A leg rider, or leg ride, is a wrestling move intended to turn an opponent over in order to score points or transition into a pinning combination. It's a common move in high school wrestling. For girls, a leg ride is a good choice because it capitalizes on the strengths of female physiology while mitigating the weaknesses.
Girls' High School Wrestling
Although predominately a male sport, girls have become more involved in wrestling since the early 1990s. As of 2010, most large high school teams will have at least one female participant, and large tournaments will have a girls' division. However, in practice and in dual meets, high school girls can expect to wrestle against boys as a regular part of the sport.
Leg Ride Basics
A leg ride starts with one wrestler on top of the other, in a controlling position, with both wrestlers' stomachs toward the mat. The wrestler on top will slide one leg around her opponent's hip and twine it around the leg on that side of the body. She then captures the shoulder or arm on the same side. By pushing with her hip and pulling with her arm, she immobilizes the lower body and twists the upper body until her opponent's back is to the mat. This is a powerful move that scores points and causes a fair amount of pain.
Lower Body Strength
Leg rides are a good choice for female wrestlers because it uses mostly hip and leg strength. By high school, boys' upper bodies are generally stronger, pound for pound, than those of girls the same age. This difference is less marked in the lower body. When wrestling against a boy, moves such as the leg ride can help overcome this disadvantage.
The Gender Factor
One problem for girls who want to use the leg ride is the close hip-to-hip contact. During much of the leg ride, the aggressor will be grinding her groin against the hip or leg of the opponent. In same-sex wrestling, this is just part of the sport. But when wrestling against an opponent of the opposite sex, this can get uncomfortable and embarrassing. High-level wrestlers simply ignore the discomfort during competition, but this can keep girls from wanting to practice or execute this effective move.
References
- NCAA Publications: 2010-2011 NCAA Wrestling Rules
- Andy Brick; Wrestling Coach; Hillsboro, Ore
- Eric Acree; Female High School Wrestler; Liberty High School; Hillsboro, Ore
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