It’s no secret that wrestlers are known to be some of the most hardcore athletes on the planet. It takes a tremendous amount of dedication and perseverance to succeed in wrestling. Just like BJJ, wrestling relies on leverage, strong balance and technical knowledge to control an opponent. The difference, however, is that wrestlers work to take their opponents down to the ground and maintain a superior position. Because of this, explosive power is considered to be an asset in wrestling.

The saying: “Once you have wrestled, everything else in life is easy” is true for anyone who has braved the wrestling mats at one point or another. Wrestlers are known for their tremendous work ethic and hardiness. Because of the competitiveness and toughness of the sport, a very small percentage of wrestlers move on to wrestle in college, and an even smaller percentage continue their career beyond college to compete at the international level.

BJJ is considerably more recreational than wrestling, and many people choose to take it up at different ages. Many people choose to do BJJ for leisure, and some will even go years into their BJJ journey without having competed once. Many BJJ and MMA practitioners dabble in wrestling to get better at their respective sports. However, fewer wrestlers make the transition from wrestling to BJJ.

With that being said, the intensity in wrestling is very different from that of BJJ. Because wrestlers are relentless in getting their opponents down to the ground, they (especially competitive wrestlers) are often stronger, more athletic than their recreational counterparts. As intimidating as this may sound to the regular BJJ practitioner, just like any student, there are certain ways one can circumvent the strength and tenacity of a wrestler.

Here are some tips on How To Combat A Wrestler in BJJ:

You need to SLOW DOWN Wrestlers From your Guard.

Here is a segment on stopping explosive guard passers and wrestlers, here we go over some concepts and strategies to help you slow down wrestlers.