Before explaining this pancake drill, I want to share with you the origin of the maneuver. While in high school during the early 1960s, I developed and perfected (via extensive drill work) the knee pancake during practice. I was highly successful…
What Your Wrestling Workout Needs
Between weigh-ins and weight classes, wrestling requires athletes to be extremely disciplined and “in tune” with their bodies. However, many wrestlers struggle with designing productive wrestling workout routines…
Club and Under Hook with Ken Chertow
Watch as Coach Ken Chertow explains and demonstrates this Club and Under Hook takedown move.
Chicken Wing – Zack Esposito – OK St. Univ.
Watch as Coach Zack Esposito explains and demonstrates this Chicken Wing Move.
Youth: Scoring From Control with Eric Akin
Coach Eric Akin explains and young wrestlers demonstrate Scoring From Control
Plyometric Pogo Drill with Tom Koch
Coach Tom Koch explains and Wrestlers demonstrates this Plyometric Pogo Drill
Single Leg Attack – Finishing Troubles – Obe Blanc
Coach Obe Blanc explains and demonstrates these Single Leg Attack – Finishing Troubles
Heavyweights – Cross Knee Breakdown with Kerry McCoy – Univ. of Maryland
Coach Kerry McCoy explains and demonstrates this Cross Knee Breakdown Technique
Tie Up – Telephone Grip with Eric Akin
Coach Eric Akin explains and demonstrates the Telephone Grip
Crab Ride – Turning The Opponent – Troy Letters
Coach Troy Letters explains and demonstrates this Turning The Opponent Technique
Defense Against Leg Riders – Elevator – Steve Garland – Univ. of VA
Coach Steve Garland explains and demonstrates the Elevator in Defending Leg Riders
Youth: Single Leg – Peak Out with Eric Guerrero
Coach Eric Guerrero explains and youth wrestlers demonstrate this Single Leg – Peak Out Drill
Base Drill with Joe LeBlanc
Coach Joe LeBlanc explains and demonstrates this Base Drill
Pinning Drill – High Half Nelson
Setup
W2 is on his chest with W1 scissoring around the near leg. Also, W1 lifts W2’s knees off the mat with forward pressure on W2 (a).
Action
W1 grabs W2’s far wrist with his near hand. Simultaneously, W1 reaches under W2’s far arm and…
Wrestlers Need Aerobics, Too
Although it’s categorized as a purely anaerobic sport, wrestling has a huge aerobic component. It doesn’t matter how strong and powerful you are if you can’t move because you’re exhausted. You need endurance training to keep you going…
Maintain Wrestling Strength and Power With 3 Bodyweight Exercises
Wrestling, which dates back to ancient times, has long been considered one of the most difficult and demanding sports. Olympic champion Dan Gable put it simply when he said, “Once you have wrestled, everything else in life is easy.”
Throughout…
Talking Takedown Basics
The dominant takedown wrestler will usually win the match. It makes sense that most coaches spend the majority of practice time working on the feet. This scenario will not change in the foreseeable future. It is difficult to hold a quality…
Specialized Wrestling Workouts
The typical wrestling workout session involves spending about 50 percent of the time in the neutral position perfecting takedown skills. This is a smart workout approach because of the great importance takedown superiority has for winning matches…
Cutting Weight for Wrestling: 3-Step Sodium Strategy
Here’s a fact that may surprise you: When it comes to manipulating wrestling weight, your total sodium intake is not as important as your relative sodium intake.
Sodium is important for optimal hydration, but it can also cause your body to…
The Missing Component of Your Wrestling Training Program
Going head-to-head against an opponent on the wrestling mat requires many attributes, including speed, strength, and endurance. All are important, but one attribute stands above the rest and can give one competitor a distinct advantage over…
4 Ways to Maintain Motivation During Wrestling Practice
Every wrestler has had a practice that makes it hard to love the sport. Between conditioning, drills and live action, wrestling practice can be physically draining. It can also be psychologically demanding, to a point where it’s a challenge to…
Inside Control
With so much emphasis on takedown strategies in recent decades, escape and reversal skills have been given positions of less significance during practice. This contemporary practice has had its negative effects. To the astute observer of mat…
Gable: Teaching young kids how to finish is critical
WIN: In wrestling, coaches talk a lot about finishing, whether it’s a takedown or simply the match. Should coaches also talk more about finishing the season?
GABLE: Yes. How is someone able to make the finals and be stronger at certain times?…
Evaluating Practices
To have a successful program, you must develop practice sessions that benefit each wrestler. You need to match practice strategies with the wrestlers’ ability levels. Here are general questions you want to ask yourself after each practice…
Wresting Endurance Drills
I think that endurance for wrestling comes primarily from wrestling. An athlete can build up a lot of endurance by hard drilling of wrestling moves and a lot of live wrestling. If a wrestler stays active during most of his daily practices, he will…
Conditioning Drills with Rob Koll – Stanford Univ.
Watch: Conditioning Drills – Rob Koll
Conditioning with Dave Malecek – UW-La Crosse
Coach Dave Malecek directs after practice conditioning for his squad
Strength Training: Neck Series with Gary Calcagno – OK State Univ.
Coach Gary Calgagno explains and demonstrates this Strength Training neck series
Scramble Drill with Duane Goldman (Retired)
Coach Duane Goldman explains and demonstrate this Scramble Drill
Agility Ladder: Fast Hands Drills with Tom Koch
Coach Tom Koch explains and wrestlters demonstrate this Fasts Hands Drills using the Agility Ladder