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…

Jan 6, 2015

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…

Jan 2, 2015

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…

Jan 2, 2015

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…

Jan 2, 2015

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…

Jan 2, 2015

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…

Jan 2, 2015

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…

Jan 2, 2015

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…

Jan 2, 2015

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…

Jan 2, 2015

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?…

Jan 2, 2015

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…

Jan 2, 2015

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…

Jan 2, 2015