Secret Dice Wrestling Rounds for MMA Cross Training
- jamie03066
- 5 hours ago
- 11 min read
A good wrestling round often turns on a small piece of information. Who wants the head? Who is hunting the single leg? Who is trying to get behind to the waist? Once that intention becomes obvious, the opponent can start taking it away.
That is why the secret dice game works so well.
Tonight I used it with a client who has been training martial arts with me since 2018. He is currently on my Mixed Martial Arts course, with a strong focus on cross-training. We have already used this format for Submission Grappling, Boxing, Kickboxing and Muay Thai. This session was wrestling’s turn, and it gave us another useful way to train decision-making under pressure.
The rules are simple.
Each participant rolls a die in secret. The number rolled matches a specific technique or tactical goal from the sport being trained. Over 12 x 3-minute rounds, each person tries to score with their assigned skill while hiding their intention. At the same time, they try to read what the other person is aiming for.
For this wrestling session, the numbers were:
Dice roll | Wrestling objective |
1 | Head Control |
2 | Arm Control |
3 | Waist Control |
4 | Single Leg Shoot |
5 | Double Leg Shoot |
6 | Sweeps |
On paper, it looks almost too simple. In practice, it creates a very rich training environment. It forces both people to wrestle with purpose, disguise their attacks, stay observant and adapt when the first plan does not work.
Why the secret dice game suits wrestling
Wrestling is full of patterns. People have favourite entries, favourite grips, favourite sides and favourite reactions. The problem is that once these habits become predictable, the opponent no longer has to defend everything. They only have to defend the thing they know is coming.
The secret dice game interrupts that.
It gives each round a clear mission, but it also stops the session from becoming a static drill. The athlete cannot just say, “I am working single legs now,” and then shoot the same entry over and over while the partner politely feeds the right reaction.
Instead, the objective is hidden.
That changes everything.
If the number is four, the person might be trying to score with a single leg, but they still need to hand fight, threaten other attacks, move the opponent and create a believable opening. If they rush straight into the shot every time, the secret is gone within the first few seconds.
The same applies to control positions. If the number is one and the goal is head control, the athlete cannot just reach for the head with no set-up. They need to earn the position through movement, pressure, timing and misdirection.
This is where the drill becomes valuable for Wrestling Training in an MMA setting. It does not just train the move. It trains the behaviour around the move.
Good wrestling is rarely about one isolated technique. It is about how that technique is hidden, prepared, chained and recovered from.
The 12-round structure
We used 12 rounds of 3 minutes. That gave enough time to explore the positions without turning the session into a grind.
Three minutes is long enough for patterns to appear. It is also short enough to keep the pace honest. There is no room to waste a minute circling without intent, especially when the other person may already be building towards their assigned objective.
The round structure looked like this:
Roll the die in secret.
Remember the assigned number and objective.
Wrestle for 3 minutes.
Try to score, secure or clearly establish the assigned objective.
Hide the intention for as long as possible.
Read the opponent’s likely objective.
Reset and roll again for the next round.
The dice can produce repeats, and that is part of the value. If the same number comes up several times, the athlete has to find new ways to approach the same task. A repeated single leg round should not look identical every time. It might come from pressure, from a snap-down reaction, from an underhook, from a failed double leg, or from catching the opponent stepping.
The same applies to head control, arm control and waist control. Repetition is useful, but only if it does not become mechanical.
The six wrestling objectives
The list for this session covered three control-based goals and three attack-based goals. That gave us a good mix. Not every round was about shooting in. Some rounds were about owning the tie, disrupting posture or getting to a dominant body position.
1. Head control
Head control is one of the clearest ways to steer another person’s movement. If the head is out of position, the rest of the body usually follows.
In wrestling and MMA, head control can appear through collar ties, snap-downs, front headlock entries, head positioning against the jawline or pressure that breaks posture. It can be used to set up takedowns, shut down shots or create striking opportunities in a broader MMA context.
In this round, the main aim was not just to touch the head. It was to control it with purpose.
That might mean:
Pulling the head down to break stance.
Moving the head offline before attacking a leg.
Using head position to block the opponent’s forward pressure.
Turning the head to create an angle.
The interesting part is how quickly a good opponent notices repeated reaching for the head. If every exchange starts with a collar tie, the pattern becomes easy to read. So the player with number one has to enter through other routes. They might fake a level change, hand fight first, or threaten an arm drag before taking the head.
