Check out weekly technique breakdowns by 3x NCAA champion Jason Nolf, presented by Athletes Ocean.
Jody Strittmatter's Stance & Motion Fundamentals | Technique Tuesday
Jul 28, 2026
In this week's Technique Tuesday, former Iowa Hawkeye and one of the country's top youth coaches Jody Strittmatter breaks down stance and motion — the fundamentals every wrestler knows but so many forget the details on. It all builds off one idea: pick a lead leg, stay consistent, and let that consistency anchor your whole offense and defense.
Strittmatter starts with a staggered stance — dominant foot forward, butt down, head up, elbows in, knees bent — then adds motion, keeping the lead leg out front and the back leg loaded to drive. He fixes the mistake that kills most kids' shots, dropping the knee straight down with no forward drive, with a simple drill: turn the back foot slightly so the knee coils like a spring, then step with the lead foot and cover real distance to the leg. He clears up the "don't reach" rule — you do reach when you attack legs, but with your elbows in, not flared. On defense he teaches the basic same-side down block and pivot, the sprawl with flat shoelaces and elbows off the mat, and circling back up into a good stance instead of standing straight-kneed — a circle that turns defense right back into offense. Best of all, none of it needs a partner: he stresses drilling it anywhere and visualizing your opponent, the crowd, the Olympic finals, while you do.
⚡ Watch the full instructional now: https://app.athletesocean.com/product/youth-wrestling-fundamentals-neutral-by-jody-strittmatter
