Hey, did we mention that the 2017 Midlands Championships are live on Flo? Because... WE’VE GOT THE 2017 MIDLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS LIVE ON FLO THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY! 

There are a few weight classes that I have circled heading into the tournament, and 165 is definitely one of them.

The last time Iowa’s Alex Marinelli took on Richie Lewis from Rutgers it took overtime for the redshirt freshman Marinelli to pick up the win, but the outcome in their Dec. 8 bout could have very easily gone the other way. Here are a few ways that Lewis can turn the tides on Marinelli at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, IL, this weekend.

Neutralize Marinelli’s Left Hand 

Alex Marinelli’s technique is awesome. It’s darn near flawless. He doesn’t do a tremendous amount, but what he does he does better than most guys in the country. When you're faced with someone who has technique as good as Marinelli’s, one thing that you can do to neutralize it is to attack one of his hands. Which one? Good question, glad you asked. 

In most cases, I would say that you should attack your opponent's attack hand, so if he shoots at your leg with his right hand first (as is the case with Marinelli) then you should attack his right hand.

Going after Marinelli’s attack hand may not be the best course of action though, considering that what he does with his left hand is so deadly. In the video below, every shot that Marinelli takes is set up by him popping Lewis’ elbow up with his left hand before he shoots. If I were a part of the Rutgers staff I would have Lewis spend a lot of time in the room focusing on controlling the left hand of anyone that he wrestles.

Far Ankles Save Lives

Lewis was able to thwart most of Marinelli’s leg attacks by pulling him up to the hips and turning the wrestling match into a purely athletic contest, but on the last TD in overtime, Marinelli stayed around the leg and finished. 

If Lewis can find the far ankle on this scramble, there is a good chance that he can continue to scramble long enough to find a position in which he can simply get his leg out or recover his position. 

Smarter, Not Harder

The positioning of where you lock your hands on someone’s leg is important, not just for your immediate success but also sometimes for future success. On the first few leg attacks in their Dec. 8 match, Marinelli failed to convert but Lewis scored on the first shot that he took. Sounds like Lewis had a better leg attack, right? Not necessarily.  

When you allow the lock to slide up from the knee to the crotch, you take pressure and weight off of your lower back and legs. You’re able to keep your head up higher, and you also put yourself in less danger. Lewis stayed lower on the leg, pulled it in, and got it above his head. It's sound technique, but it takes a tremendous amount of strength. Strength that may not be there in the seventh or eighth minute of a match. Please don’t confuse this with thinking that Marinelli didn’t want to score on his first few attacks. He had every intention of scoring, but the way that he went about it allowed him to have just a little more gas in the tank in overtime. 

Marinelli’s ability to hand fight and pull on Lewis’ head — combined with the fact that every shot that Lewis took was wrestled around the knee — wreaked havoc on Lewis' back and legs. If Lewis wants to walk away with a win this weekend, he is going to have to find little ways to conserve energy through technique.