So every batter must try to hit home runs and every boxer must try for knockouts? So if they get a base hit, are they "stalling?" And if they don't get a knockout, are they stalling? There are punchers and boxers and there are hitters and sluggers. The bottom man is responsible to carry the action as well. I have watched some incredibly exciting 2-1 matches in my lifetime. High scoring matches tell me one thing...lots of mistakes from both wrestlers. That's how points are scored in my opinion...someone makes a mistake or you make them make a mistake. Some folks make very few mistakes...

Ha! The inimitable Rick Sanders once said, “When I’m on bottom, I have my opponent right where I want him!”

hmmm...where to start. I just love how people always blame others for their station in life, or wrestling. If I get broken down, it's the guy on top who is stalling. If he spirals me, he's stalling. If he throws legs, he's stalling. If he hooks my ankle, he's stalling. If he catches my ankle, he's stalling. Watch the NCAA's and notice how many "good" wrestlers break down to an elbow and then their wrists get tied up, or get their arm chopped, or flatten out and have no clue how prevent or counter. Not the top guys fault. Here was the moment in my career that one sentence changed my entire outlook and career. Back in the day, college coaches could actually come to a recruits h.s. and practice with him. It was my senior year and Fred Powell from Slippery Rock came to Maple Hts. to roll around with me. Fred was an NCAA Champion. I actually got the better of him when we went takedowns. Then we went top and bottom. He got on top and put a figure 4 around my waist. It was legal back then and he literally beat the shit out of me (making it clear that he was pissed about the TD's). When we finished with "Escapes," I sauntered over to my dad (my coach) and asked, "How do I get out of that?" His response, "Don't get into it you jackass!" Epiphany! The reason you can't get out of a situation is because you haven't been trained to: 1) prevent it and: 2) to counter it or: 3) neutralize it. Same with legs, same with spiral, same with cradles, same with singles, doubles, fireman, headlocks, etc. There are "setups" and symptoms to everything that is going to happen. Setups to TD's, breakdowns, escapes, legs, and turns. With very few exceptions, if prevention fails, there are counters to everything that happens to you. Just because you can't turn someone doesn't mean you are stalling. I'm gaining RT, clock's running down, he's getting tired fighting all the torques, leverages, and imbalances. Part of my objective on top was to wear him down and frustrate him, and get in his head because he knows he can't get away unless I let him. I kept the ref happy (you read that correctly) by constantly changing off and working him much like a gymnast works a pommel horse...ankles to hips to shoulders to wrists back to hips to ankles and repeat as necessary. I would attempt the obligatory techniques that were known to be precursors to "turns" or pinning combo's but his reactions usually allowed me better positions for control. There's one thing I recognized early on in my career. Some guys spend so much time on bottom and although they can't get away, they are wise to many of the turn techniques and can counter rather well. Trust me, I scored my share of back points..we didn't have tech falls. Whether we won 2-1 or 20-1 it was still a 3pts for the team. Full disclosure, I pinned one guy in hs and one in college. I have never in my entire career (since 8th grade) ever been warned for stalling on top or bottom. Been warned and called for stalling in the final 30 seconds of a match but the calls were inconsequential to the outcome. His fault for being behind so that I could have that allowance. It's part of the strategy. Like all other strategies, stalling is a science. it was a big part of my game plan and smart wrestlers know how/when to use and disguise it. Anyway, I will still stand by the premise that if you cannot escape from bottom, regardless of what the top guy is doing, it's lack of coaching or your lack of learning. Being on bottom gives you the opportunity to score and limit top guys RT. I looked at every position as an advantage to me because I was very well coached. My goal was to get my hand raised and do within the parameters of the rules. pmilk