The suplex is wrestling’s equivalent to the home run. It is equal parts crowd pleaser and high point scorer. We’ll first start with how to execute the throw and how to train to reach the mobility necessary to execute the coolest move in wrestling.

Execution of the Suplex

In order to launch your opponent in style, you should be standing behind your opponent. Since virtually no opponent is going to let you get completely behind them without resistance, this will require that you get behind your opponent by setting up a duck-under or an arm drag. Both moves give you the possibility of getting behind your opponent, and there are several variations as to how to execute either move.

Now, the fun part—the suplex requires that you do four things in quick succession:

1. Lock your hands around your opponent. Ideally, your hands should be locked around their waist or stomach.
2. Plant your feet as close to your opponent at possible. This makes it easier to launch your opponent. Starting out, try practicing it with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width.
3. Push your hips in and fully arch your back. Most of the strength is generated from the legs and hips, so don’t be shy with this step. Performing this step halfway actually increases the likelihood of hurting yourself, as you can fall backwards with your opponent on top of you.
4. Without breaking your grip, turn your hips to either the right or the left and get behind your opponent to maintain control.

These steps, of course, are easier said than done.

Prep Work: Back Mobility

If you can do a standard bridge with your back arched and hands planted on the mat, then you are physically capable of performing a suplex. If this is not the case, don’t worry. You can build up the mobility over time, but you’ll have to be patient.

Shoulder bridges are the easiest starting point. Here, you’re looking to dig your feet in and push your hips forward as far as possible. You can do this for reps or hold the shoulder bridge for a certain amount of time just as you would for a plank.

Tables help you open your chest enough so that your upper back is mobile enough to get into bridge position. This is generally done more as an isometric hold position than for repetitions.

Bridge walks on a wall are the next step. Start with your back against the wall, and take one or two paces forward. Then, arch backwards as if you were doing a suplex and walk down the wall with your hands. These are difficult to do at first, and fear can set in for some people. Wall bridge walks get your mind used to arching backwards, and people occasionally have mental blocks in this step. Eventually, you will be able to do this without the wall, and that’s when you know your body is ready for the suplex.

Suplex Safety Tips

Once your body is ready and you can execute the suplex subconsciously in a safe environment, you are finally ready to score some style points on the mat. The following tips that will help you be able to feel good in your movements for years to come.

1. Tilt to one shoulder as you arch for an easier transition. To make this easier, visualize throwing your opponent over one shoulder as opposed to completely backwards.
2. Your partner is safest if he tucks his head in. This minimizes the risk of neck injury in the suplex. Ideally, your partner should land on his shoulder blades and upper back region.
3. Land on something soft like a wrestling mat. The suplex is a high impact move and should be treated as such.
4. If you have a history of back problems, be very careful. Consult a physician before you try anything.
5. Prep work may be required to arch your back enough to perform a proper suplex. This takes us to the next major component, the physical prep work.

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The researchers in the study were interested in two questions:

• First, is wrestling a healthy activity for youth athletes to undergo? It’s a strenuous sport, so knowing whether it’s safe for kids is paramount.
• Do BMI or skin fold measurements accurately test the body fat levels of young wrestlers?

These goals might seem oddly diverse for one study, but they are certainly related. When a sport uses weight classes, athletes, parents, and coaches are always concerned about safety. Adults need to be careful to monitor both the training intensity and weight changing practices. Coaches also need to ensure the measurement tools they use to monitor weight are accurate. If your measurements are off, then safety can be compromised.

The first result of the study concerned the perceived adverse effects of athletics in youth participants. Some people worry that participation in youth athletics may have negative effects, such as stunted growth. The group of wrestlers in the study maintained normal growth patterns for the entire eight-year period of participation in athletics, as measured by the researchers. In fact, the major difference between the wrestlers and the general population was in body fat. The wrestlers had healthier, lower fat levels than the general population group.

The other major aim of the study was to compare direct fat measuring tools to indirect ones. Indirect measures tend to be simpler and thus are more common, but the researchers wanted to be sure these practices are accurate. Unfortunately, they were not. Neither of the tested indirect methods – skin fold measurements or body mass index (BMI) measurements – accurately told the body fat of the wrestlers when compared against hydrostatic (water tank) weighing, the gold standard of body fat testing.

When compared to using a water tank for direct measurement, BMI and subscapular skin fold measurements overestimated body fat levels. Other locations for skin fold measurements, including upper and lower body, and also total sum of skin fold measurements had the opposite effect, indicating a lower body fat level than the wrestlers actually had.

Because of the discrepancy in indirect measurement tools, the researchers suggest not using them at all. Relying on imprecise measurements might cause unsafe weight-class placement or unsafe body mass alteration practices. For a sport in which every pound of bodyweight counts, knowing for certain what a wrestler’s fat percentage is could change the course of the athlete’s season.

So, wrestling is indeed safe, but coaches and parents need to be vigilant about measuring an athlete’s adjustments to body weight and body fat. Our typical methods may under- or over-report these values in youth athletes, and knowing the difference is important for athlete safety. Stick with hydrostatic weighting whenever possible – it’s the gold standard for a reason.

