What do you prefer?

Trying to plan our 2011 marketing…how would you like us to communicate with you…

The first thing I ask when a customer enters our store is what are you looking for and what team do you wrestle for?

This gives me an idea generally of what colors to look for and what products to look at. I write about products that a new wrestler might be interested in based on what these people that come into the store like when they are new wrestlers. I’ll assume you are looking at Black (and can find the colors that you are looking for). You can do searches for the products and then refine them based on your color choices.

As a parent of young children (who are also trying sports I have no idea or experience in buying gear), I sort of wrote this for the parent whose kids come home and say I want to try wrestling and I need some gear. I was clueless looking for sporting equipment for one of my sons new sports so I tried to offer some insight into what to look for in your child’s new wrestling gear.

Here is our top selling new wrestling shoe. Based on it’s price (only about $41, it’s a neutral color – black and it’s a brand name your kids won’t be embarrassed to wear – Nike). The downsides of this shoe is it only comes in black and it not as technically advanced as our more expensive shoes (but it can’t have all the technology of the more expensive shoe at this price). One thing I will make a comment on if your wrestler has a wide foot – this shoe is not for them and nor is the adidas Velcro shoe that is their cheapest shoe. We’d recommend if your wrestler is a wide foot and a small size and you want something cheap to look at Asics Mat Flex 2 for the youth and adult Matflex 2. Generally Asics is not the widest shoe out there but it is the widest and cheapest. Another option would be the Matman line with laces – the Youth Ultra Wrestling Shoes or Adult Ultra Wrestling Shoes. Matman generally run a little wider than the other shoes at this price point.

Nike Speedsweep VII Wrestling Shoes SKU: 366683-001 Sizes: 6.5-9,12-15 Price:$40.98

Nike Youth Speedsweep VII Wrestling Shoes SKU: 366684-001 Sizes:12C,13C,1-6 Price:$34.98

Next often times they need headgear and kneepads. Headgear is usually a must unless the team provides it so be sure to ask your coach before you buy it. What we find a lot of times is coaches will have hand me down headgears or just the rock bottom cheapest headgear they can give you just to provide you with a basic option.

We recommend if you are a first year wrestler and want just basic protection, check out the Asics Jr Gel or Gel if you are a bigger athlete. They provide basic protection, are cheap, a brand name for wrestling (Asics is a very well known brand for wrestling although not that well known as say Nike or adidas outside the wrestling community). What we also like about his head gear is it’s small enough so it’s fits the kids that are peanuts but can also fit an older wrestler as well.

You might ask why the heck we put the most expensive headgear on this list as well. The reason, you only get one set of ears and only one head to go with them. I guess you can get plastic surgery on your ears but we say if you are going to spend any money on a first year wrestlers gear, spend it on the headgear. The Tornado is by far our most popular headgear. It’s comfortable, your kids will be able to hear their coaches, and it comes in a bunch of colors (at least in the adult size). It only comes in 4 color combinations in the youth size. Drawbacks is it will cost you $30 at least no matter where you shop. One thing to think about comfort is your kid will wear it in practice. I joke when people come in the store and touch my ears – I always wore my headgear in practice and of course you are required to in matches.

ASICS Gel Wrestling Earguard Cauliflower ear is a thing of the past. This revolutionary ear guard protects the head and cradles the ear. $16.98

ASICS Gel Jr. Wrestling Earguard – Youth Size Cauliflower ear is a thing of the past. This revolutionary ear guard protects the head and cradles the ear. $16.98

Cliff Keen Tornado Headgear Over 80 colors of the Cliff Keen Tornado head gear to choose from. $29.98

Cliff Keen Youth Tornado Headgear Keep your head in the match with Tornado headgear. A revolutionary design based on NASA research. Youth Size – $29.98

As far as kneepads, at this price point – under $20. Kneepads are basically knee pads, we picked two of our top selling knee pads. There are other similar variations to look at in this under $20 price point. The other thing to consider is size. If you got a little wrestler, look at the Asics and Matman kneepads below. They will fit even a wrestler down to 40 lbs (speak from experience on this one – my little wrestler is about 40 lbs right now). The Asics kneepads do give sizing recommendations for their kneepads.

