You know how you know you should change something? Everyone is State College is fine with what you're doing now.
Iowa Wrestling Solved in 3 steps
- Thread starter vhsalum
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I disagree with point 3 with regards to Austin DeSanto. I am a runner and I would absolutely say most of the time I am running I DONT love it. I love that I do it and the way I feel after, but its really really hard. Maybe Austin is so invested in winning its hard to enjoy the process. Of course he loves wrestling or he wouldn't do it. That doesn't mean he loves every aspect or wishes he could do something else. Maybe his wording doesn't convey that but watching him I would say that kid LOVES wrestling!
I'm going to go with you agree with me, that Iowa wasn't doing long gos this year. Which is what I originally said.
I don't know if they do or they don't, as I haven't been in the room for a practice in years now. But...if they still do, then I would definitely reconsider that strategy, Find another way to build conditioning, if that is the aim, but don't "condition" your athletes to just "survive" a long go. Reward them for scoring, period.
When we coached little kids soccer, admittedly not the same thing as D1 wrestling, we fairly quickly understood that the tendency of almost all kids when executing a sideline throw in was to wait, and wait, and wait, all the while the adults are yelling to throw it in and the other team gets themselves set to defend/intercept, etc. Just telling the kids to throw it did nothing. Their instinct was to hold it.
We solved that by teaching the kids in practice, that they HAD to throw it on a count of three. So, our team would then instinctively release the in bounds throw on a count of, "One, two, three...THROW". Again, not an exact parallel, but we came up with a way to prepare the kids to throw(or shoot in a wrestling sense) on an internal clock.
Anyone that didn't adhere to the "One, two, three...THROW" rule, in a game or in a practice, was made to run laps. If Iowa grapplers are drilling long goes(survival)...then it doesn't come as a big surprise to me that so many of them are cool with 5 or 6, or even 7, minutes worth of hand fighting and head snapping...with few, if any shots.
Find a way to reward the shot takers. You can't solve it just by talking about it IMO.
There are times when you need long goes, for both the physical and mental aspect.
I don’t know if they were or not. You might be right. But I’m guessing it’s due to injuries and not a change in philosophy.
In regards to Desanto being stressed…have you ever tried to be great at something? The absolute best you can be at something, but you keep falling just short of your goals? It’s stressful, isn’t it? I try my best to be an average golfer, but there are times I actually have to stop playing because I’m beating myself up too much. And I’m not trying to win an NCAA title against the best of the best, and manage a school and social life amongst other things while I miss an 8 foot putt.
All of these athletes feel the stress. All of them. Every school. Even the guys out east. Some are able to deal with it better than others, but I promise the stress is there.
All of these athletes feel the stress. All of them. Every school. Even the guys out east. Some are able to deal with it better than others, but I promise the stress is there.
With all the interest and fans, this sport should be ripe for NILs amongst the masses and pay for the scholarships to get the top wrestler at each weight. There is no scholarship excuse any more. People need to pay up to get the best here. It’s all legal now to do so.
I don’t think long goes get you into shape. Shorter high intensive training(like a wrestling match) gets you into the best shape. Long goes increases the likelihood of slowing down to save yourself for the long term. Look at track training. A 1500 M runner trains by running 400 M sprints, not by doing 10 mile runs.
Wrt stress. Did anyone else watch Logan Massa's post tournament interview on flo? Or Hidlay's post tournament interview? Very similar things to what Iowa guys are saying. It's a grind, it's tough. For everybody. There can only be one winner and everyone else is pretty disappointed and wiped out to some extent at the end. Agree with above and think nobody should consider this an "Iowa" problem or spend too much time micro analyzing post match interviews after people just got done wrestling and wrapping up unbelievable careers and are in the emotion of the moment.
And you can even see the emotion/pressure/stress relief valve burst open in those that win it all. For somebody who had none of that, they'd simply walk off with a ho-hum look like they just finished fixing their car. But how that pressure affects training, sleep, in-match mental clarity and energy can vary a lot. It can also be managed if given adequate attention. As someone else noted (somewhere), I also believe that fear of losing (attack on identity) negatively affects performance far more than desire/pressure to win. This can be considered in training and all matches short of the 'big dances' - let it fly, try new things. don't worry about losing. It (wrestler psychology) can also be considered in recruiting, which is still where I think 83% of the challenge lies.
Quick question to all the geniuses that say we need to change everything one year removed from winning the national championship. How do we do against the rest of the competition?
We took 3rd with our best guy out and two of other top guys with major injuries.
I wonder how many Okie state fans are crying about changing the way they do things！
We took 3rd with our best guy out and two of other top guys with major injuries.
I wonder how many Okie state fans are crying about changing the way they do things！
One factor people are forgetting, the Ivies did not compete last year. Cornell had 54.5 points this year, Princeton had 38, and Penn 15.5. 108 points . How would those points have affected the standings if those schools had similar years?
