The level of technique and mat strategy in the United States keeps improving every year. After spending one year training full-time in 2000 at the US Olympic Training Center where I learned many different techniques and scoring holds. The types of mat tactics, scoring holds and their variations can seem unlimited at times. When deciding an individual’s best scoring holds, it is important to objectively look at your strong and weak areas. Each wrestler is unique, however if you want to be successful you need not reinvent the wheel. The highest percentage scoring holds in wrestling from the feet are the double leg, the single leg, front headlocks or counter offense and the high crotch. Just look at what successful people are doing and repeat those actions and attitudes and you on your way toward getting similar results. These are the scoring holds you should be drilling on a consistent basis if you want to optimize your scoring attacks. While everyone may have different styles, you will need to master these techniques if you want to reach your full potential in wrestling.
During my time at the Olympic Training Center I got to watch the daily training routines of some of our best wrestlers in these attacks. I would say the best wrestlers during the 2000 Olympic trials it was evident to me that Brandon Sleigh was the best with the double leg, Sam Henson was the best with the head inside single, and Dan St. John was the best with the front headlock. I remember watching Sam Henson drill outside singles for thirty minutes straight after practice at the Olympic Training Center. He became one of America’s best at the head inside single and finish. Brandon Sleigh would drill double leg attacks after almost every practice. Kevin Jackson would work with him on different set-ups and blow the whistle and Brandon would drill them over and over again. Brandon went on to win the Olympic Gold medal with that double leg offense. Dan St. John would work the front headlock position over and over and would attack it with intensity. He never wanted someone to get out alive from his lethal front headlock. Dan would spend a lot of time training with the US Greco wrestlers to develop his front headlock I would say that Steve Fraser our US Olympic Coach was the best at teaching the front headlock series. At any rate, these wrestlers become very successful through constant drilling and refinement of these fundamental scoring holds. While not everyone will win Olympic Gold Medals, it is important to remember if you follow the same actions and habits as successful people, sooner or later you will have successful outcomes as well. Drilling is a key part of component to any great wrestler’s workout routine. Mike Van Arsdale perhaps one of America’s most talented wrestlers would drill three to four seven minute drill matches for extra conditioning. He built a lot of conditioning and mastered many scoring attacks through this repetition drilling and that made him one of the America’s top athletes. At the US Olympic Training Center our practices would incorporate this drilling philosophy as we got closer to our major competitions. As we would near a major competition we would focus on drilling our three best scoring attacks from our feet for repetitions. We would then work on our three best scoring attacks from par-terre. Drilling late in the year should be spent on refining our strengths and it would build confidence, organize our competition focus, and prepare our best attacks for battle.
A real match doesn’t look like organized drilling. But if you have refined your attacks and drilled them daily when you hit your attacks relentlessly in a match you give yourself the best opportunity to score on a more fatigued and less prepared opponent. By controlling the tempo of a match, you can force a wrestler to wrestle your style, and you will have a better chance of breaking your opponent mentally, thus giving you the edge in competition. If you learn to start attacking when the whistle blows, you can put your opponent in a defensive position where he is reacting to your attacks. Drilling can help give you the mindset to constantly want to improve your position in a match. Eventually, you can even turn your weak areas into strong areas.
Drilling involves a lot of discipline. It involves many hours of repetitions to help you mastered one more scoring hold. There are many methods of drilling that you should incorporate to master your scoring holds. Let’s assume you want to master the high c attack. You would first start with repeated drilling and work on executing this technique without any change in conditions. Meaning you would hit the same set-up, attack, and finish to the technique until you have mastered all the mechanics of the move. You may have to drill fifty to a thousand repetitions to master the mechanics of the scoring hold. It may take days, weeks, or even months but eventually you will have mastered the mechanics of the hold. Your next phase would include diversified drilling where you would drill the technique under various conditions. You may work the attack on different opponents of various, sizes, strength, and weight. The next phase would be to change the reactions of your opponents. This would allow you to focus on the different finishes – such as the crack down position, sprawling position, etc. The next phase would involve your opponent giving you different actions. This would allow you to work on different set-ups. You could have your opponent grab your elbow, wrist, or drop his head, work a two on one, or your opponent reaches and blocks with thumb, etc. This allows you to work on drilling different set-ups.
To drill effectively you will need a good drill partner. The takedown machines available on the wall are great for working on the mechanics of a move and working a few different set-ups for your move. However, they are limited in the type of reactions and actions they can give you. So if you can’t find a partner, keep working mechanics and set-ups on a takedown machine. If you have a good drill partner they can give you the correct action and reaction to allow you to develop your technique from set-up to finish. Too much resistance can make it difficult to focus on the mechanics and too little resistance can make the technique to unrealistic. A good thirty to sixty minutes of repetition drilling can be a great workout.
During the late summer and early fall is a great time to drill the areas you are weak in. Work on the mechanics with repetition drilling and just keep putting yourself in the areas you are weak in. Once the season arrives in early winter begin drilling extra on your weak areas before practice and focus on when in these positions in live wrestling. After practice work on your strong areas. This way you can work on improving on your weaknesses during practice and ensures that you have a focus and purpose for the practice. This is a great way to sure that you are constantly improving your game. If you follow up by always finishing practice with your strong holds you leave on a good note and feeling confident regardless of how bad or good the practice went. As you get closer tourney time, you should have addressed most of your weaknesses and you are now ready to drill your best scoring attacks from the feet and the mat before, during, and after practice. This time of year is great for diversified drilling. Have your training partner give you various actions and reactions of opponents you will be facing in the big competitions. Work with the coach on the scoring attacks that you will be using while facing those actions and reactions. This will give you a game plan and confidence heading into the important competitions. Then drill these scoring holds with repetition drilling until mastered. Remember mastering scoring holds will take time. This is an on-going process that will last throughout your career. But be persistent and you will be able to put it all together at the right time.
Article provided by Jon McGovern - http://www.jonmcgovern.com
