Wrestling 101 (how to apply holds)

Stepover armlock camel clutch

The wrestler first stands over a kneeling or prone opponent with each leg beside the opponent's either side. The wrestler then grabs one of the opponent's arms in a stepover armlock, spinning 360° so the opponent's arm is bent with pressure on it, and results in the wrestler facing the same direction as he did before applying the hold. The wrestler, however, would not keeping holding the arm of the opponent, but rather sandwich it between his side of leg and opponent's side (body or waist), or the wrestler can simply trap it under his thigh and used leg. The wrestler then uses his "free" hands and holds the wrestler in a chinlock.

STF

Short for Stepover Toehold Facelock. This hold is performed on an opponent who is lying face down on the mat. A wrestler grabs one of the opponent's legs, and places the opponent's ankle between his/her thighs. The wrestler then lies on top of the opponent's back and locks his arms around the opponent's head. The wrestler then pulls back stretching the opponent's back, neck, and knee.

Abdominal stretch

Also known as a Cobra Twist, this hold begins with a wrestler facing his opponent's side. The wrestler first straddles one of the opponent's legs, then reaches over the opponent's near arm with the arm close to the opponent's back and locks it. Squatting and twisting to the side, flexes the opponent's back and stretches their abdomen. This move can also be applied to a seated opponent.

Indian deathlock

The wrestler lifts up a leg of a face-up opponent and wraps one of their legs around the other leg before dropping to a kneeling position, thus locking the opponent's leg behind the wrestler's knee. The wrestler then reaches over and grabs the opponent's far leg and places it on top of the trapped foot of the opponent. The wrestler then performs a forward roll while maintaining the hold. This forces the opponent onto his or her chest while the wrestler ends in a sitting position facing the same direction as his or her opponent. From here the wrestler can reach forward and perform many upper body submissions as well.

A standing version can also be applied which sees a standing wrestler place one of his legs between the legs of a face-down opponent and then bends one leg behind the leg of the wrestler, placing it on top of the knee pit of the opponents other leg. The wrestler then picks up the straight leg of the opponent, bends it backwards to lock the other leg in the knee pit and places the foot in front of the shin of the standing leg in the knee pit, thus locking the leg.