rccokeley maybe I am out of touch. Last weekend I watched a wrestler take his opponent to his back, get his NF only to let him completely off his back to neutral position only to do it again 3 times.
That is poor officiating. It is illegal to release your opponent to his feet directly from his back.
A superior wrestler playing with a completely inferior opponent. These kind of matchups happen a lot in high school wrestling. A great high school wrestler usually only has a handful of challenging matches each season. The majority of his matches are against opponents that he can overwhelm and even embarrass. So, does setting records against inferior competition really mean anything?
Maybe to them setting those records does mean something. A great high school wrestler isn't going to change how they wrestle no matter who their opponent is. They are not thinking about whether or not their opponent is inferior or superior to them. They're focusing on what they need to do to get their hand raised. They will approach every single match the same way no matter who their opponent is.
I disagree that the ultimate goal is not a pin. A pin scores the most points for your team and it results in a win.
From a coaches perspective this holds true, but not from an athletes perspective. Trying to force pinning combinations (especially on good wrestlers) can often lead wrestlers to make mistakes, giving up points and sometimes losing matches you should not. I've made this mistake plenty of times.
I have no desire to watch someone pile up points against inferior opponents who can't defend themselves. One year I had several wrestlers who were trying to score the most TD's on our team. They began taking down and letting up inferior opponents. A takedown record achieved that way I don't think means anything. For my team I told them I would only count 3 TD's in any match toward their total unless it was against a comparable opponent.
If this is how you get the most out of your athletes then so be it. I am not judging your coaching style, but I would think punishing your athletes for scoring points is counter productive. Again, not judging but JMO.
I don't know Austin and he is probably a great person. If his total came from tech falling opponents that he could have pinned then its not something I agree with. JMO
Disagreements and constructive conversations like this one are what make this forum fun, however next time I suggest you start a new thread instead of hijacking one that is suppose to be congratulating a young man's accomplishment. If you want to continue this conversation you can send me a PM.
Congrats again Austin!