Pair of Adult Cliff Keen Bubble Knee Pads -BK64A Our most popular “bubble/volleyball knee pad. Black, Navy Blue, Red, White $15.98/pair

Pair of Cliff Keen Bubble Knee Pads – Youth BK64-Y Available In Pairs Only! – $14.98/pair

Pair of Brute Predator Youth Kneepads-0270
Designed for the needs of the young wrestler.
Black, Red, Royal
$19.98/Pair

Pair of Black Asics Jr. Gel Wrestling Kneepads-ZD902-90
Shoe cushioning technology in a kneepad – a simple, yet ingenious concept. $19.98/Pair

By Jon McGovern

In wrestling we learn through physical conditioning to become physically tougher through the sport. You learn to work through pain, muscle soreness, and fatigue. In essence you become a tougher person through the sport of wrestling by never quitting. By definition the word toughness means strong and resilient and able to withstand great strain without tearing or breaking. Wrestlers that endure are tough by definition, so the next step is to turn this physical toughness into mental toughness to optimize one’s potential on and off the mat.

Everyone goes through life with adversity and strain. Coping with these life adversities can make the difference between optimizing not only your wrestling performance, but your life. Remember in your life and wrestling the phrase “If its gonna be its up to me” holds true. You are ultimately in charge of your life successes and or failures on and off the mat. So let’s cover the proven methods to help you stay mentally tough in the sport of wrestling and then you can apply them to all aspects in your life as well.

Mental toughness is a learned skill that can be acquired through habit and practice. It involves using your mind to achieve victory over your environment. Mental Toughness is essentially giving yourself the right messages in critical times stress, hence allowing you to withstand great strain without breaking. Losing composure or breaking during a long practice or tough workout is never a good idea. I suggest wrestlers never lose control of themselves in practice or a match as this is not a habit of developing composure. Swearing and throwing punches are a sign of breaking and a loss of composure and control. In essence they are a sign of breaking. This is something I heavily discourage. The idea is to develop your ability to handle more physical stress and strain while maintaining composure. Being able to withstand great strain and/or pain on the mat without letting it distract you from your goal is essential characteristic to success on the mat and in life. There are many things that could come into play during a match to add strain or cause a mentally weaker opponent to become distracted. The key to remember is that while nothing is ever perfect; you can just keep on going for excellence in your own life. You may have poor officiating, a coach who doesn’t know how to keep quiet, or your girlfriend may break up with you. Coping with these experiences is mainly a matter of attitude. You can either dwell on them and blow them out of proportion to their significance, or you can accept them and work and work on things within your control. Your reactions to these events are entirely up to you. Think positively and know that you can perform well despite distraction. Sometimes just having a sense of composure and control of your thoughts is half the battle and can give you extra confidence when you come to the next stressful event.

You can develop this confidence that will allow you to face pain and struggle with the resilience of an ancient gladiator. Remember to keep in mind the following:

Use only positive statements in your personal affirmations: Change thoughts of “I can’t” to “I can”, never allow yourself negative self-talk while training, change from “I have to” to “I want to” thinking. Through positive thinking and suggestion – say to yourself “I feel good” or “I can feel energy pouring into my limbs” you can overcome times in the match or competition when you feel sluggish. Never run away from a wrestler who may be better than you, they will only bring out the best in you. Correct your mistakes and don’t protect yourself from mistakes. Analyze your losses and mistakes learn from it and move on. Don’t take losses or criticism personally. Your identity in life is much more than that of a wrestler. Being a wrestler just enhances your identity in life by making you one of the toughest individuals on the planet! Realize that life is not always fair and that success will not come easy. Always have a purpose in your actions. Come to practice with a purpose – what do I want to get out of it. If you come to practice, the classroom, or almost any situation in life with a purpose, it is much easier to stay focus when distracts come into play. You will know what you want to get out of it and then make actions to ensure that there is a purpose to every event. I have my wrestlers write down at least one goal of what they want to get out of practice everyday. Not only does this give them a purpose and make them more accountable for their success in that practice, it gives them mental confidence. No matter what happens in that practice they will come away from that practice knowing they added at least one more weapon in their battle armor. If you practice daily never ending in your improvement in your wrestling and in life you will become more confident in yourself.

