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Increase your competence in Wrestling
Increase your Competence in Wrestling
Clubs
The single most effective and efficient way to increase your wrestling prowess may be through wrestling clubs. Of course, this paper deals with other facets that will make you better…but, we will start here. Wrestling clubs provide you the opportunity to get instruction generally more than twice per week (not always the case though) while training and learning from a variety of coaches and workout partners. Most clubs are formed for kids wrestling and or out of season training. In both instances, you will become better by getting much needed instruction prior to high school or during a time when others may be in other sports or not training at all.
Wrestling Camps
Camps are the next best teaching and learning strategy that you may employ. Here, again, you will gain insight and perhaps ability by getting more repetitions and instruction at a time when many are not. The ideas behind camps are to increase your wrestling during the off-season through instructional technique sessions and in some cases live wrestling. The more you get instruction and live wrestling, the more you are apt to achieve you wrestling goals. Some camps are very pricy while others may be more economical, some camps focus on technique and some are boot camp like in nature, some camps last a couple of days and some camps last a couple of weeks or more. It may be wise to research camps in regard to location, length, style of camp (technique vs. intensive), & prices prior to applying.
Clinics
Exposing your self to clinics is also a good way to learn from some of wrestling’s legends. Clinics are generally during the off-season too; some states prohibit clinics of any kind during the regular season. In this way, you may meet and hear different philosophies and styles of wrestling from leaders of the sport. Not only will you learn wrestling technique (if you are paying attention), you may also be able to ask very important questions of how and why these icons achieved their goals. This may help you formulate of plan of attack that may increase your confidence thus motivating you for greater goals. Clinics are usually a one-time event or just a couple of hours. It is important to take advantage of this time.
Competition
Tournaments and duals are the main kinds of competition you should focus on. Most states have tournaments nearly every weekend after the regular season ends. It is wise to do all of the aforementioned suggestions and compete via tournaments or duals. Competition allows you to gauge what you have learned and what you need to work on. It may be more important to focus on learning and executing skills than it is to focus on winning. Winning and losing will occur regardless. However, you will enhance your ability by learning from every competition (win or lose) and then applying what you have learned in practice via clubs, camps, clinics, & the next competition.
Increasing your competence in this sport (or any sport) can be attained by attending and participating in clubs, camps, clinics, & competitions.
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About The Author
Shannyn J. Gillespie is the Executive Director of the Black Kats Wrestling
Club.
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Off season workout program!!
WRESTLING WEIGHT TRAINING
Off Season
Warm up with 5 minutes of jumping rope, and finish with 5 minutes of jumping rope. Each of these body parts workouts is a different day. You should never do the same body parts back to back in successive days. Your focus in the off season is strength gain, without compromising muscle flexibility. You should therefore always lift through the full range of motion, use the assistance of a spotter, and challenge yourself with increased weight.
CHEST&TRICEPS
Exercise # Reps/set
Bench Press (12 rep warm-up) 4 sets of 6 reps
Incline bench 4 sets of 6
Dips 3 sets 8-10
(add weight if necessary)
Tricep pushdowns 3 sets 8-10
Reverse grip pushdown (handle) 3 sets 8-10
BACK&BICEPS
Exercise # Reps/set
Pull-ups 4 sets to failure
(add weight if more than 15)
Pull-downs 3 sets 6-8
Seated rows 3 sets 6-8
Bicep curls 3 sets 8-10
Reverse grip curls 3 sets 8-10
Wrist rolls 2x up/down--forward/backward
LEGS
Exercise # Reps/set
Power cleans (10 rep warm-up)
(supervisor and spotter present) 4 sets 3-5 reps
Squats 4 sets 6-8
Lunges 2 sets 8-10 each leg forward
Leg extensions 3 sets 8-10
Leg curls 3 sets 8-10
Calf raises 3 sets 15-20
SHOULDERS
Exercise # Reps/set
Power cleans (10 rep warm-up)
(supervisor and spotter present) 4 sets 3-5 reps
Military press(overhead) (10 rep warm-up) 4 sets 6-8
Shrugs 3 sets 8-10
Upright rows 3 sets 8-10
Dumbbell lateral raises front--3 sets 8-10
side-- 3 sets 8-10
rear-- 3 sets 8-10
RUNNING ROUTINE
Your running routine from March to May should consist of 2 days long distance(3-5 miles)at a moderate pace, and 1 day of sprints. 10-100yard intervals would be perfect. If you sprint the straight and walk the curve of the track, you’d be done in 5 laps. June-September you should switch to 2 days sprinting(you can alternate the distances of your interval training if you get bored) and 1 day of long distance. Pre-season, as you know, you will want to be getting ready for the stairs.
