Medical professionals agree that about 20% of high school athletes and 30% of college athletes have or will have a serious anxiety or diagnosable mental health disorder that causes some degree of impairment in their […]
Bottom Position Flick with Chris Pendleton – Oregon State Univ.
Watch as Coach Chris Pendleton 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 […]
Tapering and Breaks with Jack Spates – (Retired) Univ. of Oklahoma
Watch as Coach Jack Spates discusses the importance of tapering and breaks in today’s wrestling. Tapering allows the body to get refreshed and invigorated which allows for greater success.
Bottom Position: Sit Out Hip Heist Drill with Troy Nickerson – Northern Colorado Univ.
Watch as Coach Troy Nickerson explains and wrestlers demonstrate this bottom position sit out hip heist drill. The wrestlers work the move individually and then partner up.
Challenging Athletes Without Destroying Their Confidence with Dr. Greg Dale – Duke Univ.
Dr. Greg Dale explains that it is key to hold athletes accountable but do so without destroying their confidence or undermining their dignity. He talks about the difference between being intense and being emotional as […]
Developing a Culture
By: Jen Welter Originally Published in: Winning Ways of Women Coaches Provided by: Human Kinetics You must give players a voice in shaping the identity and setting the tone. With the most powerful teams I […]
Branding Your Practices with Mark Branch – Univ. of Wyoming
Watch as Coach Mark Branch explains that branding is not just for your program, but it should be for what you do in your training and practices. Create your team’s identity on how you train […]
Best Conditioning Drill with Nick Williams – Retired Coach
Watch as Coach Nick Williams explains that the Barrel Rolls (or ‘Monkey Rolls’) Drill is the best conditioning exercise for his team. He believes this drill is best for duplicating the effort that is required […]
Pitfalls in Development with Tervel Dlagnev – Univ. of Nebraska
Watch as Coach Tervel Dlagnev explains that most kids are team people and “buy in” to the program. You cannot let one special seed sway how you operate your program, as this can cause a […]
Counterattack: Teach the Sprawl with Dave Crowell – Nazareth Area High School (PA)
Watch as Coach Dave Crowell discusses and demonstrates teaching the sprawl as an effective counterattack move. He will show how he teaches his wrestlers the sprawl so that they can work the technique and skill […]
Setting Goals
By: Dan Gould & Cliff Mallett Originally Published in: Sport Coaches Handbook Provided by: Human Kinetics Setting clear goals helps coaches and athletes achieve success. Goals offer direction and purpose for our day-to-day activities; in […]
Advice for the Wrestling Parent with Brian Smith – Univ. of Missouri
Watch as Coach Brian Smith explains that he wants wrestlers who are in it for themselves and not just for their parents. He persuades parents to encourage and support their wrestlers in the classroom and […]
Defining Mental Toughness with Jack Clark – Univ. of CA, Berkeley
Watch as Coach Jack Clark 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 […]
Strength & Conditioning: In-Season Box Jumps with Ben Durbin – Iowa State Univ.
Watch as Coach Ben Durbin explains, and a wrestler demonstrates these lower body plyometric movements, in-season box jumps exercises. Reverse lunge box jumps work on body control and the quad muscles. This is a great […]
Adversity Is Part of the Journey with Seth Greenberg – ESPN
Watch as Seth Greenberg explains that adversity ‘visits the strong and lives with the weak,’ so the only option is to deal with it. He encourages no whining, no complaining, no excuses, and no regrets. […]
Why Should Coaches Coach?
Coaches at high levels at prestigious programs need to win to keep their jobs. Winning consistently makes recruiting easier, keeps the fan base energized, the administration and boosters happy, and the financial bottom line healthy. […]
Leg Defense Tips with Nick Mitchell – Grand View Univ.
Watch as Coach Nick Mitchell discusses his philosophy on leg defense and demonstrates a few of his favorite tips for developing this skill in practice.
Be the Flame Keeper with J Robinson – JROB Intensive Wrestling Camps
Watch as Coach J Robinson explains that you, as the coach, are responsible for keeping the team’s attitude and spirit up. The coach must hold the image and build the culture when nobody else can […]
Character Development: I Had a Coach with Stephen Mackey – 2Words Character Development
Watch as Stephen Mackey explains the impact that his high school coach had on his life. He highlights the power and influence a coach has on a young athlete.
Penetration Drills with Troy Nickerson – Northern Colorado Univ.
Watch as Coach Troy Nickerson explains, and wrestlers demonstrate penetration drills for the single leg, the high crotch, and the double leg.
3 Supplements to Aid in Stamina and Recovery with Joey Boyens – ekin Nutrition
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 […]
Language of the Leader with Jeremy Boone – Athlete By Design
Axiology is the science of human value and decision making and this assisted in a study of how athletes, coaches, and athletic directors make decisions. Based on this study, Jeremy suggests that the word ‘amazing’ […]
Leadership Philosophy with Mark Branch – Univ. of Wyoming
Watch as Coach Mark Branch shares his philosophy on leaders. He tries to get his younger wrestlers involved in leading as early as they can. Coach feels that it is up to him to identify […]
Program Managing
By: Dan Gould & Cliff Mallett Originally Published in: Sport Coaches Handbook Provided by: Human Kinetics Managing a program effectively requires a coach to plan and direct both culture and practice in a specific setting. […]
The Importance of Team Identity with Brian Smith – University of Missouri
Watch as Coach Brian Smith explains how he always discusses team identity with his wrestlers, and how one must be figured out within a program. For his program, that identity was being good at wrestling […]
Growing Wrestling: Why Change is Necessary with Andy Barth – Titan Mercury Wrestling
Watch as Andy Barth discusses why change is necessary in ensuring the growth of wrestling. He feels that we need to understand it’s not boastful or conceited to promote our sport and promote the amazing […]
Bounce Go Behind with Austin DeVoe – Colorado School of Mines
Watch as Coach Austin DeVoe explains and demonstrates this bounce go behind move. It is important to keep the elbows in tight with one hand high up in the arm pit and the other cupping […]
Accountability and Empathy with Dr. Greg Dale – Duke Univ.
Watch as Dr. Dale discusses accountability and empathy. Your program should have high standards, and everyone should be held accountable to those standards. He describes empathy as the ability to put yourself in someone else’s […]
A Lot of Try
By: Coach Mickey Marley Originally Published in: Game Ready – 52 Takeaways for Winning Previously, I shared that my daddy was a professional cowboy in Texas. Kid Marley had many clever sayings related to his […]
Knee Slides with Austin DeVoe – Colorado School of Mines
Watch as Coach Austin DeVoe explains that the knee slides series is one of the most important parts of bottom work. This move is good for any wrestler no matter what size, shape, or quickness. […]