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last about 30 minutes; in-season wrestling workout
sessions should last for nearly an hour. During this
time, divide the wrestlers into groups. While one
group is wrestling, the other group is running and
weight training. Thus, no one is standing around
while others are wrestling. (If your wrestlers do lift
weights, it should be every other day.) During the
wrestling workout sessions, you should frequently
stop wrestlers in the middle of the action with two
purposes in mind. First, show the wrestlers how
they are inadequately executing moves. Second, if
necessary, demonstrate another move that would be
more suitable for the same situation. Keep in mind that
the wrestling workout sessions are the most important
phase of in-season practices.
* Conditioning Finish Exercises (10 to 15 minutes)
These end-of-practice exercises should be " snappy, "
with emphasis on strength and endurance skills. This
phase would be identical for both preseason and inseason
practices. Never forget that as a coach, you
are also a teacher. You should always entertain any
responsible questions from your wrestlers regarding
practice drills and moves. If a wrestler does not
understand the significance of what he is doing,
successful accomplishment of a maneuver will rarely
be the result. The following are several teaching tips
to ensure your practices are meaningful and produce
winning results.
Teaching New Moves
When teaching a new move to your wrestlers, you
should be able to do the maneuver flawlessly yourself.
A step-by-step analysis of the move is your best
approach. Emphasize those aspects of the maneuver that
make it effective in competition.
Also, you must stress why a move should be drilled
in a certain manner, and what could happen if it is not.
The more profound understanding your wrestlers have
regarding the purpose behind each move, the easier it will
be for them to master it.
The adept wrestling coach never attempts to
demonstrate a move he does not fully understand. There
is no shame in admitting to your wrestlers that you will
need to do some research involving a certain wrestling
skill. Your athletes will respect this course of action much
more than if you feign knowledge of a move. You could
easily harm your wrestlers' performance by showing a
move you don't know authoritatively.
Conclusion
The key to a championship wrestling program is how
well you organize your daily practice drill and workout
sessions to fit the needs of your wrestlers. It is
also up to you to develop and enact well-rounded
practice strategies that will be of the most benefit to
your wrestlers.
A former Pennsylvania state champion and awardwinning
wrestling coach, Dr. Bill Welker has been selected
as a " Master of Wrestling " by Wrestling USA Magazine.
He also served as the West Virginia Secondary School
Activities Commission Wrestling Rules Interpreter,
Clinician, and Supervision of State Tournament Officials
for 28 years and was a member of the NFHS National
Wrestling Rules Committee from 2012 until 2015.
32 COACH & A.D. | MAY/JUNE 2024
May June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May June 2024
