Watch as Coach Austin DeVoe explains the quad pod defense. The athlete starts the escape by trapping their opponent’s left or right arm, allowing them to maintain balance and control. In the maneuver, it’s important […]
Achieve More with Less with Sam Craven – North Carolina State Univ.
Watch as Coach Sam Craven discusses the idea that it does not take much to improve the physical body. The same movements trained by wrestling athletes can be practiced by simply sticking to basic patterns. […]
The Butterfly Effect
Originally Published in: The Leadership Playbook One person can have such a strong effect on the world such as Martin Luther King, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, and Mother Teresa. In the same way, […]
Hands Release, Level Change, Speed Change for Penetration with Dalton Jensen – Univ. of Nebraska at Kearney
Watch as Coach Dalton Jensen explains and demonstrates this warmup, working on pulling an opponent and preparing for a shot. He emphasizes pulling and letting the hips do the work and how to release the […]
Show Them You Care with Brian Smith – Univ. of Missouri
When kids are not doing the right thing or are in trouble, they are calling out for help. There is a lot of give and take when you coach kids, but when you start to […]
Sparring Demo with Austin DeVoe – Colorado School of Mines
Watch as Coach Austin DeVoe explains how to talk the wrestlers through this sparring demo and the importance, as a coach, to do so. The wrestlers are getting some good motion and moving their hands […]
Front Headlock: Cement Mixer with Mitch Minotti – Colorado School of Mines
Watch as Coach Mitch Minotti explains and demonstrates how to use the cement mixer from a front headlock. The cement mixer is a great move to catch opponents off guard and maintain control on the […]
Short Sits: Get on the Wall with Bryan Snyder – Univ. of Nebraska
Watch as Coach Bryan Snyder explains this old school short sits wall drill. The general principle is working on switching your feet and back pressure. There’s a lot of cross-the-body hand fighting and using your […]
Recognizing Effort and Strategy
By: Dr. Colleen Hacker The popularity of growth mindset literature over the past few decades has had a positive effect on people’s lives. However, a significant and potentially deleterious misconception has also emerged, one that […]
Practice Tips to Move Forward with Matt Storniolo – Northwestern University
Watch as Coach Matt Storniolo explains tips to keep the athletes improving instead of stagnating. Practice is important; however, memorizing technique will not help, but understanding the technique will. Moving forward also requires building good […]
Getting in the Zone Before a Match with Tervel Dlagnev – Univ. of Nebraska
Watch as Coach Tervel Dlagnev explains the importance of learning the technique of talking to yourself. If a wrestler wants to achieve something special, they need to overcome a specific set of circumstances like self-doubt, […]
Providing Positive Feedback
By: Rainer Martens, Robin S. Vealey Originally Published in: Successful Coaching Provided by: Human Kinetics Take this short true-or-false test to raise your awareness about giving feedback: Questions Save feedback until the end of […]
Single Leg: Countering a Closed Shin Whizzer with Kevin Ward – Oklahoma State Univ.
Watch as Coach Kevin Ward explains that one position a lot of wrestlers struggle with is attacking with a strong single, but the opponent has a really good whizzer that locks them down. He will […]
Steps Coaches Can Take to Prevent Player Injuries with Dr. Robb Rehberg – William Paterson Univ.
Watch as Dr. Robb Rehberg discusses steps that coaches can take to prevent player injuries. He will explain in detail the following steps: Properly plan activities Provide a safe physical environment Provide proper instruction Supervise […]
Building Core Values with Stephen Mackey – 2Words Character Development
Stephen Mackey is a keynote speaker, Wall Street Journal Best-Selling author, and character leadership & culture development coach. Better known as Coach Mackey, he has spent the last 20 years helping athletes and coaches connect […]
Underhooks, 2-on-1s, Wrist Ties Warmup Drills with Kevin Ward – Oklahoma State Univ.
