Eyes on the Hips Game
Focus
Legend
- player
- coach / parent
- movement path
How it works
Teach young wrestlers to lock their visual focus on an opponent's hips as the primary tracking point.
What you need
- wrestling mat
Your focus
Hips are the center of movement in wrestling and the most honest indicator of an opponent's next action. Training young wrestlers to watch hips rather than hands or faces builds a foundational attention habit that improves both offense and defense. This simple focus game makes the skill engaging and repeatable.
Pair wrestlers and have them face each other in athletic stance about 2 feet apart.
One partner moves around slowly, stepping left, right, forward, or backward, while the other tracks only their hips.
The mover suddenly sits down, jumps, or changes level; the tracker calls out what they saw.
Switch roles after 60 seconds and repeat for 3 rounds each.
Helpful cues
- Keep your eyes soft, look through your opponent, not at their face
- Don't blink when they move, stay locked
- Hips tell the truth about where they're going
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Have the mover only shift weight left or right so the action is more predictable.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Mover adds head and hand fakes to test whether the tracker stays locked on hips.No account needed
Build a practice plan
Add drills, keep the plan in this browser, then share a link with your staff or parents.This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.
This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.After every practice, UpLVL automatically surfaces the drills each player needs to work on most. See it for yourself.