References:

1. Kristen Cochrane, et. al., “Dissociations Among Direct and Indirect Indicators of Adiposity in Young Wrestlers,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000405

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

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I had the opportunity to speak with Dave Jacobs and Brendan Raedy (pictured belowed), both Brazilian jiu jitsu black belts and high school and D1 collegiate wrestlers, to get their expert opinions on the application of wrestling to BJJ. Dave and Brendan are instructors at Dave “The Rock” Jacobs BJJ in Vienna, Virginia. Our lively discussion resulted in the articulation of four significant benefits even the most dedicated butt-floppers can derive from the application of wrestling concepts to their grappling game.

Benefit #1: Strategic Use of Power and Intensity

Wrestlers as a rule are relentless and, if they could, they would fight for position beyond the point of unconsciousness. When wrestlers first come to a BJJ academy, old-timer grapplers can sometimes become annoyed at their tendency to treat every roll as a steel-cage death match. But as Dave pointed out, there really aren’t any casual practitioner collegiate wrestlers who are there “just to get in shape and have a good time.” The atmosphere of a wrestling practice can be far more charged than the laid-back energy of an evening BJJ practice, which may be populated by adult students who have just put in a full day of work rather than full-time students in the prime of their athletic lives.

That being said, Brendan observed, although BJJ has historically been touted as a discipline wherein the small guy can beat the big guy on the basis of technique alone, this is only true when the big guy doesn’t know any technique. When technique is equal, what wins matches is better conditioning and mental toughness, which are de rigeur in wrestling sessions.

This is not to say that all grapplers have a laissez-faire attitude about grappling. Witness the increased focus on strength and conditioning in recent years among professional-level BJJ competitors. But as a class, grapplers are still pretty far behind wrestlers in terms of simply expecting that pushing outside yourown comfort zone is part and parcel of the training experience.

Now, lest you protest that you are one of those grapplers who just trains to have fun and stay in shape, so the intensity factor is irrelevant to you, according to Dave and Brendan there is a place for increased intensity in your practice as well. Lower belts and casual enthusiasts don’t have to push themselves to the same extent as grappling professionals, Dave commented, but we can all identify our own comfort zones, both physically and mentally, and commit to pushing ourselves outside of them on a regular basis. This is how we grow as athletes and as people. As Brendan observed, an effective way to do this is for each individual to be competitive with him- or herself, rather than with others. Each grappler can focus on daily victories – did I tap only nine times today where yesterday I tapped ten times, for instance – which is something wrestling focuses on as well. Your instructor can help you target your efforts to maximize your effectiveness at pushing yourself enough to progress, but not so much that you lose interest or become discouraged.

Benefit #2: Enhancement of the Familiar

As a rule, most grapplers are more comfortable rolling around than we are engaging with someone on the feet. We pride ourselves on knowing what to do when a fight goes to the ground. (Let’s set aside for the moment how useful it would be to be able to get someone to the ground who does not want to go there.) Though it may change over time, many grapplers have a go-to game of some kind – a sure-thing half-guard pass, or a real comfort level in seated guard. According to Dave and Brendan, there are many potential enhancements to your favorite positions that are rooted in wrestling if you are willing to look for them. Take the single leg takedown from half guard, the arm drag, and the switch, to name a few. These are all effective movements for grappling, and they are wrestling 101.

According to Brendan, another thing we grapplers can learn from wrestlers and wrestling that could enhance our understanding of what is already familiar is the importance of learning the rules of our sport. Generally speaking, wrestlers and wrestling coaches have a sophisticated understanding of the rules of wrestling. Grapplers and grappling coaches, on the other hand, tend not to be as diligent in their study, which can adversely affect competition performance and strategy. And again, even if you don’t plan on competing, chances are you like to watch competition. Knowing the rules will help you be a better armchair quarterback, able to amaze and annoy your friends.

Benefit #3 : Takedowns – They’re More Than Just Takedowns

Takedowns areusually what grapplers think of when they think of wrestling. The holes in our grappling game that wrestling might help us fill are frequently distilled down to this one word. And as implied above, if we want to ply our ground game, we have to be able to get to the ground, which isn’t easy against a resisting opponent. As Brendan observed, witness the likes of Chuck Liddell, who during his UFC career would simply get right back up again on those few occasions when an opponent was able to unbalance him. Dave commented on the fact that in wrestling and in judo, everyone does takedowns, no matter what size, body shape, or level of fitness. No one is not a “takedown person.” And even a rudimentary understanding of takedowns could spell the difference between a win and a referee’s decision in a tournament – how many times have you seen a match that was decided by the two points awarded for the person who brought the game to the mat?

Brendan and Dave are adamant that the relative lack of sophistication with takedowns is a huge hole in the typical grappler’s repertoire. And to those people who say they don’t want to drill takedowns because they find them dangerous, Brendan would pose the following question: If you don’t trust someone to deliver you safely to the mat, is it really wise for you to trust them to be able to apply a kimura safely? Along those lines, Dave and Brendan stated that in kids’ tournaments, competitors are frequently not allowed to do submissions but they areallowed to do takedowns. So, the safety question is relative. And the follow-up question would be: Are you really concerned about your safety, or do you just recognize that drilling takedowns requires a higher level of fitness and effort? The energy demands of even ten minutes of takedown work can be surprising to those of us who don’t spend a lot of time on the feet.

