What is The Crab Ride?

• By Owen Reilly

The grab ride is an advanced riding technique in wrestling where the top man utilizes their legs as 'hooks' to manipulate and control the opponent. This ‘leg-ride’ allows top wrestlers to stay mobile, score off tilt opportunities, and break down their opponents to finish their pinning combinations. This blog will examine how to technically perform the crab ride, its advantages, scoring opportunities from the ride, and common mistakes that wrestlers often make.

How to Utilize the Crab Ride:

First, wait for your opponent to stand up or sit out of the bottom position. During this process, there will be an opening for the top man to insert his legs underneath theirs. Once your legs are on the inside of theirs, weave your ankles inside their lower legs to maintain complete control of your opponent's lower body. During this process, continuously fight for wrist control and maintain consistent pressure on your opponent's back to prevent an easy stand-up. To break down your opponent from this position, use your legs to stretch out or elevate your opponent's legs while keeping pressure on their back. Then, pull their body backward while continuing to control their legs. 

Advantages:

Some advantages of the crab ride include the level of full body control that this ride provides, the opportunity for tilts and scoring chances, and the ability of this ride to slow down and hinder athletic wrestlers’ ability to explode out of the bottom position. Unlike many rides that focus on chopping the arm or controlling the upper body, the crab ride incorporates the entirety of the top man's body to control and hold the bottom man in place. 

Common Mistakes: 

Some common mistakes of wrestlers who consistently use the crab ride include sitting too far back, not controlling your opponent's wrists or arms, and not maintaining adequate pressure. Sitting too far back allows your opponent a greater window to escape the ride with bottom wrestlers being able to ‘scooch’ farther away from you and fight the leg hooks easier. Not controlling your opponent's upper body allows them to fight the legs with their hands and more mobility allowing them an easier path to escape. Not maintaining adequate pressure is the most fatal mistake that wrestlers make as without the proper pressure, bottom wrestlers can stand up with almost no issues.

The crab ride is a great riding technique that lets top wrestlers wear down their opponents through consistent pressure. Doing so also presents numerous opportunities for tilts, pinning combinations, and riding time (if you are at the collegiate level).