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Kennedy

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OptionalStart

Team MVP
Aug 4, 2022
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My biggest concern is physical development. 3 years in and his musculature looks pretty much identical to his Sr year in high school.

Gotta get a strength and conditioning program change applied to him ASAP and make sure it is nothing like the one we have used on Warner for 6 years who has seen little to no change. If it makes his a 174 so be it.

He is too talented to not be developed further.
 
strength is low on the list of issues for kennedy imo. he's not as athletic as some of the other guys, carr especially. he's also not as technical. carr was way slicker than him. if anything, he's too dependent on strength.

the iowa singlet is also slimming. our guys always look bigger in freestyle season in the red and blue.
 
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Strength is not an issue for Kennedy, but my point is that it is an asset that is not being developed into a greater asset. Senior year HS version of PK, or true freshman gives the current version all he can handle...and that is on the staff.

My worry is in 2 years he is going to look just like he does now, similar to 2022 and 2018 Jacob Warner.
 
OptionalStart said:
Strength is not an issue for Kennedy, but my point is that it is an asset that is not being developed into a greater asset. Senior year HS version of PK, or true freshman gives the current version all he can handle...and that is on the staff.

My worry is in 2 years he is going to look just like he does now, similar to 2022 and 2018 Jacob Warner.
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Warner looks the same as 4 years ago? You related to AF hawk or el drug?
 
hoythawk said:
Warner looks the same as 4 years ago? You related to AF hawk or el drug?
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His body hasn't gained definition when it seems like 10-15 pounds of muscle gain was within reason while staying in the weight class and really separating himself. Kennedy has the same look and prospects in front of him IMO. A career like Warner would be a success but he is in an absolute meat grinder of a weight class this year.
 
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OptionalStart said:
His body hasn't gained definition when it seems like 10-15 pounds of muscle gain was within reason while staying in the weight class and really separating himself. Kennedy has the same look and prospects in front of him IMO. A career like Warner would be a success but he is in an absolute meat grinder of a weight class this year.
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Warner is definitely bigger this year, and he also definitely didn't have 15 pounds to put on. He has one of the biggest cuts on the team, and some people just carry weight differently. His legs are HUGE.
 
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OptionalStart said:
His body hasn't gained definition when it seems like 10-15 pounds of muscle gain was within reason while staying in the weight class and really separating himself. Kennedy has the same look and prospects in front of him IMO. A career like Warner would be a success but he is in an absolute meat grinder of a weight class this year.
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You think he can get bigger and stay 165? Or you just want him to get bigger and go 174. If you think he put on significant size and still make 165, I can’t agree w that.
 
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Here to take my medicine on my PK vs Carr take…. He had absolutely nothing for Carr. That said, he didn’t seem to have any sort of spark at all today. I’m confident better days are to come but right now he doesn’t seem to be in the same zip code as the top 6 at the weight.
 
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He gave Bull just about all he could take last year. Carr is elite, I’ll give PK some time before I write off an elite recruit. Besides, who else is gonna go that gives us a better option?
 
They key of heavy hands is to move the opponent with snaps, work to slide byes. Changing levels to ankle picks. Etc etc etc.
Kennedy was unable to move Carr. Carr capitalized on low level changes. He can turn the corner as quick as anyone and uses his length to the outside hip, then moves down to the outside foot to finish.
It was a clinical performance by Carr.
 
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Clearly Carr is a better wrestler, and to make it worse, just seemed like he was in PK's head and it made him wrestle scared. Practicing against Marinelli for 2 years isn't going to prepare you to wrestle a guy like Carr, but PK has much better offense than we saw. Just seemed timid, shell-shocked, or star struck. He'll be fine, but needs to loosen up and maybe roll around with our wild boy Cobe a little more.
 
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LaxHawk174 said:
We'll learn a lot about Kennedy's place in the pecking order vs Hamiti, Kharchla, and Amine. As of now it doesn't look like he can challenge the top tier, but 4th-8th is still up for grabs as far as I'm concerned.
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Valid observation. This 4-8 is what most fans project. I really hope he can learn to attack and defend length.
 
