Here's a thread for those of you who want to win state this year. I intend to help you meet your goal. On this thread I will provide content on strategy, technique, training, mental preparation and more. My credentials are 2x National Collegiate All-American and Kansas high school coach of multiple state champions and placers. This thread is dedicated to your success and your 2005-06 journey. One ground rule, if you don't want or need this advice just disregard it rather than offering distracting posts to guys who want the help.

Q. What can you be doing right now?

A. You want to begin doing something everyday that will help you win state and thinking of it in those terms. You should be allocating at least 10 hours a week to practice, conditioning and watching tapes. One day a week you will schedule rest. You're six weeks away from competition. So, you've got roughly 36 workouts between now and then. This week you can start with a little wrestling homework by accessing your performance from last season. Go to the tapes if you have them. Don't forget to watch the losses. What are your strengths and weaknesses, rate them 1-7, 7 being strongest capabilities. You might ask a friend familiar and honest enought to help you access your matches. Some of the criteria you want to rate yourself on is #1 power, #2 explosiveness, #3 quickness, #4 conditioning, ability to #5 create, #6 recognize and #7 exploit scoring opportunities-- #8 match management--in other words how good were you at perserving and building a lead or in coming back? Access your abilities from #9 bottom, #10 top and #11 neutral positions. Write the scores down and post it in your room at home. you'll come back to these things during the season. For now, let's concentrate on the low scores and where you need to improve to close the gap on your competition.

You will divide the season into four parts, #1 preseason, #2 prior to XMAS, #3 January to mid Feb. and #4 state tournament.
Speciifically, your workouts should be, lift weights 3-4 times a week, running 9-12 miles alternating the distances and pace and drill 45 minutes 2-3 times per week. Work 10-15 minutes 2-3 times per week on flexibility. Keep a journal to make sure these things are happening. Now is the time to plan and condition to prevent injury and prepare yourself for the grueling season ahead. Have a doctor access your physical health. What special training might you need to help strengthen a rotator cuff or knee or hamstring that caused problems last season? You're going to need to get that physical in to your school anyway. If you're playing a fall sport, you are probably getting some conditioning but you need to find a little mat time and if you're not running x country go for a long run (6 mile) once a week.

Okay, now get started. Picture your competitor working out. You have to outwork and outsmart that guy. I'll be back to check on you in a few days.

:-) ... a shining moment by Gutwrench1 ... hoping there will be many!

Dear Gutwrench,
I must say that was a great post, in fact I believe I will cut and paste it into a word doc and give it to my wrestlers.
By far your research and study of a season was impecable and impressive.
One question though. Did you, as a high school werstler, do this yourself? And what about mental preperation?
Ok, so that was two questions. I find that a little R and V (relaxation and visualization) greatly improve my wrestlers mental status before and during a match. I make it part of practice everyday and give them detailed instruction on how to do it at home. Those who take it and run with it do improve. This sport is 90% mental and 10% physical(at least my high school coach always said that) and I hope that not only do the wrestlers do the physical but also the mental part.
On another note what about lifting during season, circut training is a great way to improve stamina and overall body conditioning when applied to a wrestling work-out. We also do some plyometrics and other conditioning throughout the season.
Your evaluation of a preseason work ethic were on the money though as far as becoming a better wrestler but a blue print for a state champ also has to have the mental aspect together. Nothing is worse than a mental block!
Coach Brown

I think that was your best post yet! But I would encourage working on flexibility every day, especially at night after a hard day's work.

Gutwrench1:
GREAT Post. I can't wait for the next one.

Ned

GUTWRENCH1,
Nice Advice.
Being a college All-American is quite an accomplishment, but I am much more impressed with the fact that you were/are a Kansas High School Wrestling Coach.

As an high school athlete with aspirations of winning state in February 2006 you need to recognize something if you haven't already. You are going to become your own best coach. Why? Because only you have control over your motivation and your attitude. Take complete responsibility for that right now. Motivation and attitude are your greatest assets and far more valuable to you than your talent. Take care to build your motivation with fun and exciting thoughts on wrestling. You're young, strong and more alive than most people walking the earth. And, you're a wrestler. Nourish your attitude with positive encouragement and congratulate yourself endlessly for every effort along the way. This is more than just reaching the goal of becoming a state champ, a worthy goal nodoubt, but it's about the journey and learning how to enjoy a self awareness through discipline and control. You decide what in your life is going to help and hinder you in becoming a state champ. Be honest. Make hard choices. Make a list of people and things that support you and what's going to hold you back. What are your distractions? Let's face it. They're there. Your social life is going to take a hit for awhile. That's a sacrifice and you have to say no to alot of stuff over the next 4 months. You can't have it all. This dream of yours comes at a price. But believe me, this journey will be with you the rest of your life and it's worth it. Probably the biggest way to eliminate stress down the road is to get those grades up right now. Make a push to study at least 1-2 hrs a night and do all extra credit. No teacher worth his salt is is going to cut you any slack because you want to be a state champ.

