Folkstyle wrestling drills for youth clubs, with video, setup and coaching points, grouped by technique, takedowns and top and bottom position. For 6U to 14U.
5 drills · 26 minutes if you ran them all
Lines across the mat. Players tuck chin, place hands and roll forward over the back of the shoulders, finishing on their feet in a stance. Go down and back twice, then add a backward roll on the return.
Chin tucked, round your back, stand up into a stance without using your hands.
Watch: USA WrestlingGroups of three lying side by side. The two outside wrestlers take turns jumping over the middle wrestler and log rolling toward the far side while the middle wrestler rolls the other way. Keep it going for 30 seconds, then rotate.
Arms tight to the body on the roll. Jump high enough to clear your partner every time.
Watch: USA WrestlingPartners face each other in a stance three feet apart. One leads with level changes, circles and shuffles; the other mirrors every move. Switch leaders every 20 seconds.
Stay in your stance the whole time, head up, elbows in. Move your feet, do not reach.
Watch: USA WrestlingEveryone lies flat on their back. On the whistle they get to their feet as fast as they can into a good wrestling stance and freeze. Coach checks stances, then repeat from the stomach and from the knees.
Pop up and land in a stance, not standing straight. Hands in front, knees bent.
Watch: USA WrestlingPartners grip each other at the forearm. On the whistle, each tries to reach around and touch the partner's opposite hip while keeping their own hips away. Score a point per touch, 30 second rounds.
Circle and pull, do not stand still. Keep your hips back and your head up.
Watch: USA Wrestling7 drills · 60 minutes if you ran them all
Partner shoots at half speed. The defender practices each line in order: hands and forearms first, then hips back into a sprawl, then head control and spin. Five slow reps per line before stringing them together.
Hands block, hips back, head to the mat side. The first line is your hands.
Watch: USA WrestlingIn stance, players shuffle forward, back and side to side on the coach's hand signals, keeping their feet from crossing. Add a level change on the whistle. Work 30 seconds on, 15 off.
Short steps, never cross your feet. Lead with the foot closest to where you are going.
Watch: USA WrestlingFrom a staggered stance, players change level and take a deep inside step, knee to the mat, trail leg following, hands reaching for a partner's legs. Drill across the room without a partner, then shoot into a partner who stands still.
Change level before you step, not during. Head up, back straight, knee between the partner's feet.
Watch: USA WrestlingFrom a collar tie or head and hand position, the attacker pops the partner's arm or head up with both hands and immediately shoots underneath. Partner starts flat footed, then adds light movement.
Pop hard enough to raise their head, then go right away. Do not pop and wait.
Watch: USA WrestlingPartner shoots a double at medium speed. The defender sprawls hips down and back, then spins behind to a control position. Alternate shooter and defender every rep, ten each.
Hips heavy on the shoulders, legs back. Spin on your toes, not your knees.
Watch: USA WrestlingTeach the staggered and square stance: feet shoulder width, knees bent, back straight, elbows in, hands in front. Players hold each stance while the coach pushes lightly on their shoulders, then switch between the two on command.
Weight on the balls of your feet. Elbows in tight, hands ready to block.
Watch: USA WrestlingPartners in stance. Attacker controls one wrist with a thumb-on-top grip, pulls it down and across to open the partner's hip, then shoots a penetration step to that side. Five reps each, then switch.
Pull the wrist down and move your feet at the same time. Shoot when the elbow clears the hip.
Watch: USA Wrestling4 drills · 42 minutes if you ran them all
Teach in parts: level change, penetration step, head to the outside hip, hands behind the knees, drive and finish to the side. Partner stands still for ten reps, then moves lightly and offers no resistance.
Head up and to the side, hips underneath you. Finish by cutting the corner, not lifting straight up.
Watch: USA WrestlingFrom a wrist tie or motion setup, the attacker steps deep to one leg, locks hands behind the knee with the head on the inside, and comes up to the feet with the leg captured. Finish by running the pipe or sweeping. Ten reps each side.
Head up and tight to the body. Get the leg off the mat before you think about finishing.
Watch: USA WrestlingFrom a collar tie, the attacker snaps the partner's head down and toward the mat, then spins behind to a control position. Partner gives their head lightly, then adds resistance.
Snap and move at the same time. Circle to the side opposite the collar tie.
Watch: USA WrestlingPartner shoots a sloppy single with the head low. The defender pushes the head to the mat with both hands while sprawling the leg back, then spins behind. Five reps each then switch.
