Reading alot of bull about making kansas wrestling stronger and toughier I would think that being the case we should see a bigger turnout in freestyle and greco. But the new forums with invites to southern plains and nats are all empty? How can that be when we've completely dumbed that triple crown topic to death. I guess I don't understand how we can be so in to a topic to "better Kansas Wrestling" But when Kansas Wrestling needs our support right now everything is empty? Pisses me off, Looks like its easier to complain than help when we can... right now

March 3, 2009--Zeke Jones Team USA

WHAT WILL FREESTYLE WRESTLING DO FOR YOU?



1. Freestyle wrestling is fun. It’s exciting, creative, and dynamic because you can score points from almost anywhere. You will receive more points for a spectacular throw, five points, than you do a normal takedown, one point. Freestyle rewards wrestlers for taking risk which creates more excitement and as a result takes less control of your opponent to score. Take the risk to flip him to his back, without even controlling him and get two points. The great thing about freestyle wrestling is you can even throw a guy over your head, which is legal, and if you do it with proper technique, style, and flair and the referee will reward you with a five point move. Many wrestlers that we have spoken to love freestyle because it’s fast, exciting, and it was easier to score points. Most freestyle matches also are mostly on your feet in the neutral position. Everyone loves to go takedowns. That's 80% of freestyle wrestling.



2. If your goal is to be a city champion, league champion, state champion or state placer, (or a great referee or coach) and a lofty goal I might add, freestyle increases your chances dramatically. If one wrestler is getting 40 matches a year in the high school or junior high season and another wrestler is getting those same 40 matches plus 30 matches in the freestyle season whom do you think is going to get better at a faster rate? The wrestler with more matches. More competition will give you more opportunities to improve your technique, skill, and mat strategy. More minutes on the mat = more wins. Are your high school, junior high or elementary opponents going to freestyle tournaments? If they are and you’re not, then your competitors are getting ahead of you. Don’t let them. The best wrestlers in the state are going to these tournaments. You should too.



3. Freestyle wrestling is for everyone. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced wrestler, boy or girl, big or small, five years old or seventy five years old there’s a freestyle tournament that is right for you. There are many novice freestyle wrestling tournaments all over the nation that will give you an opportunity to try freestyle for the first time. Are you really good and looking for a challenge? Go to the biggest and the best tournaments in the world in your age group. Tournaments like the Cadet or Junior Nationals attract the best wrestlers in the United States.



4. If you’re a good high school wrestler, freestyle wrestling will increase your opportunity to earn a college wrestling scholarship. Many of the NCAA Division I college coaches travel to USA Wrestling’s Junior and Cadet Nationals to watch the best wrestlers in the nation with the goal of attracting the best high school wrestlers to come to their university. Unless you are a multiple high school state champion from Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, or California, you will need to wrestle freestyle to receive the exposure so college coaches will believe you can compete at a national level. Beat a state champion from Pennsylvania, Ohio, or New York in a freestyle tournament and you will receive strong consideration for a college wrestling scholarship. In other words, if you are a state champion in a smaller populated state your chances of getting a wrestling scholarship are minimal to none.



Wrestle freestyle and increase your chances of earning a scholarship dramatically. College coaches need to know that you can compete against the best in the nation before they will feel comfortable offering you scholarship money. College coaches get excited knowing that when a wrestler comes into their program that they might become not only an NCAA Champion but also a World and Olympic Champion. Dream to become a World and Olympic Champion.



The time is now to learn freestyle wrestling. Whether you just want to improve your wrestling technique and skill, become a state placer or champion, or even want to become a World and Olympic Champion, freestyle wrestling is mandatory to become successful. If you have high wrestling goals, freestyle wrestling must be a part of your yearly wrestling plan.



We are committed to helping you learn freestyle and you, we're sure, will find it exciting. We look forward to seeing you at a freestyle tournament!



Sincerely,

Coach Jones

For some it's financial. We just did middle school duals ($250.00) will do freestyle state (another hotel room) hope to be on schoolboy team ($250.00 to $300.00), not to mention travel expenses for parents. Not sure we can swing another $275.00 for southern plains, plus cost of travel to Utah...not to mention that high school tuition payments start in June (it's my choice I know).

My kid is practicing, going to tournaments, lifting, trying to gain some weight right now...all in prep for high school. As a parent we have to decide where to spend our money and how much we can spend...has nothing to do with not supporting greco/freestyle, some times it's just too expensive.

Good Point Mrs Henes,

With the way the economy is, I'am sure that many wrestling families share your sentiments, especially if they have more than one child participating in extracuricular activities.
I would bet this is one of the largest factors in the lack of participation with FS/GR.
The folkstyle wrestling season is long in itself, and can be very expensive also, especially if you go at it with any intensity.

how do we grow fs/gr?

i agree with john, and doug fs/gr is the way to get better, but where's the buzz?

i have supported the series idea from a competition standpoint, but know fs/gr/ summer wrestling is what transforms wrestlers into champions.

let's listen to some of these concerns, and see where we can improve. work together to resolve some of the issues. we can't change the economy, bu there are things that can be changed.

great post doug, that should peak the interest of more than a few kids. where can they find a fs club/ coach/ or practices?

being upset and complaining is pointless, and the series supporters and haters are basically saying the same thing. being pissed off, is like sitting in a rocking chair, it takes up alot of energy, but gets you no where.