Now, Dave and Brendan can hear some of you saying that you will never compete, so you don’t need to work on takedowns. As you might imagine, they have a response to that as well, which is that drilling takedowns isn’t just about unbalancing someone. It is also about increasing body awareness by learning how to fall safely. It is also about enhancing the grappler’s technical and strategic knowledge by enabling him or her to chain movements together from the start of a sequence. It taps into philosophical and contextual knowledge about grappling in general that, according to Brendan, doesn’t start or stop depending on whether someone has a knee on the mat.

Further, as Dave observed, if you decide not to learn takedowns, you won’t go to grappling jail, but you will be short-changing your experience and knowledge of the grappling scene. You will basically be proclaiming to the world that you are unwilling to be a complete grappler. Finally as Brendan observed, you will also miss out on an opportunity to improve your guard pulling. Dave is not an opponent of guard pulling (and has pulled guard) in tournaments, but there is technique to it as well and a takedown game can help with that by giving grapplers more opportunity to experience and capitalize on actions and reactions.

Benefit #4: Tournament Preparation and Recovery

Much like with the intensity factor, high-level competitors have in recent years started to become more planful about their training, strategizing so they peak both mentally and physically right before big tournaments such as the Mundials. But Dave and Brendan still find that students will come to them in the week before a tournament and say, “The competition is on Saturday. What can I do to prepare?” The answer at that point is, sadly, not much. If you come to the professor the night before the exam and ask how you can be successful, the answer is going to be: “Get some sleep and hope for the best.” Back in the day, grapplers might have been able to simply jump into a competition at the last minute and do well, but increasingly, anyone who wants to be seriously competitive must start planning and preparing months in advance, which is something wrestlers have been doing for decades.

While there may not be as clear a season in BJJ as there is in wrestling, it is still important for grapplers to work with their coaches to build a training program around their goals that accounts for the different needs of off-season, pre-season, peak season, and post-season training. Importantly, according to Brendan and Dave, peak season training in wrestling does not consist of hours of grinding, full-bore activity. Rather, each subsequent training session leading up to a competition is a bit shorter, so that by the time you get to post-season, practices have routinely lasted for perhaps thirty minutes and no more. And note the concept of post-season: if eighteen-year-olds need some time off, older adults with adult responsibilities surely will as well.

Wrestling and submission grappling are related but distinct activities. If we grapplers wanted to be wrestlers, we would pursue wrestling. That being said, there are compelling arguments for grapplers to incorporate skills, concepts, and habits of mind into their practice that are traditionally associated with wrestling. As the elder statesman, wrestling features traditions and accumulated wisdom that predates that of BJJ, the up-and-comer. So, to round out your grappling game, take a tip from Dave and Brendan. Better still, pay them a visit at The Rock BJJ, and let them help you bring out your inner Dan Gable.

Photos 2-5 courtesy of Shutterstock.

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So what goes into having a strong grip? Are there differences between people who engage in grappling sports specifically, or is something you’re born with? A study in this month’s Journal of Strength and Conditioning analyzed the grip strength of wrestlers compared to the average person, as well as the numerous variables associated with what gives a person a strong grip.

We know grip strength is important to grapplers, like wrestlers and judoka, but what is unclear is how a coach determines if a person was born with bigger grip power. Knowing if a person was predisposed with better grip strength would be useful for coaches scouting potential athletes. In this new study researchers examined a person’s height, weight, and hand dimensions. Each had a positive correlation to grip strength. That is to say, the bigger and taller you are, the stronger your hands tend to be, whether you’re an athlete or not.

This finding should come as no surprise, as bigger people tend to be stronger in general, hence why the grappling sports are weight-classed. However, height and hand length made the biggest difference in hand strength. If I had to guess, I’d say the latter is what is really important, and those with greater height simply tended to have longer hands. This knowledge can help coaches look for grappling candidates with greater potential for hand strength before they even begin training. If someone has long hands for his or her size, he or she will likely have an advantage over opponents.

What about the average person? Does training alter hand strength whether or not we are born with the advantage of longer hands? Yes, it absolutely does. The researchers noted two substantial differences between the wrestlers and non-athletes in late adolescence and adulthood, although not in children, who exhibited similar strength across all groups. First, the wrestlers had greater peak grip strength than the control group. Second, which I found very interesting, the strength between hands was roughly even in wrestlers, where the other teens and adults demonstrated greater hand strength in their dominant hand over their non-dominant hand. These differences demonstrate grip strength can indeed be developed to a large degree through training.

For those who grapple, or who are interested in getting into combat sports, we see that not only is grip strength important, but it also has both in-born and developable aspects. Regardless of who you are, if you want to put that fear into your opponent’s eyes when you first get your grips, hand strength is one of the best places to start.

References:

1. Vassilis Gerodimos, et. al., “Age-Related Differences in Peak Handgrip Strength Between Wrestlers and Nonathletes During the Developmental Years,” Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 27:3 (2013)

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

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