OptionalStart said:
His body hasn't gained definition when it seems like 10-15 pounds of muscle gain was within reason while staying in the weight class and really separating himself. Kennedy has the same look and prospects in front of him IMO. A career like Warner would be a success but he is in an absolute meat grinder of a weight class this year.
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warner did not have 10-15 lbs of muscle to add. i was worried he might outgrow 197 when he came in. he was walking around at 220 when he arrived. he’s a huge 197.
 
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Gobblin said:
Here to take my medicine on my PK vs Carr take…. He had absolutely nothing for Carr. That said, he didn’t seem to have any sort of spark at all today. I’m confident better days are to come but right now he doesn’t seem to be in the same zip code as the top 6 at the weight.
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I too thought he would give Carr more of a match. I think there is clearly a Top 3 but I’m optimistic that he can battle 4-6. I’m not sold on Kharchla or Amine. Hamiti is more of a wildcard.
 
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Kennedy is very good. I find is a little ironic that SOME of the Iowa faithful are ready to toss him out. 165 is a meat grinder of a weight. Has been for years. I-mar, Joseph, the Bull, and now the next crop that has stepped up. For 3 days in March 165 is as brutal as it comes. Conflicting styles in addition to a group of talented well coached individuals. 197 is a close second in the parity. No clear cut leader of the pack. Isn't great to be a wrestling fan? Enjoy the ride! Champion the effort it takes to be at this level. Not one of these young men are scrubs.

P.S. I will bet that PK out places Marinelli at the NCAA's over his career. Anyone willing to take the bet for WFL?
 
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js8793 said:
in general, it seems like our fans are hyper focused on strength as an issue. i don't know how you watch this team and think that's the issue. i'd trade some of the team's strength for technique in a heartbeat.
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Mind blowing…. And a bit numbing.
 
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js8793 said:
in general, it seems like our fans are hyper focused on strength as an issue. i don't know how you watch this team and think that's the issue. i'd trade some of the team's strength for technique in a heartbeat.
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Adding leg-riding (and the offense it can open up) would add a valuable dimension.

That was the one thing (as an opposing fan) that worried me when Mark Perry was brought in years ago . . . and then Eierman. I thought legs would become a more regular part of the team’s offensive approach.
 
I really thought PK was the victim of his own slow start... and Carr was too slick to catch up to once he got the lead and got PK out of his own rhythm and into a semi panic mode. The Bull was so much better at remaining calm and doing his own deal but Honestly i think PK has a higher ceiling . If anything PK needs to get to his offense regardless of who he wrestles...from the VERY START !
 
Leg riding isn't learned in a day. Good leg riders start young and learn to feel it. You can hone the skill in college but the good ones are leg riders from at least HS.

Besides Iowa will never use a leg ride. Only stallers use legs. (Insert eye roll here.) I watched and interview with Gable some years ago. I think it is on youtube somewhere. He talked about using a leg ride to control a guy until he could get his turning combination in place. He then blew the legs and turned for the pin. I showed my son the interview. He was an undersized, underskilled, undertalented HS 220. He was also short for the weight but learned a modified leg ride and became effective to the point that opposing coaches wouldn't put guys under him.
 
js8793 said:
in general, it seems like our fans are hyper focused on strength as an issue. i don't know how you watch this team and think that's the issue. i'd trade some of the team's strength for technique in a heartbeat.
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OneRoughneck said:
PK is a bully and it is difficult to bully someone as tactical and technical as Carr.
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Yet another really good Iowa wrestler that shows a serious weakness from space against a high quality opponent with some speed and length. Granted Carr is elite, so I don't think it happens too often to PK, but he looked like a flat footed plodder for most of the match, being completely lost if he couldn't get to an inside tie.

The above is also a big issue with why Warner struggles with Bastida. However, in the case of Warner, he actually showed he can also generate his offense from space. He wasn't able to quite finish both times he got to Bastida's legs, but it was still good to see that he could also wrestle from that position...
 
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Idahopennstatefan said:
Leg riding isn't learned in a day. Good leg riders start young and learn to feel it. You can hone the skill in college but the good ones are leg riders from at least HS.
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I agree . . . and I also sense that coaching staffs without leg riders are less likely to recruit wrestlers who are leg riders (or if they do recruit them, the skill is not developed further by the staff).
 
Unrelated to other Kennedy discussions… but does anybody else wish PK would make this his walkout?

 
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