Cliff Notes Theatre; Kendall Cross

Years ago, when watching high level matches and wrestlers first became more accessible on YouTube and Flo, I became obsessed with watching some of the all time greats. It was fun trying to identify some technique that they used, or skills that they had, that helped them be successful in certain situations. Sometimes the techniques were easy to add to my approach, other times they were not. I learned various single leg finishes that I continue to use when I have the chance to get on a mat. I also learned that Jordan Burroughs is better at a blast double than I am, and that I’m much more comfortable as a left leg lead. For that reason, I figured we could try to highlight some awesome wrestlers, where I feel they have things to emulate and practice on your own, and little things to notice in their approach. This is Cliff Notes Theatre.

So for my first wrestler to focus on, I went with one of my favorites to watch, Kendall Cross. He’s simply fearless. When you hear the phrase “taking someone into deep water” with wrestling, it seems to reference conditioning or a physicality that people aren’t willing or able to match. When I use that phrase with Kendall, it’s in reference to getting into a position where he’s extremely comfortable, and attacking without hesitation before the other wrestler has acclimated. I see it all the time where some wrestlers back out of tie ups that they aren’t comfortable in, or have a specific matchup with a wrestler that they just can’t seem to adjust to. I don’t see that much with Kendall. He seems prepared where other guys aren’t, and can work his offense from his opponent's position of strength.

This match is from the 1996 Olympic Trials against defending World Champion - Terry Brands. In this match, you can see Kendall working to pull Terry up into an over hook position. Terry works to inside position over and over, and continues to reach down for a snatch single. Kendall works that arm, and subsequently Terry’s body, up into an over hook position over and over, until he gets Terry standing straight up. At that point, like a Cobra, he strikes! He steps in and pummels in the under hook on the left side, holds the over hook on the right side, and steps his right leg on the inside, hooking it. The hook is important here, because rather than tripping that leg, he’s looking to take the leg out and prevent Terry from using it to stop the throw. The other piece that’s important here is Kendall’s head position. He keeps it on the side with the over hook and where he is hooking the leg. That allows him to turn his head where he wants to go, and control the movement down to the ground, and get his hips on top to complete the throw. To Terry’s credit, he fights like a lunatic to get off of his back and keep competing for this spot. A lesser man would have been done there, but the throw proves to be too much and Kendall takes the Olympic spot, and ends up winning the Olympic gold. In fact, we will see that match shortly. I highly recommend watching matches 1 and 2 in this best of 3 battle, but for the purposes here, we’ll just show this one.

Now here we will walk through a wild sequence from the Olympic Gold medal match. In our interview with Kendall (which I also recommend listening to if you haven’t yet, episode 334), he shared with us that he was familiar with the inside trip that Sissaouri was very good at. Early in the match, after some exciting scrambling, Kendall gets to a double over hook position. He locks both his hands, while Sissaouri has double under hooks. Kendall works forward, baiting Sissaouri into that inside trip. If you aren’t looking for that specific sequence, then you’ll miss it, because it’s lightning fast. In comes the step, from Sissaouri and in a millisecond comes a bigger step from Kendall to that same side. At this point Sissaouri is extended too far, and Kendall commits fully to this throw. Just like with the throw to Terry, Kendall turns his head and looks where he wants to go. Again, he’s able to finish this off on top, and didn’t need to score another point in the match. When you’re thrown like this from a position of strength, you lose your confidence in what has usually worked. It’s tough to mount a comeback when you’ve lost confidence in your ability to go to your “go to” attacks.

In our final installment of this Cliff Notes theatre, we will check out this match from the 1992 Olympics where a younger and equally dangerous Kendall takes on Keiji of Japan in round 2. Quick point, Kendall hits everything with blind commitment. This is the sort of commitment and confidence you have from practicing these things and knowing that they are a part of your arsenal. It’s human nature to protect yourself, and it’s also just smart wrestling. Risk versus reward is a simple enough concept to understand. That being said, the way Kendall hits these moves, you’d think he felt like there was absolutely zero risk involved. He knows what he’s about to do, and he’s completely confident that it will work. Let’s also point out that the three installments here are at the Olympic trials in 96, the Olympic finals in 96, and at the Olympics in 92. This isn’t the Ann Arbor Pioneer Novice Tournament. This is the most pressure that you can have against the toughest opponents, and he’s convinced that this will work.

Anyway, you’ll see here that even when the opponent gets in on his leg early in the match he is confident in the crotch lock to commit to throwing it over and getting those points. Too many times now I see guys just try to sit there and wait for them to be put back on their feet. Go get your points, or create some movement. After a couple of fake shots, the Japanese wrestler takes a shot and Kendall pulls him up into double over hooks. He steps in again with that inside trip, sags his weight to that side where he hooks the leg, and looks to that side. I was never a thrower, and I always blamed my lack of explosiveness and hips. However, I’m becoming more convinced that I was not looking at where I want the throw to go. Like a duck under where you look at the ceiling to get all the way through, you need to turn your head to where you want the throw to go. To finish this off, like the throws before, you need to get your hips back on top and cover. Kendall is awesome at all of these essential steps to the throw, and you can too if you commit your time and attention to these skills. This has been Cliff Notes Theatre: Kendall Cross.

Sorry, but I have a last minute addition here. We have Kendall Cross wrestling Cary Kolat in 1991. For perspective, Kolat was 18, and Cross was about the be the Olympian the following year, as well as the next Olympic cycle. Also, they both have sweet mullets, as far as I can tell with the old school video. Great wrestling by both guys, awesome scrambles, and love how they attack corners and wait for their opportunities and explode. Okay, that’s all now.