Wrestling For Beginners

Rating:
Summary: Wow, what a humugous pile of crappola.
Review: I guess since I am a female wrestler, I expected a profound work that would help me in the ring. But, instead, there were no photos that showed such things as bodyslams, knuckle-busters, or backbreakers. In contrast, there were pictures of scantily clad highschoolers who are playing "Twister" on a rubber mat. Lame.

Rating:
Summary: Great book on basic wrestling skills
Review: I've looked at a lot of grappling and wrestling books over the years, but none of then covers the basic skills as thoroughly as this one does. The book starts off by giving a history of wrestling, going all the way back to ancient times. Another beginning chapter covers the fundamentals of a wrestling training program, like dieting and the nature of excersises. Much more detail is given to the seven basic wrestling skills: stance, movement, penetration, lifting, back arching, backstep, and changing levels. Easy to follow, black and white photos give examples of both the right and wrong ways to perform these skills. The technique section is very basic, but covers most of the common skills, like the double-leg, high crotch, and head-and-arm throw for takedowns, stand-ups and sitouts in the escapes section, and half Nelson and cradles for the breakdowns/pinning section. The appendix on weight classes and scoring would be helpful to people unfamiliar with the sport, as is the rather extensive glossary. The book is easy to follow, and is essential for understanding the basics of amature wrestling. I'd recomend it to wrestlers of all levels as kind of a "back to the basics" book, to martial artists looking to expand their grappling arsenal, and to those interested in grappling for self-defense, as the throws and escapes are workable in a scuffle.

Rating:
Summary: Great book on basic wrestling skills
Review: I've looked at a lot of grappling and wrestling books over the years, but none of then covers the basic skills as thoroughly as this one does. The book starts off by giving a history of wrestling, going all the way back to ancient times. Another beginning chapter covers the fundamentals of a wrestling training program, like dieting and the nature of excersises. Much more detail is given to the seven basic wrestling skills: stance, movement, penetration, lifting, back arching, backstep, and changing levels. Easy to follow, black and white photos give examples of both the right and wrong ways to perform these skills. The technique section is very basic, but covers most of the common skills, like the double-leg, high crotch, and head-and-arm throw for takedowns, stand-ups and sitouts in the escapes section, and half Nelson and cradles for the breakdowns/pinning section. The appendix on weight classes and scoring would be helpful to people unfamiliar with the sport, as is the rather extensive glossary. The book is easy to follow, and is essential for understanding the basics of amature wrestling. I'd recomend it to wrestlers of all levels as kind of a "back to the basics" book, to martial artists looking to expand their grappling arsenal, and to those interested in grappling for self-defense, as the throws and escapes are workable in a scuffle.

Rating:
Summary: A solid introduction/overview of wrestling skills
Review: This book delivers what it promises in the title. It is written for someone who plans to participate in wrestling but has no background in it. Emphasis is placed on basic skills.

The book begins with a brief discussion of wrestling benefits and a bit of history. Then the discussion moves to the seven core skills (stance, level changing, lifting, etc). Each skill is covered in some detail with several excellent photograhps for each major point. The rest of the book is devoted to a representative sample of basic takedowns, escapes, pins, etc.

The book does not cover the sport's organizing bodies, associations, rules, coaching strategies, etc in any depth. Nor does it cover any advanced skills. I did not perceive either of these things to be a lack.

The book's material was well organized and well presnted. There were plenty of clear and helpful photographs accompanying the text.

Overall, I was very pleased and would recommend it to others.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Source for First or Second Year Wrestlers...
Review: This is an excellent book for first or second year wrestlers. It's well-illustrated and descriptive in a simple manner. I'd recommend it highly to anyone whose just starting out, or to a parent of a youth or beginning wrestler.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Source for First or Second Year Wrestlers...
Review: This is an excellent book for first or second year wrestlers. It's well-illustrated and descriptive in a simple manner. I'd recommend it highly to anyone whose just starting out, or to a parent of a youth or beginning wrestler.

Rating:
Summary: Solid resource for beginning wrestlers
Review: Too often, wrestling coaches and wrestling books fail to build a solid foundation for wrestlers. The athletes wind up not reaching their potential. This book avoids that problem. It teaches the athlete all the basics, without distracting him with advanced topics he is not ready to learn. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to start wrestling, and to many people who have already been into wrestling for a while.