Again a lot of mental toughness training is learned through training. Your mind is an evolving sporting machine, much of the process of growing tough is in the process of organizing the vast chaos in life and turning it into an organized useful action. So next time you are feeling down or have a low motivation before practice use your positive thoughts and think of all the good in your life to overcome those obstacles. Even using body language can help. Put on a smile, walk straight, shoulders back, head up, get in a position for the neurons in your brain to think positive. Many elite athletes use acting to help they act how they want to feel. If you’re tired in practice but are smiling you have just acted your way into a successful mindset. Remember you’re too tough, too resilient, and too focused to lose control. No matter what the situation, no matter what your coaches throw at you, or what your opponent does, nothing can break you.

You are able to withstand the great strain in life without tearing or breaking. Toughness is being able to create those positive emotions upon command, thus enabling you to bring all your ability to life in that moment. Good luck this upcoming season: and remember that thinking successfully leads to acting and living successfully.

Nutrition, and Weight Control
By Dan Gable
Buy Coaching Wrestling Successfully

Nutrition and weight control are probably the most controversial subjects in wrestling. Of course, the key issue here is weight loss. The image of a dehydrated wrestler wearing a sweatsuit in a hot gym in order to lose weight is not a healthy one for the sport. What wrestling needs to promote in terms of nutrition and weight is fitness and health.

Rules on Weight Control

Following the lead of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Federation of State High School Associations has tightened regulations on weight control in wrestling. The NCAA made eight rule revisions after the deaths of three college wrestlers during weight-loss workouts.

All state associations are now required to develop and use a weight-loss program that discourages severe weight reduction. Each wrestler is also required to establish a certified minimum weight before January 15. Certification at a lower weight is then prohibited during the season. Another rule requires wrestlers to have at least half of their weigh-ins during the season at the minimum weight to be used during the state tournament.

Education is the key here. Athletes and coaches need to understand the importance of proper nutrition and end the training practices that brought about the association of starvation with wrestling. School systems should require nutrition courses. In addition, coaches, especially wrestling coaches, should have classroom-type discussions with their athletes about healthy eating and adequate fluid intake.

One key to success is being able to get quality work and effort out of your team on a consistent basis. Without proper nutrition, wrestlers’ attentiveness and stamina will fall off drastically, especially late in practice. I constantly read my athletes to gauge when to do a certain workout or conditioning drill and for how long. The more I can keep them working with quality efforts and attentiveness the better they are going to get.

Water availability along with an electrolyte (sports) drink is a must. The drinks should be cold for incentive to drink as well as for recuperation purposes. Disposable cups should be used and not shared. If your water source is a drinking fountain, make sure the water is cold and easily drinkable. Oftentimes in older facilities drinking fountains are nearby but barely working. Keep them usable and clean. Drinking fountains are not for spitting, blowing one’s nose, or getting rid of gum or chewing tobacco (which should not be permitted, anyway). Keep tissue and plenty of garbage cans for trash handy.

Coaches should have their athletes’ body compositions tested and have all the needed data and calculations for each athlete. The maximum weight loss under normal conditions should be no more than two pounds per week. Within this range, wrestlers should be able to maintain their strength and keep a positive attitude. Don’t let the athletes just tell you what they weigh; weight checks are necessary. Keep your eyes open for signs of incorrect weight loss measures or weight loss that is too rapid. Clear warning signs are lack of sweat, jumpy attitude, poorer performance, noticeable changes of body size, and frequent trips to the bathroom.

Because of recent tragedies in the sport involving wrestlers and weight loss, extra emphasis is being placed on education and safety rules. Specific concerns about the role of supplements and possible prescription drugs while training intensely are being looked at as well.

