This has to be the most encyclopaedic book available on the art of amateur wrestling. It is also an excellent resource for the fighter who includes grappling in their curriculum. This book covers the whole scope of the folkstyle, or collegiate, wrestling. It is endorsed by Dan Gable, America's most famous amateur world and Olympic champion of days gone by. This book truly covers everything.
The chapters are Basic Skills, Takedowns, Escapes and Reversals, and Breakdowns, Rides and Pinning Combinations. Many martial artists slate wrestling for its lack of decisive finishers and it is true that using pins alone you are unlikely to win anything except wrestling competitions. However if you already have an auxiliary knowledge of submissions and striking then the information in this book will allow you more opportunities to use that knowledge.
The Takedowns chapter is exhaustive, covering shoots and all kinds of finishes from the various positions it is possible to end up in. Counters and counters to these are also discussed in detail. The best aspect of this chapter in my opinion is it shows every possible outcome of your takedown attempt and how to proceed from there. This is covered to the point of ridicule but again this is invaluable stuff for those in need of advise in taking it to the floor.
The Escapes and Reversals chapter is useful but not to the same extent as the previous chapter. While many of the moves detailed are valid this work takes no account of opportunities to strike or apply submission holds and many times a complex counter could be nullified by a choke or armbar. That said wrestling does cover positions that are unmentioned in other arts and therefore allows for greater awareness of spatial relations between you and your opponent.
The final chapter on pinning, rides and breakdowns also suffers, from the MMA-ist's point of view from a lack of acknowledgement of strikes and subs. Again this is not to say it is useless as I often found myself looking at an unfamiliar pin or ride thinking immediately how it would be a great set-up for a knee bar or position to strike from etc. Also this chapter, and indeed the whole book, covers those "in-between" bits that donŐt fit conventional description yet are often the positions you find yourself in and donŐt know what to do. This I think is the great advantage of wrestling that in gives greater control opportunities from transitional positions and thus better overall ground skills and better positional control of your opponent. As for finishers? You just have to use your imagination.
Overall I would recommend this book to any martial artist looking to improve their ground game. There are hundreds of photos representing the moves described and the format of the book is easy to follow. The detailed nature means that it is possible to consult this book in a "what if I end up here?" manner, especially with the Takedowns chapter which takes up most of the book. Wrestlers consider this to be the best book available on wrestling and so do I.
Dom
