"The Perfect Wrestler"
(Part Two)
Last Sunday, I discussed the make-up of the perfect wrestler during the regular season campaign. In today's column, I will point out the activities the perfect wrestler participates in during the off-season months.
Off-Season Sports
In the springtime, I would suggest joining the track team, and signing-up for the long distance running events. During the fall, your best choices would be cross country or soccer. All of these activities promote excellent cardiovascular endurance.
Football is also an outstanding extra-curricular activity for the heavier wrestlers of the team. It teaches them good center-of-gravity stances, increased ability in lateral motion skills, and improve quickness.
Summer Wrestling Camps
Wrestling technique improvement is an on-going process for the perfect wrestler. One way to boost this process is to attend summer wrestling clinics. While attending such training schools, the perfect wrestler should have two goals in mind
1. Do not be concerned about learning everything you witness at a
summer wrestling clinic. Instead, focus on learning one or two
moves you like in each position of wrestling: takedowns in neutral
position, rides and pinning combinations in the top position, and
escapes and reversals in the bottom position.
2. Watch how the clinicians explain moves you already perform well, to see what they are adding to them to make the maneuvers even more effective. Then "drill" the moves, incorporating the new subtleties.
The perfect wrestler never fails to go to at least one clinic every summer during his high school wrestling career.
Summer Tournaments
I believe three to five summer tournaments in the summer is more than enough for the perfect wrestler. There are two important points to remember:
1. Make sure you are in good condition, but not the high intensity condition
get into during the season. Summer wrestling should be fun, as well as
another learning experience for the perfect wrestler.
2. Summer tournament "dieting" or "weight-watching" is a definite "no-no"
for the perfect wrestler. You don't want "peak" or "burn out" before the regular season gets underway.
Summer tournaments are just rehearsals for the most important competition the perfect high school wrestler will face in February or March - the state championships!
Other Summer Activities
Throughout the entire summer, the perfect wrestler runs a half an hour to an hour on a daily basis. As in the winter months, the perfect wrestler will run, incorporating jog and sprint intervals. Two other good running activities is sprinting repetitions up and down steps or hills.
It is also imperative for the perfect wrestler to lift weights three times a week. Just like in-season weight training the emphasis, the emphasis is on endurance lifting, with many repetitions (10 to 20 reps per station). When all else is equal between two opponents, it is strength that often determines the victor.
Well, there you have it, wrestlers. If you want to be the perfect wrestlers, I have given you the ingredients to be one.
I hope you were taking notes because I have just given you "pearls" here that lead to success in wrestling and life - free of charge!