Beginning wrestlers or wrestling fans may think, at first glance, that many wrestling moves are performed primarily with the arms or back. Actually, arm and back muscles do contribute but are secondary in most wrestling moves to the core, and especially, the hips. Your hips do not simply help in wrestling; your hips are essential to proper technique.
Defense -- Double Leg
Hips are important for most areas of wrestling but particularly so for defense. For example, when an opponent shoots in for a double-leg takedown, your most effective counter is generally a sprawl --- kicking your legs back and dropping your torso on top of your opponent. However, many beginning wrestlers forget to engage their hips during a sprawl, allowing their opponents to continue driving underneath them and complete the takedown. However, if you center your weight over your hips and drop your hips into your opponent's neck, back and shoulder, you will crush him to the mat and stop his double-leg attempt much more effectively, according to TheWrestlingTalk.com.
Defense -- Single Leg
Hips are just as important for properly defending an opponent's single-leg takedown attempt as for defending a double-leg takedown -- maybe even more so. The manner in which you use your hips, however, is significantly different. Most single-leg defenses involve either a whizzer, sometimes called an overhook, on your opponent's near arm, or a crossface --- sometimes both. However, when you use the whizzer or crossface to redirect your opponent and create space, you should turn and drop your hips to weaken your opponent's grip, while maintaining your own balance.
Offense
Hip strength is important for most wrestling throws and takedowns. This is particularly the case for many clinch attacks. For example, when performing a high outside single from the T position, many beginning wrestlers simply bend their knees and try to pick their opponents straight up. While this is certainly preferable to trying to perform the lift with the lower back, it is still not ideal. Instead of simply lifting your opponent with a squat motion, pop your hips forward sharply as you begin the lift, jolting your opponent into the air and making the throw easier to complete.
Strengthening Hips
Ordinary total body weight training routines can help increase your hip strength, just like the strength of the rest of your body, according to Steve Preston, MSEd. However, certain unique routines can help you strengthen your hips specifically. For example, many resistance band exercises, particularly for the lower body, can help simulate the resistance of a live opponent. Also, many kettlebell exercises, especially swings, rely on hip power to perform the exercises correctly and can therefore help improve your hips. Of course, drilling wrestling itself will help improve your hips better than any supplemental exercise alone.
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