Watch as Coach explains and demonstrates a counter move from the top position for when the opponent attempts to get to his/her feet. It is important to keep pressure, so lift the heels and pinch […]
Culture: Vision and Habits with Kevin DeShazo – Culture Wins
Watch as Kevin explains that if you want to change, you need to create new habits while replacing old unhealthy ones. You also may need to replace healthy habits that are not good for the […]
Using Strengths to Develop Coaching Resilience
By: Wade Gilbert Originally Published in: Coaching Better Every Season Provided by: Human Kinetics When coaches recognize their strengths, they build coaching confidence and mental toughness. The ability to overcome performance failures and emotionally difficult […]
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 – […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
3 Supplements to Aid in Stamina and Recovery with Joey Boyens
Joey Boyens recommends three supplements that will help your wrestlers with stamina and recovery. Cyclic Dextrin is a carb to help your wrestlers reload as it absorbs quickly. Beta-alanine is a natural occurring amino acid […]
The Ideal Coach/Athlete with Dr. Lee Dorpfeld – Univ. of South Florida
The ideal athlete and coach have the following six components: resilience, persistence, tolerance of discomfort, confidence, can perform under pressure, and consistence. Dr. Lee Dorpfeld explains that changes in performance may be tied to mental […]