At the University of Iowa we test the body fat composition of our wrestling team once a year, and then periodically check some wrestlers throughout the remainder of the year. Each year in early to mid-September the team has mandatory testing with the team athletic trainer. This is within a month after they have returned to school and right around the start of organized practices. The results are used as a guide for the coaches and medical staff to evaluate the roster and begin making decisions about who will wrestle in which weight class. It also allows enough time to counsel and guide the wrestlers on how to safely and properly lose any extra weight over the next eight to ten weeks leading up to their first competition, which is usually in late November. New weight procedures could make for a possible date change of early testing.

The testing method we use at Iowa is caliperThe testing method we use at Iowa is caliper measurement. We have access to underwater weighing equipment, which is supposedly the most accurate measurement of body fat, but we use the calipers for several reasons. First, it is less time consuming for both the athletic trainer and the athlete. Second, calipers are more readily available and the test is easier to perform. Finally, underwater weighing has a high learning curve for those being assessed. If the testee is not well trained in having this done, the results may vary dramatically.

We test six different sites on the body with the calipers and use a formula developed by exercise physiologists which is specific to male high school wrestlers. Although these are collegiate wrestlers we are testing, the difference is believed to be minimal. The six sites we measure are the scapula, triceps, chest, suprailiac (hip), abdomen, and thigh. (See the worksheet at right)

We also measure their body weight and use the body fat percentage to estimate the “ideal” weight of the wrestler. The ideal weight is theoretically what the wrestler would weigh if they dropped their fat percentage down to five percent fat, which is the figure recommended for college-age athletes not to drop below. For high school athletes, it is recommended that they not drop below seven percent body fat.

In an attempt to be consistent among team members and from one reading to the next on the same athlete, we have an experienced technician perform the tests on all the athletes each time. In our case, the team athletic trainer performs all of the testing.

We recommend that the athletes be tested in the morning hours before they have eaten or worked out. It is important that they are well hydrated since a dehydrated state can skew skinfold readings. This is also when a most accurate weight can be assessed. It is possible and highly likely that with new procedures for making weight, hydration testing will be used along with skinfold measurement.

Attitude

Proper attitude is the last but certainly not the least ingredient for wrestling success. This trait affects all other areas. Without the proper attitude, a wrestler will only go so far. Physical ability can make a wrestler a winner early on in his career, but at more advanced levels where the difference in talent narrows, talent alone won’t do it. Your athletes have to be motivated to a very high level for them to be champion wrestlers. Their competitive abilities must be brought out of them through an internal desire to excel and maximize their abilities.

Through observation and good communication you can tell which athletes need to work on their attitude. Through team and individual discussions, you can bring about big improvements. Even highly motivated wrestlers need personal attention, so don’t overlook anyone on the team. You can address attitude in many ways, but it starts at the top, so make sure you (the coach) represent what you want your wrestlers to accomplish.

Next issue: Practice – Part 5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dan Gable stands as one of the United States’ greatest collegiate and Olympic champions. As head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa from 1977 to 1997, Gable won the Big 10 Conference Championship in each of his 21 seasons. He also won an unprecedented 15 NCAA Wrestling Championships, including nine straight from 1978 to 1986.

As coach of the 1984 Olympic wrestling team, Gable led the United States to seven gold medals and two silvers and was named “best coach.” An Olympic wrestler himself in 1972, Gable dominated the field, going unscored upon in six matches to take the gold. Now serving as assistant to the athletic director at the University of Iowa, Gable has been inducted into both the Olympic Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and in 1996 he was listed as one of the top 100 U.S. Olympians of all time.

From Coaching Wrestling Successfully by Dan Gable, Copyright 1998 by Dan Gable. Excerpted by permission of Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL.

By Ray Nunamaker

Assuming your wrestling program is well established in your school and your community, you’ll be anxious to make the leap to greater recognition, possibly at the national level. Much of what is required for that is some years of consistent, successful results from your teams. This requires tremendous perseverance and dedication. Where do you start?

Do What’s Right for the Wrestlers

The Wrestling Room.

