Dr. Dorpfeld discusses a mistake that people in authority make when dealing with issues of behavior and choices of athletes. It is important to focus on the behaviors that need attention and not on attacking […]
Emphasize Circling to Execute a Double with Max Wessell – Colorado School of Mines
Watch as Coach explains and demonstrates how he teaches his wrestlers to circle when in a collar tie, overhang, or over tie. He wants them to circle 180 degrees to get that motion so that […]
Turn-In Stand with Dave Crowell – Nazareth Area HS (PA)
Watch as Coach explains and demonstrates this turn-in stand escape from the bottom position. He teaches his wrestlers not to explode on the whistle and get the arm away, but instead give it to the […]
The Role of Coaches in Addressing Diversity/Equity/Inclusion/Social Issues with Dr. Karissa Niehoff – NFHS
Watch as NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) Executive Director Dr. Karissa Niehoff discusses the role of high school coaches in addressing social issues such as diversity, equality, and inclusion. She cites an […]
What Makes a Good Coach
By: John Klessinger Originally Published in: A Coach’s Manual “A good teacher creates an environment that allows the student to succeed.” – Bill Parcells, 2x Super Bowl Champion Football Coach, New York Giants Disclaimer – […]
Clearing a Collar Tie Drill with Brian Antonelli – Blair Academy
Watch as Coach explains and demonstrates how to clear a collar tie. Pull your neck, pop to create a little bit of space, get the hand back in and then get to your shot. If […]
Mindset: Stop Blaming & Complaining with Alan Stein, Jr.
Alan discusses awareness and mindset which may be the #1 separator from good to great and from great to elite. A winner’s mindset involves having extreme accountability and ownership for everything in your life. You […]
Knee Slide Stand-Up with Damion Hahn – South Dakota State Univ.
Watch as Coach explains and demonstrates a knee slide or knee pound stand-up. You must move and crawl forward to gain momentum making sure to stay square. As you move forward, bring the outside leg […]
Hand Fighting and Collar Tie Offense with Cody Chaney – Midway Univ.
Watch as Coach discusses, and wrestlers demonstrate hand fighting. Coach does not want his wrestlers to come in reaching and uses the terms level, check, fake. Execute a collar tie with the head on the […]
Evaluating Practice Performance
By: Dan Gable Originally Published in: Coaching Wrestling Successfully Provided by: Human Kinetics You should be continually evaluating your wrestlers in practice: Is their stamina where it should be? Do they need to develop more […]
Takedown Setups with Nathan Tomasello – USA Wrestling
Nathan explains how he gets to an inside tie, fakes a high crotch, and reads how the opponent reacts. If he steps back then he will shoot a single or double to the opposite side […]
Practice Key with Mark Branch – Univ. of Wyoming
Watch as Coach explains how he keeps a practice key that has all the drills, finishes, warmups, and conditioning exercises that he has used in practice over the years. He constantly updates the key based […]
Baseball Grip with Lennie Zalesky – Cal Baptist Univ.
Watch as Coach explains and demonstrates with a wrestler the different ways to execute the Baseball Grip. When the opponent reaches for your shoulder, you can trap the hand or pull it out of the […]
Community Service with Cody Parks – Blue Valley Southwest HS (KS)
Watch as Coach explains that his high school wrestlers do community service at the youth practices. To be eligible to earn a letter in the program, each wrestler must do X amount of community service […]
Loving the Battle Is Critical
By: Mike Chapman Originally Published in: Wrestling Tough Provided by: Human Kinetics Do you love hand-to-hand combat? Do you love meeting a tough opponent in the center of the mat in front of a live […]
Arm Bar Tilt with Brian Beasley – Chattooga HS (GA)
Watch as Coach explains and with a wrestler demonstrates this arm bar tilt. The initial movement is a tight waist far ankle drive forward. Instead of digging for the elbow tilt, take the free arm […]
What’s Important Now with Alan Stein, Jr.
Alan discusses mental awareness and stresses the importance in today’s environment with all the distractions to stay focused. He uses the acronym W.I.N. which stands for “What’s Important Now” and recommends that everyone ask themselves […]
Bottom Position: Knee Slides with Scott Goodale – Rutgers Univ.
Watch as Coach discusses and demonstrates knee slides from the bottom position. Most wrestlers, when they are on top, start with a hard tight waist chop. Coach will simulate this knee slide warmup and stresses […]
Defining Mental Toughness with Jack Clark – Univ. of CA, Berkeley
Watch as Coach discusses mental toughness and how the term is valued and used a lot but has no clear definition. He states how critical it is that definitions are consistent within an organization so […]
From Philosophy to Reality
By: Dan Gable Originally Published in: Coaching Wrestling Successfully Provided by: Human Kinetics A wrestling program is people. That’s who it starts with; that’s who it ends with. The most important people are your coaching […]
High Crotch Setup: Pull Arm Mechanics with Tyson Reiner
Watch as Coach explains and demonstrates the importance of the hand in pull arm mechanics for a high crotch setup. Do not pull with the shoulder or elbow as the chest will turn. Pull the […]
The Big 15 with Damon Parker – Washburn Rural HS (KS)
Watch as Coach discusses the Big 15, which is based on film breakdown and analysis. The goal is to determine what worked for the squad offensively, what worked for the opponents against them, and what […]
Breakdown Series with Bo Jordan – Ohio State Univ.
Watch as Coach explains and demonstrates that whichever side he throws his leg in, is the side he lines up on. On the whistle, he will place his hands on the opponent’s thighs, bump him, […]
Front Headlocks with Marcus Hoehn – Thoroughbred Wrestling Academy
Watch as Coach explains and demonstrates the proper positioning for a front headlock. Place the hand on the chin with the elbow tight at the side. Keep the shoulder heavy in the spine with the […]
Keep Your Garden Free From Weeds
By: John Klessinger Originally Published in: A Coach’s Manual Provided by: Championship Productions “A bad putter is like a bad apple in a barrel. First, it turns your chipping game sour. Then it begins to […]
Elbow Tilt with Brian Beasley – Chattooga HS (GA)
The Elbow Tilt is something that is drilled all the time. Watch as Coach explains, and with a wrestler demonstrates, this tilt. The initial movement is a tight-waist far-ankle drive forward. Twist the elbow, grab […]
Get the Parents on Your Side with Heath Eslinger – A Better Way Athletics
A problem without a prescription will continue to be a problem. Make sure not to place the parents in opposition. As a leader, the coach needs to get the parents running in the same direction. […]
Bottom Position Flick with Chris Pendleton – Oregon State Univ.
Watch as Coach explains, and a wrestler demonstrates timing the flick on the whistle. When in the down position, your head should be up looking at the referee’s hand. Sometimes the ref’s hand motion will […]
Getting Your Wrestlers Recruited with Anthony Ralph – Ohio State Univ.
Watch as Coach explains the system they devised to evaluate talent that is not ranked in the recruiting process. They look at wrestlers in the state tournament and check to see how many points were […]
Altering the Self-Esteem Syndrome
Originally Published in: Game Ready – 52 Takeaways for Winning There is no question that a team is made up of individuals all trying to accomplish a common goal. It stands to reason that a […]