I’d be interested in hearing your analysis of John Smith and why they are not competitive anymore.
This may be unpopular.
During the tournament I focused a lot on what PSU did. Many on here believe PSU stall their ass off. I don’t see it that way. They wrestle within the rules. They circle, take calculated shots good enough to keep stall calls away. they know they won’t finish They are very well coached on mat returns especially at the end of the period.
They are hands down the best at re-shots.
When they score on their shots, they finish quickly because they get low on the opponent’s legs or are turning the corner with their hips lower than their opponents.
They don’t get involved with relentless clubs and snap downs. Their stance is perpendicular. They control ties with a strait arm and good hand control on the back of the neck and a blocking forearm, with the other. Their stance is staggered in ties and the weight is on the back leg. It’s difficult to get a good shot off on them. Because of this guys make uncommitted shots, which is why they score on re-shots.
They all have huge thighs, especially ripped on the big side around the hamstrings.
They are patient and wait for mistakes, however when they go, they make quality committed offensive attacks and finish at a very high rate. In high level matches they only take one or two TD attempts in a match.
Don’t confuse this with the shot to keep from getting stall calls.
They have a very specific strategy for high level matches.
Iowa is going have a very difficult time catching them. They are physical specimens and don’t get tired because they control pace and are efficient at not making mistakes.
The one obvious statement is that our guys don’t make leaps like RBY and NL did.
Our guys aren’t getting significantly better. Ramos and Clark were the last and they weren’t multiple time Champs.
PSU has a multiple NCAA champion mentality.
I love the Hawks but the good old days are gone. I will continue to wait for them to prove me wrong. After Lee was recruited we learned some things. Hopefully the program remains teachable.
Change is inevitable, growth is optional.
During the tournament I focused a lot on what PSU did. Many on here believe PSU stall their ass off. I don’t see it that way. They wrestle within the rules. They circle, take calculated shots good enough to keep stall calls away. they know they won’t finish They are very well coached on mat returns especially at the end of the period.
They are hands down the best at re-shots.
When they score on their shots, they finish quickly because they get low on the opponent’s legs or are turning the corner with their hips lower than their opponents.
They don’t get involved with relentless clubs and snap downs. Their stance is perpendicular. They control ties with a strait arm and good hand control on the back of the neck and a blocking forearm, with the other. Their stance is staggered in ties and the weight is on the back leg. It’s difficult to get a good shot off on them. Because of this guys make uncommitted shots, which is why they score on re-shots.
They all have huge thighs, especially ripped on the big side around the hamstrings.
They are patient and wait for mistakes, however when they go, they make quality committed offensive attacks and finish at a very high rate. In high level matches they only take one or two TD attempts in a match.
Don’t confuse this with the shot to keep from getting stall calls.
They have a very specific strategy for high level matches.
Iowa is going have a very difficult time catching them. They are physical specimens and don’t get tired because they control pace and are efficient at not making mistakes.
The one obvious statement is that our guys don’t make leaps like RBY and NL did.
Our guys aren’t getting significantly better. Ramos and Clark were the last and they weren’t multiple time Champs.
PSU has a multiple NCAA champion mentality.
I love the Hawks but the good old days are gone. I will continue to wait for them to prove me wrong. After Lee was recruited we learned some things. Hopefully the program remains teachable.
Change is inevitable, growth is optional.
Exactly, you guys need a good middle weight coach too. Alot of it was the burnout the older guys felt. You have some good guys just tweak their strengths. Make terry take over the hwc .2 brands intensity is too much. Overload.
Watch the coaches before the matches. Calm cool and collected?
This just popped up on my Twitter timeline. It is about tOSU's center who made some serious attempts to kill himself due to pressure he put on himself and external expectations (fans, coaches, family). After watching a bit, I was struck by how much this guy had his sh*t together. A starter, Academic AA, 4.0 in engineering, Valedictorian of his high school class, does mission work in foreign countries, well spoken...etc.
Now, compare him with a guy like Desanto who has dealt with on the mat issues since entering college..Lack of impulse control etc along with what have appeared to be mental or emotional issues...all of it is well documented. For the past 4 years, he has walked a tightrope on and off the mat trying to get a better handle on himself. I know there has been immense work there but I imagine there are a lot of people he worries about letting down...and we are not even talking wrestling. When asked about if he'll missed getting interviewed, he emphatically said no but then walked it back to say that he will because its something out of his comfort zone he needs to work on. Desanto loves wrestling...you can see it every time he goes out...he is not comfortable with all the hoopla that goes with it.
Ad's pressure starts from the top. Imagine looking over at terry before a match? No pressure to win, just go out there and do your best. Not.
In my opinion, as a wrestler and coach, there are times when it is for sure needed.
