Analysis of Kyle Snyder's Wrestling For ADCC: Enough To Win Gold?

Wrestling is one of the key elements to earning a gold medal at ADCC, what could we learn from someone like Kyle Snyder?

Jul 27, 2019 by Chase Smith

Analysis of Kyle Snyder's Wrestling For ADCC: Enough To Win Gold?

Who is Kyle Snyder? This question was probably on the minds of many jiu-jitsu fans a few weeks back when ADCC champ Yuri Simoes called out the star-studded American wrestler for a match in an Instagram post.

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Who is Kyle Snyder? This question was probably on the minds of many jiu-jitsu fans a few weeks back when ADCC champ Yuri Simoes called out the star-studded American wrestler for a match in an Instagram post.

And while the message sent shockwaves through both grappling communities, it also got us thinking; Wrestling is an integral component to success at ADCC – Keenan Cornelius and Josh Hinger recently called it a 'wrestling tournament with submissions' on their matburn podcast (1hr07mins) – so what could we learn from someone like Kyle Snyder?

Make the jump and find out below!

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Before we get ahead ourselves, let's provide a little context and answer our opening question: Kyle Snyder is a freak of nature and one of the greatest American wrestlers– ever.

He became an Olympic World Champion (97kg) at 21 years of age – the youngest in American wrestling history. He's also a two-time World gold medalist (21, 23)– again, the youngest ever to accomplish such a feat.

Snyder also became the first American male to win a freestyle title at the Ivan Yarygin International since 2009, a feat he accomplished a second time 2018, becoming the first U.S. male athlete to capture two straight gold medals at what some call the toughest wrestling event in the world.

The Ohio State representative's collegiate record is 75-5, and he is a 3x NCCA D1 Champ. He "ended his college only wrestler to win the NCAA, World, and Olympic championships as a collegiate athlete." – USA Wrestling

So, to sum that up: you would be correct in saying that Snyder is a complete and utter savage.

4 Keys to Snyder's Success

An athlete like Snyder is not easily summarized – he's pretty damn good at everything – but there are some key elements that reoccur throughout all his bouts.

1. A Vicious Snapdown

There is nothing more unsettling than a violent snap down. Left undefended, one will see their face buried nose deep into the mat; react too strongly in the other direction and a variety of takedowns present themselves to Snyder.

A prime example of the snapdown from submission grappling world can be seen in many of the 'Russian Tank', Rustam Chiseiv's matches. The veteran competitor has been seen bouncing skulls off the mat at ADCC, EBI, and more.

2. Dirty, Varied Low Singles

The low single is one of Snyder's most effective weapons, and coincidentally, one of the safest takedowns in submission grappling. The threat of the guillotine is negligible, instead, kimura traps and triangle attacks are the most-commonly seen counters. The low single is also a great takedown to use as a counter to a lunging guard pull that is ever-prevalent the highest levels of gi competition.

AJ Agazam posses one of the nastiest low singles in jiu-Jitsu. He's used it to great effect throughout his career, and ADCC was no different.

3. A Finisher's Mentality

Like all champions, Snyder is adaptable and has incredible body position and reactive powers. FloWrestling's resident scholar Mike Mal explains how Snyder does it.

Though this attribute is a bit more malleable than a specific technique, we're certain Kyle Snyder would appreciate everything about Vagner Rocha's game – especially his hustle and willingness to mix things up.

4. Go Behinds

Getting stuck underneath a heavy sprawl is one of the worst places to be in jiu-jitsu - and the same is true in freestyle wrestling.

Submission attempts like the guillotines and various arm-in chokes present themselves, as well as possible pathways to the back. Seeing as choking people unconscious is generally frowned upon in wrestling, Snyder opts to go the back– a skill with 100% crossover from wrestling to submission grappling.

Cobrinha's wrestling throughout the entire 2017 ADCC championships was as a thing of pure beauty, but it played a particularly pivotal role in the 66kg final with AJ Agazarm. Cobrinha was able to utilize a slick go behind to take back and go ahead on points and take the win.

Conclusion

The cursory overview of one of the most dominant athletes of a generation doesn't truly do Snyder's game justice, but it should provide some insight into how one of the best wrestlers ever goes about his work.

We can surmise that many of Snyder's toolkit would transfer to ADCC – we've seen how these weapons succeed in ADCC, further pointing to the effectiveness and importance of wresting for any ADCC competitor.