January 28, 2013

True Commitment

'COMMITMENT' nearly as often as we hear the terms New Ideas and Goals.

 COMMITTING to a Goal is more difficult than setting the Goal. Imagine pursuing a Goal until every possible avenue to succeed has been exhausted. A question for wrestlers to ask themselves is whether they are willing to fully commit themselves to a Goal. If that question can be answered in the affirmative, an athlete will be well on the way.

Committed individuals are:

- honest with themselves
- cannot blame others for their shortcomings
- will not look for an escuse

I believe that there are things that wrestlers and coaches can do to make committing to a Goal a reality.

- be realistic about what you might be able to accomplish
- it is also important for the athlete and the coach to be on the same page regarding individual and team   objectives
- a one-on-one meeting with every athlete is a very effective way for a coach to find out exactly what an athlete is thinking and what his or her Goals are

Set your Goal, commit yourself to the goal and do not let anyone or anything get in your way.

Attacking the Head

Typically, in our sport, we try to attack body parts that are at the most extreme leverage points like:

-top of the head
-ankles
-wrists

We attack these points because we encounter the least amount of resistance and we can generate the greatest amount of leverage. The closer we get to the center of an opponent’s body, the more resistance we encounter until we reach the point of complete control.

Wrestling from the neutral position offers the greatest number of opportunities to attack the head.

1) It is one of the most effective ways to get an opponent tired.

2) It is one of the most effective ways to pull an opponent out of position.

3) It is the most effective way to set-up takedowns.

There are three key techniques that should be considered when you attack the head.

1) A quick hard snap and attack is very effective on almost any leg shot.

2) Pulling and forcing the head is another great way to create an effective opening.

3) The third option would be to snap and control the head.

How do we continue to improve our technique for attacking the head?

-power(strength training)
-conditioning(specific strength training exercise's + increasing number of repetitions)
-precision technique(working on position, proper mechanics, timing and a lot of repetitious drilling)

Speed And How To Get More Of It

There are many factors that we look for when considering critical assets of wrestling champions like:

-conditioning
-mental toughness
-power
-good technique
-smart strategy

Wrestling speed can be increased dramatically when wrestlers concentrate on a few basic training concepts. The first step is to realize how important speed can be. Secondly, wrestlers should work on improving speed from every position every day that they practice.

6 concepts of improving speed:

1) Knowing how to stay in good position is the key to being a good wrestler.

2) Good timing can increase your speed dramatically.

3) Having good anticipation is another way to improve your speed.

4) Weight training will improve your power and power will improve your speed.

5) Coordinated motion is a topic that is not discussed much in our sport.

6) Executing Precision Technique will also improve quickness.

Takedown Basics

The Stance should be the most secure part of every takedown. It is the foundation of a wrestler’s takedown success and the position from which all takedown attempts start. Therefore, the emphasis on keeping the knees flexed, keeping proper spacing between the feet, moving efficiently, keeping the arms close to the body, keeping the head up and maintaining your best position to attack as well as defend, should be considered a top priority when teaching or learning takedowns.

Wrestlers need to understand why they change levels and how it relates to the actual takedown. Wrestlers also need to understand how stance, motion, changing levels and the penetration step are all interrelated.

Learning how to penetrate is also one of the most awkward skills any wrestler has to learn. Perhaps that is why wrestlers have such a tough time mastering this very important skill. It is a skill that should be taught properly and should be drilled every day in practice. It takes a while to develop specific muscle groups and it also takes time to develop good penetrating balance and coordination. That can be accomplished by drilling 25-50 penetration steps across the wrestling room each day. Once a wrestler knows how to perform proper mechanics of the penetration step, this skill will improve very rapidly. Further, a great benefit of having a good penetration step is that you will be quicker, more efficient and will be able to learn takedowns at a much faster pace.