2. Arm control
Arm control is central to wrestling because the arms act as both weapons and shields. If you control an arm, you can limit posts, block attacks and create routes to the legs or back.
For MMA, this matters even more because arms also strike, frame and defend against clinch damage. The habit of controlling an arm before advancing is useful across many ranges.
In the dice game, arm control could include:
Wrist control.
Two-on-one control.
Inside tie control.
Elbow control.
Arm drags.
Trapping an arm to open a body lock or leg attack.
The challenge is that arm control can become too obvious if the person chases the wrist with both hands every time. A better approach is to make the opponent offer the arm. Pressure the head. Threaten the level change. Force a post. Then take the arm when it appears.
That is the benefit of the game. It teaches the athlete not to grab for the sake of grabbing. The control has to connect to the movement of the round.
3. Waist control
Waist control changes the relationship between the two bodies. Once someone gets to the waist, especially from an angle or behind, the opponent must deal with mat returns, lifts, trips, turns and back exposure.
For MMA, waist control also links well to cage wrestling, rear body locks and takedown chains. Even without a cage, learning to get to the hips and stay connected is a core skill.
During the drill, waist control could come from:
Body lock entries.
Duck-unders.
Arm drags to the back.
Getting behind after a failed shot.
Locking around the waist during a scramble.
Moving from head or arm control into hip control.
The key was not to dive for the waist from too far away. That usually gives the opponent time to frame, sprawl or circle off. The best waist control rounds came when the entry was earned. The attacker first won head position, made the opponent react, then stepped into the body.
Waist control also made the guessing part harder. Someone working towards waist control might first appear to be chasing arm control or head control. That overlap makes the game more realistic.
4. Single leg shoot
The single leg is one of the most adaptable takedowns in wrestling. It works from many ties, many angles and many reactions. It also connects well with MMA because the attacker can run the pipe, switch to a double, climb to the body, or use the attempt to push the opponent back.
In the secret dice format, the single leg round exposed a common issue. If the athlete knows they need a single leg, they may start staring at the lead leg. That gives the plan away.
The better version is to make the single leg appear as a consequence of the hand fight.
Useful routes included:
Pulling the head down, then attacking as the opponent stands tall.
Moving the opponent’s weight onto one leg.
Using wrist control to open the near side.
Faking a double leg to collect one leg.
Attacking after the opponent steps heavily.
A single leg is not just a dive at the leg. It is a timing problem. The dice game makes that obvious because the opponent is actively trying to read the shot before it comes.
5. Double leg shoot
The double leg brings a different rhythm. It usually needs commitment, penetration and a strong finish. If it is telegraphed, the defender has a clear chance to sprawl, frame, circle or counter.
For this reason, the double leg number created some of the most tactical rounds.
The attacker had to disguise the level change. They could not simply bounce outside range, lower their stance and launch. That might work once against a careless partner, but it is easy to read over repeated rounds.
Better double leg entries came from:
Gaining inside position first.
Creating backward pressure.
Using a snap or pull to bring the opponent forward, then changing direction.
Entering after a fake upper-body tie.
Shooting as the opponent squared up.
The double leg also tested recovery. If the first shot failed, the round was not over. The attacker could reshoot, switch to a single, climb up to waist control, or use the failed attempt to create another reaction.
That is important for MMA. Clean shots are great, but messy follow-ups often decide whether a takedown succeeds.
6. Sweeps
Sweeps gave the session a different flavour. In this context, we used them as lower-body takedown actions that disrupt balance, timing and base. They could appear from standing ties, clinch positions or as reactions to pressure.
Sweeps reward sensitivity. The athlete has to feel when the opponent’s weight is moving, when a foot is light, or when the stance is too narrow.
In the dice game, sweeps were useful because they did not always look like direct attacks. A person might appear to be hand fighting for head or arm control, while really waiting for the right weight shift.
Possible sweep ideas included:
Foot sweeps from collar tie movement.
Inside trips from body contact.
Outside trips from waist or arm control.
Timing a sweep as the opponent steps forward.
Using upper-body pressure to make the feet vulnerable.
The main lesson was patience. Forced sweeps tend to become weak kicks at the leg. Good sweeps happen when the opponent is already moving where you want them to go.
Hiding the objective matters as much as scoring
The most valuable part of the drill is not the dice. It is the secrecy.