Hands on the back of the head, not the neck. Sprawl the attacked leg as you stuff.
Watch: USA Wrestling7 drills · 64 minutes if you ran them all
When the bottom wrestler's head and knee come close together, the top wrestler reaches around the head and under the knee, locks hands and rolls them to their back. Partner sets the position deliberately for ten reps each.
Lock hands tight before you roll. Keep your own head up and chest on top.
Watch: USA WrestlingAfter a breakdown, the top wrestler slides a hand under the partner's near arm and onto the back of the head, drives into them and walks toward the head to turn them. Partner stays flat and lets it happen, then adds light resistance.
Hand behind the head, elbow deep. Walk around the head, drive with your hips.
Watch: USA WrestlingTeach the bottom start: knees behind the line, hands flat in front, back flat, head up, weight on the hands and feet. On the whistle, players practise a hard first move forward and up without a partner.
Elbows in, head up, hips back over your heels. Explode on the whistle, do not wait.
Watch: USA WrestlingTeach the top start: one knee on the mat behind the partner, chest on their back, one hand on the elbow and one around the waist. On the whistle the top wrestler follows the bottom wrestler's first move and keeps chest contact.
Stay heavy on their hips. Follow their move, do not jump away from it.
Watch: USA WrestlingFrom top, the wrestler drives the near shoulder into the partner, circles toward their head with an arm hooked around the far shoulder, and breaks them flat. Five breakdowns each, then swap.
Drive with your legs and circle fast. Pull the shoulder, do not just push.
Watch: USA WrestlingFrom bottom, the wrestler posts the inside foot, drives the hips up and back into the partner, clears the hands, and turns to face. Top partner rides lightly at first. Ten reps, then go live for the first three seconds only.
Head up, back into them, hand fight for the wrist. Get your hips off the mat first.
Watch: USA WrestlingFrom bottom, the wrestler sits through to the hip away from the top wrestler, reaches back over the partner's near arm to the inside of the thigh, and hips in to come on top. Walk through five times, then at speed.
Clear your hips first, then reach. Sit out wide and lean back hard into the arm.
Watch: USA Wrestling3 drills · 30 minutes if you ran them all
Two teams the length of the room with a rolled up towel as the ball. Two steps maximum with the ball, pass to a teammate, score by touching the ball to the end goal area. Dropped ball goes to the other team.
Move to open space the moment you pass. Everybody runs on offense and defense.
Watch: USA WrestlingTwo or three sharks in the middle of the mat, everyone else lined up on one side. On the whistle minnows cross to the other side while sharks try to take them down to a knee. Caught minnows become sharks until one is left.
Change level and move your feet to get past a shark. Sharks, work together and cut them off.
Watch: USA WrestlingBottom wrestler stands up on the whistle and the top wrestler lifts and returns them to the mat, then resets. Alternate every rep for 30 seconds, rest 15, three rounds.
Hips in close, lift with your legs, bring them back to the mat safely on their stomach.
Watch: USA Wrestling4 drills · 26 minutes if you ran them all
Bottom wrestler on hands and knees crawls, spins and changes direction; top wrestler stays on top without locking hands or grabbing clothing. 20 second rides, then switch.
Top, keep your chest heavy and your feet moving. Bottom, change direction fast.
Watch: USA WrestlingPartners in stance. Score a point by touching the inside of the partner's knee with a hand while protecting your own. 30 second rounds, three rounds, rotate partners.
Stay in your stance and move your feet. Block with your hands, do not bend over to reach.
Watch: USA WrestlingPartners both in a back arch with hands and feet on the mat, facing each other. On the whistle they try to knock the other out of the arch using their feet and hips. Best of three, then switch partners.
Hips high and strong. Attack their base, not their head.
Watch: USA WrestlingPartners in stance with hands on each other's shoulders. Using only legs and feet, each tries to trip or unbalance the other so a hand or knee touches the mat. Three 30 second rounds.
Keep a wide base and your head up. Move when they move.
Watch: USA WrestlingVideos are linked, not hosted, and belong to USA Wrestling. Drill write-ups are by Cheat Code Coaching. Durations are what we run them at with a youth team; adjust for your group.
Every drill here is already in the Cheat Code Teams Practice Builder for Youth Wrestling. Drag them into a plan, tap Start practice, and the clock, the whistle and the next drill are on your phone and your lock screen.