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Off season training
The Value of Off-Season Wrestling
by Dr. Bruce Gabrielson
Head Coach
18 Time National AAU Club Champion
Southern Maryland Wrestling Club
Fall 1992
Note: This article explains what off-season wrestling programs are like, what benefit they can provide to a wrestler, and how they can easily fit into a busy calendar of activities.
Introduction
Each spring numerous off-season wrestling programs are formed at clubs throughout the US. These clubs are primarily freestyle oriented, but occasionally a spring club will maintain a traditional folkstyle program. Beginning around March, and often extending through early summer, the clubs are intended to offer wrestlers a chance to practice or compete in a much less intense and also more weight relaxed environment.
Wrestling is not an easy sport, and there are few natural winners. Paying your dues with sweat and some disappointments are to be expected. Like any other sport, success requires a commitment from both the athlete, and, in the case of younger wrestlers, plenty of active support from their parents. No rides to practice or competitions, no money for shoes, dues, or entry fees, and parental pressure to devote 100% to a different spring sport (such as baseball or track) will guarantee failure.
Personal commitment is also a must. A wrestler must realize that it will be very difficult to achieve his competitive goals if he isn't willing to make the personal sacrifices required, including committing himself to his wrestling objectives. Wrestlers must ask themselves first if they want wrestling to be one of their best sports (or maybe their primary sport). If their answer is yes, and if they are committed, then they probably have the necessary determination to maximize their potential for success.
What is Spring Wrestling?
There are five wrestling styles practiced in the United States. Folkstyle is the traditional US style practiced in schools and universities. Of the five styles, Judo, Sombo, Freestyle, and Greco-Roman are competed internationally. Judo, the oriental style of wrestling, Freestyle, and Greco-Roman are also Olympic sports. While Judo is a year around sport and Sombo is primarily a spring, summer, and early fall sport, Freestyle and Greco-Roman are historically spring sports.
Since Freestyle is similar to Folkstyle, its techniques and rules can be easily learned in a short time. Also, since it not a recognized HS sport, HS eligibility rules for competitions and coaching are usually not a problem in most states. With plenty of local and national competitions, coaches, work-out partners, and practice sites available, it is the most popular spring style in the US.
In order to be accommodating to other spring sports, Freestyle activities are often very flexible. Clubs generally arrange non- mandatory practices two or three evenings a week, often late enough so as not to conflict with baseball or soccer. Work-outs are not oriented towards conditioning or weight loss, but towards mat work and live wrestling. This format allows the wrestler to get plenty of work into the 1 1/2 to 2 hour sessions a practice usually lasts.
For spring competitions, club teams have no need for full roosters. Fun scrimmages are just "get togethers." Wrestlers compete in age groups and weight pools. Tournaments are usually held with "Madison" weight classes. The Madison system allows pools to be formed where wrestlers can be within 2 years and 10% weight of other members of their pools. Dieting is therefore ineffective for locals events, and is seldom seen except at major open competitions.
Local late spring tournaments are small, often less than 100 entries. Two mats are frequently all that is needed, with most events over by about 2 pm. Local tournaments are held on either Saturday or Sunday every few weeks. Entry fees are low since the emphasis at these spring events is more on matches than making money and awards. Some local events, such as Challenge Cups, don't even have an entry fee. While there are major tournaments held all over the US, most clubs attend local tournaments, within a one hour drive of where the club is located.