Watch as Coach Kevin Ward explains and demonstrates underhooks, 2-on-1, and wrist ties for warm-up drills. Practicing these drills in warm-ups will allow players to get comfortable starting with wrist control, an underhook, or a […]
Spiral Ride Defense with Dakota Bauer – Colorado School of Mines
Watch as Coach Dakota Bauer explains and demonstrates three ways of defending the spiral ride. #1 is Changeover: when you feel pressure, take the inside hand and clear it over and go to the far […]
Establishing Mutual Trust
By: Wade Gilbert Originally Published in: Coaching Better Every Season Provided by: Human Kinetics Athletes will never reach their peak performance unless a deliberate and sustained effort to teach and build trusting relationships occurs […]
Follow the Fake or Snap Into the Leg Drill with Keith Gavin – Univ. of Pittsburgh
Watch as Coach Keith Gavin explains and demonstrates the Follow the Fake or Snap Into the Leg Drill. If the opponent fakes on you do not go straight-legged and extend your arms to his shoulders. […]
Top Position: Hammer Lock with Ryan Deakin
Watch as Ryan Deakin explains and demonstrates the hammer lock series. At the whistle, he chops, finds a wrist, and drives. When the opponent is flat, open your chest to the ceiling with your elbow […]
Technique Planning for Practice with Mark Branch – Univ. of Wyoming
Watch as Coach Mark Branch explains technique planning for practice. He says to prioritize planning practices and to focus on techniques while addressing common athlete weaknesses. Coaches also use recordings to refine their methods and […]
Escaping After Standing Up with Dave Crowell – Nazareth Area High School (PA)
Watch as Coach David Crowell explains the perfect position for escaping after standing up. The opponent will have one arm on the belly and the other needs to be on the arm held tight against […]
The Sports Nutrition Challenge Hiding in Plain Sight
By: Greta Jarvis, MS, MPH Founder of: Center for Active Women It was around sophomore year of high school when my classmates, teammates, and friends started restricting their eating: the Flat Belly Diet, the Cabbage […]
Why Every Great Coach Assesses Their Athletes – Beyond the Scoreboard & Stats
By: Julie Hatfield-Still Provided By: Beyond The Game Alliance As a coach, you’re constantly evaluating whether it’s watching how athletes perform in a drill, tracking game-day stats, or observing who shows up ready to […]
Run the Stance Motion Drill at the End of Practice with Keith Gavin – Univ. of Pittsburgh
Watch as Coach Keith Gavin explains why he likes to run the Stance Motion Drill at the end of practice, especially during the season. After practice the wrestlers are tired, and it is important for […]
Mental Toughness: A Skill That Can Be Developed with Dr. Colleen Hacker – Team USA / Pacific Lutheran Univ.
Watch as Dr. Colleen Hacker explains that mental toughness is a skill, and it can be developed. It is about how an individual responds to adversity, difficult situations, setbacks, and failure. Mental toughness is not […]
Reading Your Opponent’s “Tells” From the Top Position with Chris Pendleton – Oregon State Univ.
Watch as Coach Chris Pendleton explains, and demonstrates reading your opponent’s “tells” from the top position. When the opponent is in the referee’s position you can read the tell on what the opponent is going […]
Full-Feature! Go-To Drills with Jarion Beets – IMG Academy (FL) & Austin DeVoe – Colorado School of Mines
We are releasing a FULL 30-minute session from a Denver Wrestling Coaches Clinic, available in our Wrestling Coaches Insider +Plus video library. Free access to this video will expire on Monday, December 1, 2025 – […]
Communication
Originally Published in: The Coach’s Bulletin Board It’s not what we say, but what they hear. “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” (George Bernard Shaw) NEGATIVE words […]
Front Headlock: How to Bring Them to the Mat with Mitch Minotti – Colorado School of Mines
Watch as Coach Mitch Minotti demonstrates how to bring the opponent to the mat while in a front headlock. He shows that while you have the opponent in a front headlock, you maintain full control […]