The debate over freestyle and folkstyle has divided many people within the sport. No matter what side of the debate you are on, we should all be able to agree that we need to get better in the quad pod position. In folkstyle this is not a position that is contested. When the hands hit the mat the takedown is awarded. This isn’t the case in freestyle and Americans have a lot of room to improve offensively and defensively.

James Green is a guy that wrestles very well defensively from the quad pod. This is very impressive for a guy who transitioned to freestyle full time in March of 2015. Green won match #2 of his wrestle-off series against Nick Marable with great defense from the quad pod. Ultimately, he steps over a gut wrench attempt for a two-point exposure. You can cite this as a deficiency in Marable’s game, but when you see Green defend against Hassan Yazdani Charati you get a better understanding of how good Green is defensively in the quad pod. Let’s look at why James Green is successful defensivelyin the quad pod position.

The quad pod position is a basic concept. The bottom wrestler is a table. The top wrestler needs to remove a leg of the table and shift weight to the area that is missing the leg. James Green does a very good job at keeping his hands and feet spread out at the perfect position to support his weight. His base is never too wide or too narrow. He waits patiently to strike against Marable. To defend against the gut he uses his cross-hand to pick the knee and accompanies it with an inside high-leg. Take note if you want to improve your quad pod defense.

Often you see Americans jump from technique to technique instead of executing a concise plan when they find themselves in an offensive quad pod situation. In a round of 32 match from the 2014 World Championships Ed Ruth struggled to score from the quad pod against Mohammadian of Iran. In the first exchange Ruth was up against the clock as the first period was coming to an end. Ruth looked to double heel block, but was unable to pull Mohammadian out of his quad position. The second time Ruth gets to the quad pod he bounces from technique to technique before attacking the left leg. He is able to score when he drives through to the far ankle. The entire sequence takes Ruth more than 20 seconds to secure the takedown. The indecision shows a lack of experience in the situation and should be a focus of American freestyle moving forward.

 

 

Let’s look at some foreign competitors and how they deal with the position:

Vasyl Shuptar, Ukraine, 2015 World Silver Medalist 61kg:
Shuptar ends up in a quad pod after a throw-by on Bajrang of India. Shuptar clearly has a plan to drive Shuptar over his right arm into a trapped arm gut. He isn’t able to get it locked in, but Bajrang is forced to his feet. Shuptar finishes a textbook trip to the match that we see all the time in folkstyle at all levels.



Nurlan Bekzhanov, Kazakhstan, 70kg:
Bekzhanov attacks a high single and Gor defends by dropping to the quad pod. Bekzhanov locks around the waist and briefly loads up his hips. He laces his left leg in, and uses it to knock out Gor’s left leg. This is a technique you often see attempted. Bekzhanov’s timing and pressure make this look easy.



Sayed Ahmad Mohammadi, Iran, 2015 World Bronze Medalist 65kg:
Mohammadi uses the slickest technique and makes the scoring look effortless. After a flurry Mohammadi runs behind Chamizo of Italy and finds himself in the quad pod. After a brief pause to load up, Mohammadi knee bumps Chamizo’s left leg out from underneath him. The precision and fluidity Mohammadi displays shows an obvious refinement of this technique.



Hassan Yazdani Charati, Iran, 2015 World Silver Medalist 70kg:
I mentioned earlier that James Green has great quad pod defense. It is on full display as Yazdani Charati works to score a first period takedown in their semifinal bout. Yazdani Charati starts the sequence by using the same knee bump that Mohammadi used. He did not get confirmation on the takedown, but Green’s right knee probably hit. Yazdani Charati then moved side to side checking for a possible gut wrench. He stays patient when the guts aren’t there and doesn’t make a risky attempt. He reloads and goes after the knee bump a second time. The difference on the second attempt is that Yazdani Charati attacks the leg he knee bumps. He elevates the leg and moves into a wheelbarrow position climbing up to just above the knees. He steps over Green for the two point exposure.



The guys that are good offensively in the quad pod are the guys who have a plan of attack. It isn’t any secret technique, though Iran’s knee bump is pretty nice. The evidence of drilling and chain wrestling is there. Wrestlers practice taking multiple shots on their feet, and the guys that are good in the quad pod apply the same philosophy. They have a gameplan and string techniques together. The combination Yazdani Charati uses is a thing of beauty and looks like he has done the techniques thousands of times.