The third position in wrestling is the top position. You can either chose that position in between periods, get a takedown and be on top, or reverse your opponent while you are on bottom.  At the top position your goal is to turn you opponent and get near fall points (back points), pin your opponent, or just ride him out so he doesn’t score any points.

This is the position I struggled the most at in my high school career. You can do many moves here to try and get points against your opponent and pin him. You win a wrestling match by two ways; having the most points at the end of the 3 periods (each period is 2 minutes) or by pinning your opponent.

My two favorite moves from the top are the tilt and the half nelson. I have pinned many kids in my career using the half nelson, which shows it is very effective. The tilt is also effective, but it is used more so for getting points.

I used that a lot for running the score up against my opponents. My friend who is committed to go to Iowa for wrestling uses tilts nonstop. Other moves you can use are the cradle, put legs in and turn him, and the chicken wing.

If you are points against your opponent you can just ride him out and keep him from scoring so you win, I did that my junior year at districts. If you try to pin your opponent I advise you to use the half nelson because it is simple and very effective. Those are my view points and recommendations on wrestling. I hope you enjoyed it and learned a lot! And good luck if you go out for wrestling and try these moves yourself!

The next position you have is bottom. You start out in the bottom position if you pick it at the end of the three periods or if you are taken down. At the end of the period the ref tosses the coin to see who picks first. When you are on bottom you get set then your opponent gets on top. As soon as your opponent gets set the ref blows the whistle to start the second period. 

Your goal on bottom is to escape or reverse your opponent. The goal on top is to hold your opponent down and get near fall (back) points or pin your opponent. To escape from the bottom position you can do many things. There are many different types of stand-ups, my favorite to use is the baby stand then knee slide out and get 1 point. 

You can also reverse your opponent to where you become in control and are on top. There are many reverses and my favorite to use is the Peterson.

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When you hit the Peterson you get 2 points for the reversal and then usually 2 or 3 points for near fall points. So it basically becomes a 5 point move or you can even pin them from there.

I usually do those moves or I just get into a scramble and reverse the kid or escape that way. When you are in the bottom position it is usually the easiest to score from and take the lead in the match!