Have a permanent room that is at least large enough for one full mat (42’ x 42’). If you can get more space, take it. Keep the room clean and orderly. Create specific places for jump ropes, time clocks, score flip-cards, announcements, newspaper articles, running shoes, extra clothing, etc. These items should not become safety hazards by being scattered around the room. Make sure you have sufficient heat in the room to avoid injuries and to allow the kids to get a good workout. Everyone should take pride in the room.

Summer Wrestling.

The Nazareth Recreation Commission always sponsors a summer wrestling program. It is basically an open wrestling room 2 or 3 nights a week, where there is no regimen of formal instruction. It gives wrestlers a place to work out, and often also attracts former wrestlers who are now in college. It’s a nice informal atmosphere where boys can focus on weak areas in their style yet have no pressure. The room should be supervised by a responsible adult at all times.

Summer Wrestling Camps.

Encourage wrestlers to attend a technique camp or team camp in the summer. About seven years ago we moved to a team camp. It’s great for camaraderie. Some camps also allow you to bring your junior high team. This is a good way to expose the younger wrestlers to their future coaches and teammates.

Out of Season Tournaments.

If your wrestlers participate in other sports, that’s great. If they don’t, and they are interested in competing in open tournaments off season, encourage them to do so. This may mean taking them yourself and spending long hours in the gym, but it provides necessary support for them, and helps them develop their skills more quickly. Out of season tournaments should not be required, because if the boys don’t really want to do it, they won’t really benefit, and everyone is just wasting time.

Match Atmosphere.

Play music during your team’s warm-up, between the JV and Varsity matches, and during time-outs. There are some great songs that will pump-up the crowd and keep everyone enthused, including the current Jock Jam series. Allow the team to pick the music, but maintain final veto power.

Junior High Matches.

When schedules can be arranged, have your junior high team wrestle at the same time as your JV Team, prior to the Varsity match. Put two mats out and let them compete right next to each other. It’s great for the junior high to wrestle before a crowd and get some recognition, plus it brings more fans to the gym. It also means there is rarely a dull moment, since something exciting is probably happening on one mat or the other.

Build Tradition

Wrestling Yearbook.

Find someone who’s interested and likes math, and start compiling all sorts of statistics. Do research, and get as much historic data as possible, then keep things current each year. At the end of the season give each wrestler a book containing highlights and stats from the season, plus some history of your school’s program with records (team and individual). Our yearbook also includes photocopies of significant newspaper articles and box scores from the season.

Wall of Fame.

Devote one wall in your wrestling room to display a photographic history of the boys who achieved a specific level of success on your teams. Determine the minimum requirements, and hang an 8 x 10 photo of everyone who meets them. Include their name, years, record, and accomplishments. Every day the current members of the team have only to look as far as that wall for inspiration. Every wrestlers’ goal should be to make “the wall”.

Wrestling Records.

Select another wall in your wrestling room to prominently display all of your school’s wrestling records, team and individual. These records should include things like career wins, most season wins, most falls, most technical falls, most takedowns, etc. Let your team know what’s possible, and also that records are made to be broken. For major accomplishments such as State Champion, hang banners in your gymnasium for everyone at every athletic event held in the gym to see.

Foster an Interest in College Wrestling

Attend College Matches.

Take your entire team to a local college match of the highest quality available. Our team goes to a Lehigh University match together each year. Call ahead to find out if you can get a group rate or reduced admission fee. Watching college wrestling provides the boys with a glimpse of what they can expect at the next level.

Open for a College Match.

Wrestling before a college crowd provides your team with an opportunity to promote itself to a new and often very responsive audience. Fans of college wrestling are able to see the type of program you have, and the caliber of kids who compete for you. This year Nazareth’s team had the unique opportunity of opening their season in a twin under-card at Hershey Park Arena with Lock Haven and Nebraska as the feature event. This is exciting for your team, their parents, and all of your fans.

Host a College Match.

Nazareth was fortunate to be able to arrange a dual meet between North Carolina State and Wisconsin at their high school gym a few years ago. Both teams were at nearby Lehigh for the Sheridan Wrestling Tournament, and agreed to come to town one day early for this match. There were four local young men wrestling for the two Division I teams that night, which sold out the gym. The fans really enjoyed seeing top college wrestling so nearby.