When the objective is hidden, the athlete now has two jobs. They must pursue their own goal and protect the information that reveals it.
That creates a much richer round.
If someone rolls a five and needs a double leg, they still have to wrestle as if other threats exist. They need to hand fight honestly. They need to make head control, arm control and waist control look possible. If they only hunt one entry, the defender can narrow their focus.
The defender also has a job. They need to notice patterns without becoming too reactive.
A few questions start to appear during the round:
Is the opponent repeatedly reaching for my head?
Are they trying to isolate one arm?
Are they circling towards my lead leg?
Do they keep closing distance to the body?
Are they waiting for my footwork to get heavy?
Are they using one attack as a cover for another?
This is where the game becomes more than a novelty. It trains perception. It rewards composure. It punishes obvious habits.
That is exactly what Martial Arts Cross-Training should do. It should not just collect techniques from different sports. It should help the athlete understand how skills interact under pressure.
What this added to our MMA work
Because my client has trained with me for several years, we can use these games to test broader themes rather than just introduce basic movements. The secret dice format fits well at this stage because it adds constraint without removing aliveness.
For MMA, wrestling cannot sit in isolation. It has to connect to striking, clinch work, grappling and positional awareness. Even when we train without strikes in a wrestling-only round, the habits still carry over.
Head control links to clinch striking and front headlock threats.
Arm control links to underhooks, wrist rides, two-on-ones and safe entries.
Waist control links to mat returns, back takes and cage pressure.
Single legs and double legs link to takedown chains, top control and scrambles.
Sweeps link to timing, balance disruption and efficient finishing.
The dice game gives each of these areas a chance to appear under resistance. It avoids the trap of saying, “Now we are doing single legs,” where both people know exactly what is coming. Instead, it asks the athlete to create the conditions for the single leg while keeping the opponent uncertain.
That is a much closer match to live combat sport.
How to run this drill safely and well
This drill works best when the participants already have a basic grasp of the techniques involved. It is not ideal for someone who does not yet understand safe shooting mechanics, falling, sprawling or controlled resistance.
Before running it, I like to set a few standards.
Keep the intensity technical.
The goal is not to smash through the other person. It is to test timing, deception and decision-making.
Agree what counts as success.
For some rounds, a clean entry may be enough. For others, the goal might be a full takedown, a clear control position or a dominant angle.
Reset before the round becomes messy.
Scrambles are useful, but endless scrambles can hide the purpose of the drill. If both people lose the thread, reset and go again.
Protect the knees, neck and fingers.
Wrestling rounds can get rough quickly. Good partners keep each other safe, especially when finishing shots or fighting head position.
Review the round afterwards.
A short check-in helps. Did the opponent guess the number? What gave it away? What disguise worked? What felt forced?
Those questions are where a lot of the learning happens.
Variations for future sessions
This wrestling version can be adjusted in many ways. The same six numbers can stay in place, but the scoring criteria can change.
For example, a beginner-friendly version might count any clear entry or control as success. A more advanced version might require a finish, a mat return, or a transition into a dominant MMA position.
The rounds can also be themed.
One session might limit the starting position to hand fighting only. Another might start from an over-under clinch. Another might add wall or cage-style pressure if the training space allows it. Another might allow light striking entries, where the takedown has to be hidden behind punches.
The dice list can change too. Future wrestling versions could include:
Underhook entries.
Front headlock.
Duck-under.
Snap-down.
Body lock.
Mat return.
The important part is to keep the list narrow enough that each number has a clear meaning. If the goals become too broad, the game loses its shape.
The main lesson from the wrestling dice game
Tonight’s session reinforced something I have seen across every version of this game so far. Whether we are using it for boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, submission grappling or wrestling, the real value comes from intention.
The die gives the athlete a job. The secrecy makes that job harder. The live round makes it honest.
For wrestling, that meant my client had to think beyond “get the takedown”. He had to ask better questions. How do I win the head without being obvious? How do I make the arm appear? How do I get to the waist without forcing it? How do I shoot without announcing it? How do I sweep when the weight is right?
Those are the questions that make training grow.
The secret dice game is simple, but it keeps producing useful rounds. It adds focus without killing creativity. It adds pressure without turning the session into chaos. Most importantly, it makes the athlete practise the skill that ties all martial arts together: reading the other person while hiding your own plan.