Okay, so you've got a lot to think about. You need a planner to help you with time management. Write everything down, map the week and month out. I'll check back with you in a few days.

A great list of "to do" items. One thing I might add, is take your list of positive influences in your wrestling career and write them a thank you note.

How many "wrestlers" are willing to sacrifice their social life to strive to be a State Champion?

"Many people will doubt what you say ... but they can't deny what you do!"

The cold chill this morning can mean nothing to a wrestler or a coach but that the best season of the year is upon us.

This thread is dedicated to those who dream of standing at the top of the podium in late February. It's time to get tactical.

On drilling....I've known a lot of great drillers in life who look like world beaters while drilling but can't convert it in a tough match. If you need to score more against tough competition try this....

Drill at different speeds. Always start in slomo. From neutral, practice your footwork and stance and whatever you do, don't forget the importance of a good balanced level change. slomo helps you check your position. Then build speed as you penetrate or change off through the opponent. in other words, you come in very slow and gain momentum as you drive through and finish. Never hesitate on the follow-through. If you golf you know how much de-accelerating your putter can ruin a putt, same for a free throw and same for a shot in wrestling. Always get in the habit of finishing your takedowns while drilling take them to their back if possible. Drill at 1/4, 1/2, full and warp speeds.
If you find drilling double legs for 10 minutes boring even at different speeds try this. Use at least three set ups and three different finishes. In the first 3 minutes ask your opponent for no pressure. Then ask your opponent to give you different looks and pressure and finish based on what he gives you. This will teach you to read the guy and automatically flow into the next correct finish.

That's a good warm up. Now move to drilling that involves a partner who is actively working with you. Both men are going to get to work their stuff here. You'll drill by simulating live wrestling. First hard in--easy out. Meaning your opponent is going to hand fight with you 100% but once you get in on a shot he'll give you hardly any pressure at all and let you finish. Next, the opposite, easy in--hard out. So you'll get in at will and then the opponent will throw every counter he can to prevent your takedown. This develops one guys defense. The only rule is that the defensive guy can't take a shot.

Finally, always finish every practice this year with 6 of your favorite takedowns going as hard as you can with light pressure from your opponent. You want to always feel good about going in for 2 when you're dog tired.

I'll check back with you next week.

Right now you should resist the temptation to wrestle live. Drilling this way will enable you to chain wrestle and handle the pressure that you'll get in a tough match.

I was a football player and track athlete not a wrestler in high school. Even though I do not have actual wrestling experience or knowledge to relate to this, I have been enjoying reading your suggestions. It seems to be very solid advice and also good inspiration for a young wrestler. I hope you start next year in the off season with a year around plan. I just have to get my freshman son interested in reading this, so far I have not been successful with that but I think he could really benefit from it if he would. I just wanted you to say thank you for taking the time to share this plan with everyone and to let you know it is appreciated.

This is the time of year when you need to work on developing skills from positions in which you need to improve. I'm guessing your weakest postion is bottom and you don't even know it. One of the things college coaches complain about is that their freshmen don't know how to get away from bottom. Elite high schoolers don't spend a lot of time on bottom position because they rarely if ever get taken down. I highly encourage you to spend more time on bottom than on any other position at this time of year. A couple of ideas to consider. Put a bigger kid or coach on top. Key principles from bottom...GET HAND CONTROL--try hand fights from bottom from all sorts of positions including sit out from base and from your belly, WEIGHT BACK in your hips not on your hands. BE COILED with your head up and ready to explode on the whistle. BUILD ELEVATION-- meaning you must get your hips up and off the mat. KEEP YOUR BASE---building your base and maitaining it is critical, learn how to do it when the legs are in, from a bar arm, wrist, half nelson, from a tight waist with an arm chop, etc. Build your base when a tough ride being applied the toughest being both legs in. Build your base after being returned to the mat from a standup--best drill here is to pull your knees up and in when being lifted so you return to the mat in a base position. No one wants to practice from bottom when being torqued and manhandled but it's essential to do it. A drill to help you maintain a base is what I call hip smashers. The top guy has his arms crossed behind his back and he tries to run you over with his hips moving from side to side. Your job is to keep your base. Another is to let the top guy use his arms and hips to try everything to knock you off your base and you must maintain it. These should be 30 sec goes. Working on these principles now will help you gain confidence from underneath and get exposure to a position you might not see until your toughest matches. One final tip...the best strategy for beating the legs is to simply buck hips up get your legs wide push back and squat the guy into a stand-up position. If he leaves the legs in it is a stalemate or stalling on his part from standing. When you buck up you'll need to do so with only one hand on the mat using the other to get hand control to avoid being cradled. This is simple but effective.
Good luck and good wrestling.