Get Connected.

Over the years you will probably meet and get to know many coaches at all levels. Use your connections to help boys have the opportunity to attend college and wrestle. Write letters and promote your kids. Help them be realistic about the schools they consider, because obviously academics are the real deciding factor. You can provide valuable guidance beyond what they can get from the school’s counselors. Do whatever you can for the kids; they will be grateful.

Article provided by Wrestling USA Magazine (www.wrestlingusa.com) for exclusive use by WrestlingGear.Com

By Randy Lewis, InsideTexasWrestling.com

In the fall of 1969, Jim Brandt, the gym teacher at Meadowbrook Grade School in Rapid City, South Dakota announced that in six weeks all students were going to take the President’s Physical Fitness Test. He posted the school records for each event. He told all of the 5th graders to try and pick out one record and see if any of us could beat it.

I saw that the school record for chin-ups was 18. I tried to see how many I could do. I did 12! When I went home that day, I told my dad about it. He said, “Why don’t you try doing 12 every day for a week, and then the next week, do 13 every day and then the next week do 14 every day until you get up to 18.”

I listened to him, and by the time of the fitness test, I could do 18 chin-ups. I tied the school record.

I also started wrestling that year for the first time. I became the school champion at the lightest weight class of 65 pounds. I knew only three moves, the double leg, half nelson, and the stand up. Jim Brandt and my dad, Larry Lewis took a bunch of us kids to the AAU Age-Group kid’s regionals to qualify for the state tournament. In my first official tournament, I went 5-0 and won the regional. From there it was on to the state tournament.

As I warmed up with the other wrestlers before the tournament started, I was in awe of competing against the best kids in the state. Some of them had been wrestling for three or four years. They had medals on their jackets, too.

I went and told my dad that some of these kids looked tough with their medals. With all their experience, I didn’t think I could win. My dad said “They might look tough, but I’ll bet none of them can do 18 chin-ups like you can.”

He also told me not to think of them as the best kids in the state. He said what if they were from Rapid City, and they went to Meadowbrook Grade School, and what if they lived right next door to us? If you couldn’t beat them, then you wouldn’t be Meadowbrook school champion, and you wouldn’t be the toughest kid on your own block. He said, “you are the toughest kid on the block aren’t you?”

I smiled, and said, “I sure am!”

Before my first match, I asked my opponent, a kid named Dan Blye, if this was his first state tournament. He said that last year he got second place. Feeling a little more nervous, I asked him how many chin-ups he could do. When he said 16, I felt better.

Knowing I was stronger than he was convinced me that I could overcome his experience, and beat him. I can vividly remember thinking that if he lived in Rapid City, if he went to my grade school, and if he lived next door to me, I could beat him. I knew I was the toughest kid on the block.

When the referee blew the whistle, I immediately shot in on a double-leg and would not let go. The matches then were two 2-minute periods, both starting on the feet. I ended up winning the match 4-1, getting both takedowns, and losing a point for choking.

I had five more matches that day, and I won them all by scores of 4-1, or 4-2, or 4-3. In every match I got points against me for locking hands or choking. I got every takedown and I would not let go once I got on top.

Before every match, I asked my opponent how many chin-ups he could do. Not one could do 18, like I could do. I also remembered to think about every match, not as if I was going up against the best kids in the state, but I brought them back in my mind to Rapid City. To Meadowbrook grade school, and all the way right next door. To my block.

At the end of the day, not only was I the South Dakota State champion at 60 pounds, but I was still the toughest kid on the block.

The next year, I went on to repeat as state champion at 65 pounds. From there, it was on to my first national tournament in Miles City, Montana. While I was warming up I saw a mean-looking kid with a crew cut about my size.

I went up and said hello and asked him what weight class he was wrestling. He said he was at 65 pounds and he was going to easily win the tournament. He said he was a two-time state champion from Wyoming and had never lost a match.

