The cradle is a great way to rack up points, and is available in almost any situation. Coach Davis walks you through a number of his favorite cradle techniques that he teaches in his room. He begins with an Owatonna favorite, the Crossface cradle. He shows the correct technique and then has his wrestlers demonstrate a number of different finishes based on what the opponent does underneath. He also includes a section on errors and corrections for the Crossface and counters for it. Other cradle series that Davis demonstrates include the False Cradle, Near Side Cradle, Step Through Cradle, Low Leg Cradle and Roll Through. In addition Davis presents his tilt series with five different finishes.

2008

Phil Davis, who won over a quarter of his college matches by fall, was one of the most dominant wrestlers in the country from the top position. In this DVD Davis shows you all of his proven top series that worked against the best wrestlers in the nation. Davis teaches you his Cradle series, including his Crossface Series; a number of tilts that can be hit from every angle that work; his favorite break downs that will get your opponent in position to be turned; his "unique tricks and moves" from the bottom position; and a special section on takedown defense. In addition, this DVD includes highlights from Davis' college career, current MMA training and his first MMA fight. No matter your age or experience level you can learn something from Davis' instruction.

"On Top of the World is a great instruction tool for both coaches and athletes and offers unique insight into Phil's proven technique. I'd highly recommend Phil's DVD to any wrestler who wants to improve their top position."
-Mark Perry
2X NCAA Champion at the University of Iowa

31 minutes. 2008.

Jeff Swenson led Augsburg to a record-10 NCAA Division III national championships - one of only three NCAA schools to have won 10 or more wrestling national titles. While building the squad into a national small-college wrestling powerhouse, Swenson's philosophy was to dominate the top position. To that extent, Swenson developed this cradle series. The series' success is predicated on the clamp, which Swenson covers in-depth. The clamp is a dominating breakdown and ride that can be used as a set-up to a number of pinning combinations. Swenson focuses on the far-side cradle, teaching the proper technique on two different finishes. In addition, Swenson demonstrates seven other cradle finishes based on how the opponent reacts. This series has been developed over 16 years of trial and error and is a proven way to earn back points. This series developed such a reputation that opposing wrestlers would choose neutral instead of selecting down to get the "easy" one-point escape.

41 minutes. 2008.

Coach Strobel presents an excellent demonstration on cradles and arm bars. He begins with cradles starting with the nearside cradle. Strobel shows proper technique for the breakdown, ride and lock for each cradle. All of his cradles start with the blanket ride. From the nearside Strobel demonstrates five different finishes, including his unique twist to the chest-to-chest finish. Next, Strobel cover the farside cradle cover six finishes from it. The second half of the tape concentrates on arm bars. He begins by breaking down four different ways to secure an arm bar, and then moves into five different finishes. Multiple angles for all the finishes give you great detail on each move.

59 minutes. 2007.

Ben Askren's "funk" style of wrestling is widely known for its aggressiveness- evidence of this is his school records 91 career falls and 29 falls in a season. Askren shows the secrets of his favorite pinning combinations. He focuses on three pinning holds: the inside cradle, outside cradle, and the hammerlock. He teaches a number of finishes for each, showing how to score the fall no matter what your opponent tries to do to counter it. He also includes his brand of the three-quarter nelson, as well as his own creation - 'the Assassin,' which originated from a freestyle move. He covers each move from breakdown to finish, and details how he made each move work in college. These moves are applicable at all levels of wrestling!

38 minutes. 2007.