What Can a Wrestler Gain From Summer Programs?
Summer participation allows a wrestler the chance to greatly accelerate the training program without the normal pressures and hassles of the winter folkstyle environment. A small sacrifice on the wrestlers part will pay major dividends during the seasons ahead. In addition to direct advanced training and high level coaching, spring programs offer other benefits not available in winter programs.
Probably the greatest advantage to spring clubs is the level of workout partners. Finding coaches and practice partners of quality is a difficult task, especially when top wrestlers are spread out at various schools and clubs during the winter season. Spring clubs are widely separated with members made up of the best wrestlers in a larger area. Wrestlers would never have the opportunity to work with and learn from very good peers if they stayed only within their local Folkstyle environment.
Many ex-college wrestlers who now coach in school programs know enough Freestyle to get by. However, most spring clubs have an abundance of quality coaches with experience in all the international styles. In-addition, the majority of famous past and present wrestlers that live in an area usually belong to a local spring club. Since these individuals mostly work outside the school environment and don't have the time to coach or work with local folkstyle teams, their only alternative is freestyle. Some also have their own kids in a program, and this activity gives them a good opportunity to help both their own sons and also everyone else around.
Special clinics by many prominent wrestling figures are a common event at spring club practice activities. Many famous wrestlers and coaches travel to other areas during the spring, and during these travels they always manage to visit an area club. The clinics they put on help wrestlers observe a variety of different successful wrestling styles and techniques in an informal environment.
One other important advantage of off-season wrestling often overlooked in the mental conditioning. When you become part of a group with many champions working together, your mental orientation starts to change. The "Champions Philosophy" in psychology basically says that a champion never looses, only gets beat sometimes. Conditioning your mind to be a winner is the first major step in becoming a winner. With all those around you working to become the best, it won't take long for you to think the same way.
There are some family benefits to spring wrestling as well. Different age brothers can work together and help each other. Parents can get down on the mat to coach or cheer, plus action photos and video taping is easy for anyone at spring events. Since crowds are small, photographers, spectators, and parents can get right up to the match if they wish. Professional wrestling photographers also frequent spring events, often taking action photos of matches at no cost.
The Old Folkstyle vs Freestyle Controversy
Surprisingly, there are still a number of old time high school wrestling coaches who promote the philosophy that somehow Freestyle wrestling will effect the performance of a Folkstyle wrestler. This opinion is usually offered by coaches who either don't understand Freestyle, or who don't want their wrestlers to be exposed to more progressive wrestling programs and techniques.
Rest assured virtually no modern NCAA champions, or for that matter local high school state champions, restrict themselves by only competing in Folkstyle. In fact (at least in Maryland), there are very few recent high school state champions that don't belong to a spring Freestyle club.
Freestyle is close enough to Folkstyle that it can be learned sufficiently to participate in a couple of practices. Many wrestlers learn Freestyle simply by entering a tournament. Also, since the emphasis in Freestyle is on action rather than control, many Folkstyle wrestlers find they prefer the faster pace of Freestyle once they get used to it.
Freestyle helps develop footwork, aggressiveness, balance, takedowns, and low attack techniques. It also incorporates a number of moves which are easily modified for Folkstyle use. In addition, if the wrestler also learns the Greco-Roman style, his throws and hip motion will drastically improve as well. Any coach who doesn't recognize the these benefits and won't endorse off-season Freestyle participation is holding his wrestlers back in the dark ages.
In Conclusion
If you are a small wrestler and would like to become a national contender someday, you really need to go wherever the quality competition and a variety of talent is located. If you are a high school age wrestler looking for a scholarship, you will have a much better chance with a spring club than on your own. A great many college coaches use the spring season to look for talented and committed wrestlers for their programs.
The results of spring program involvement has been very visible over the years. A great many wrestlers have progressed from average to contenders in just one off-season of work. Looking at those who have been the most successful at the state or national level, I would be willing to bet that every one of them is an active freestyle wrestler during the spring. Certainly those who have the top state rankings are also those who compete off- season in most states.
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