What is a cradle in wrestling?

Answer 1

Its a type of pinfall in the wrestling.The man or woman doing the pin puts one arm around the neck of their opponent, and the other around their knee. They then pull the head down and the knee up to meet. Pulling the knee up stops them from bridging. Body weight is used to keep the opponent pinned. Bending them double makes it difficult for them to escape.

Answer 2

The cradle is done by hooking your opponent's head with one arm, and one of their legs with the other. You can use the near leg, or the far leg, and the free leg is often restrained by wrapping your leg around it and locking it down.

Usually, you are laying side-by-side to your opponent with your chest turned toward them. The arm that is nearest to them (or to the mat) is wrapped over their near shoulder, and under their neck. Your far arm circles under the leg at the knee and draws it up until you can lock both of your hands, or grasp your own wrists (whichever is a stronger grip for you). Your opponent's body is curled up in a ball, like a cradle, with their one knee near their face. By driving with your hips, and legs, you can rock your opponent up onto their shoulder blades for a pin.

The reverse cradle has you laying at a perpendicular angle across your opponent's body. You are chest to chest with your opponent on his back. Your arm nearest to their head inserts a half-nelson over the face and under the neck. Your arm that is near the legs chooses one leg to hook at the knee, then draw your two hands together under your stomach to lock into a cradle. You can then rock your body toward their head, pulling their knee up high for the pin with you face down on top of them.