Here we go....bear with me.....what I am going to say may rub some people the wrong way but I am going to play a little bit of devils advocate here and offer some counter points to Coach Jones' thoughts.

First I have to include some caveats.....

1. I grew up wrestling freestyle and greco. Wrestled those styles for 7 years before ever wrestling a folkstyle match. Now 30 years ago freestyle and folkstyle were a lot more similar than they are today.

2. Personally I agree that freestyle/greco help wrestlers improve and helps kids get more mat time. Having said that, here are my counterpoints.....

a. I don't think freestyle rewards risk and promotes wrestlers taking chances in its current form. It is too easy for a wrestler to wrestle defensively, work for a push out, and wait for your opponent to take a shot then counter it for a 2-3 point turn. This is evidenced by our olympic athletes not shooting as much and leaving their fate in the hands of a 50-50 ball choice at the end of a period.

b. As much as we want to promote freestyle/greco, for us (read US wrestling community), the most realistic goal for young wrestlers is to be able to use wrestling as a means to get a college education. Colleges wrestle folkstyle. Very few go on to wrestle at the international level. There are a lot of exceptions but for the most part the majority of college wrestlers finish wrestling after they get done with college.

c. I am not sure freestyle wrestling in its current form is for young beginners. A lot of the moves you teach in freestyle will get kids crushed in folkstyle. I think the wrestler has to be mature enough when to use the different techniques. For example, we spend all of folkstyle season teaching the kids to sprawl when someone shoots. In freestyle, you want to stop the opponents momentum but a lot of time you will give them your legs so you can set up a high crotch, etc in order to score a quick 2. This gets you in big trouble in folkstyle.

d. Sharon is right about the cost.

Now having said all that, understand, I personally support and like freestyle/greco. I wanted to offer a different point of view.

I think to grow freestyle/greco with our younger wrestlers, then we have to start by shortening the folkstyle season. If we could do folkstyle in 6-8 weeks and then do a 4-6 week freestyle/greco season and be done with it (except for regional and national tournaments) by the end of March/begining of April then we would have a chance to keep a good amount of kids doing all three styles. Until something like this happens, freestyle/greco are going to continue to be what it is.....a chance for the hard core, serious wrestlers to get extra training and matches.

Jmo, fire away!

Shawn Budke

Some one on another thread through out the Idea of having a GR/FS tournament or tournaments during the Folkstyle season just to introduce it to kids who have never seen it. At first I thought it was a bad idea and could confuse some younger wrestlers but it might be a way to promote GR/FS more. Have a tournament or two on a Sunday or combined with another (folkstyle) tournament.

I think another good way would be have your GR/FS coaches give clinic near the end of Folkstyle to start promoting GR/FS before states. Our club and high school has done this in the past and it does net a couple of kids for the GR/FS club.

I know our GR/FS club carpools and other ways to cut costs. Is it tough in this economy...Yes but where there is a will there is a way. I have yet been to t GR/FS tournament (i've never been to nationals, this year will be the first) that does the strip search to ensure you paid $3.00 or more for a bottle of water. So we always pack a lunch and save money that way. Last year it was 150.00 for our trip to Ft. Hays for regionals. I spent more than that for Folkstyle states this year.

Andrew Steele

Another thing that hurts FS GR, and it shouldn't, is that people don't support something they don't understand. And for years, the rules changed so much from year to year, that it was hard to keep up. Let's not let this lack of understanding keep us from sticking our toes in the water. One of the best things you can do to gain a better understanding of FS GR is to work a table at a tourney............

I don't know if running a freestyle tourny alongside a folkstyle tourny would work but maybe some of these folkstyle tournies could have a 30 minute clinic between weigh in time and the start of the tournament when most everyone is just sitting around restless awaiting the start of the tournament. Maybe if those people who do not understand freestyle and how it can help them see this at 3 or 4 tournies they may be more willing to give it a try.

I am considering on asking our club to consider doing a freestyle and folkstyle tournament at the same time next year. Run it on the opposite side of the split session. So if you wrestle ten and under folkstyle in the afternoon you would wrestle freestyle in the morning.

Here is my concerns
Is that too much on a kid in one day.

Will people complain about being there ALL day.

Will it really draw the hardcore folkstyle kids or will they say screw freestyle and save their juice or the folkstyle. You already see some people not willing to double dip because they are so focused on winning their age and weight so how would this be different.

Please provide honest feedback...

BLT As far as it being to much in one day, there are a couple of GR/FS tournaments that that run both tournaments and it offers 6 or 7 matches. Depending on the number of wrestlers you could still be done by 4 or 5 in the evening. But I think you are right some kids will opt out of GR/FS to focus on Folkstyle.

just curious, it takes all of our athletes to make a team, smallest of a 4A school. Chase does wrestling, baseball, weight lifting, football, basketball at this point, "to help the team out", f/s greco in the summer, a couple times a week for practice ,"straight A" student with one sister to fill the rest of the season. When are the kids to be kids, and family time to be family time?

I was feeling your pain until you used the B word..........