I told him I was a two-time state champion from South Dakota, and I had never lost either. He said he was going to easily beat me, and I had never had any kid tell me that before. I figured he must really be tough to go around telling other kids he was going to whip them. (This was the days before Muhammad Ali.)

I went over to the brackets to see who I had to wrestle, and wouldn’t you know it, I had the two-time state champion from Wyoming. Truth be told, I was scared. Then I asked the kid how many chin-ups he could do? When he said he could do 18, I smiled.

By now, I had set the Meadowbrook school record with 20 chin-ups. I knew I was stronger than the kid from Wyoming was. I remembered that if he were from South Dakota, if I couldn’t beat him, I wouldn’t be a two-time state champion. What if he was from Rapid City, and went to Meadowbrook grade school? What if he lived on the same block as me?

If I couldn’t beat him, I wouldn’t be the toughest kid on the block. Well, I got fired up and went out and whipped the kid from Wyoming 16-0, on the way to winning the tournament. Not only was I now a national champion, but I was still the toughest kid on the block.

It was this mindset that I continued to have great success, winning national titles at every age-group and winning the NCAA’s as a sophomore and making the world team as a true freshman. That took me to January 1980.

That was my junior year in college. In the middle of the college season, I went to Russia to wrestle in the toughest tournament in the world, the Tbilisi Tournament. This meet is considered tougher than the world championships or the Olympics, because so many Russians entered. The Russians at the time as they are now, were considered the best freestyle wrestlers in the world.

At the time, I was 20 years old, and wrestled at 136.5 pounds. Gene Mills and myself were the only two collegiate wrestlers to make this trip. At the time, I was a junior in college and thought I was the best wrestler in college at any weight.

I was the only collegiate wrestler at that time who had made both the world team and had won a NCAA title. While Mills was also a NCAA champion, he had not yet made a world team. I considered myself to be a better wrestler than Gene Mills.

What I saw from Gene Mills on this trip totally astounded me. “Mean Gene the Pinning Machine” as he became known, went on a tear. Wrestling at 114.5 pounds, Mills went 8-0 in the Tbilisi tournament, with 7 pins. In the finals, he was ahead 18-0 when they cautioned the Russian out of the match for stalling. I went 0-3 against the Russians and 5-0 against other foreigners on this trip.

Mills was pinning Russians right and left. How was he doing it, I asked myself? He was getting really psyched up before each match, saying I’m going to pin this Russian, I’m going to tear him up, nobody can go the distance with me.

I remember thinking, these are the Russians he is talking about, the best wrestlers in the world. How can he think he can pin them and beat them so easily? I thought, I am better than Gene, why is he pinning these Russians, and I am losing to them.

And then it hit me.

Mills was pinning these Russians and I wasn’t for the simple reason that he believed he would pin them. I was thinking, these are the best wrestlers in the world, how can I beat them? After the tournament, I remember thinking that if Gene Mills can pin these Russians, then so can I.

A few months later, the United States and the Soviet Union had a dual meet in my hometown, Rapid City, South Dakota. I was picked to wrestle for the United States team against the best Russian wrestler at 136.5 pounds, Victor Alexeev, a two-time world champion.

At the time, my record against the Russians was 0-5. Back in my hometown, my dad and all my friends all asked how I thought I could do against the Russian. I told them all I was going to pin him. They all said Randy, “how can you say you are going to pin the Russian? He is the best in the world, and you have never beaten a Russian.”

I told them, “Last night I looked through my old high school scrapbooks, and I counted all the matches I wrestled here in Rapid City in high school. I was 50-0 with 48 pins, and I won the other 2 matches by scores of 12-0 and 23-2. That’s what I do in Rapid City is pin people.”

And then I looked at my dad and told him, “Dad, tomorrow night, I am not going to be wrestling the best wrestler in the world. I’m going to be wrestling another kid who may have grown up in Rapid City, and may have gone to Meadowbrook grade school, and may have lived right next door to me, and tomorrow night we are going to see who really is the toughest kid on the block.”

Over 7,000 fans showed up the next night to watch the dual meet between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Russians won the first 3 matches before I stepped on the mat against Victor Alexeev. They had the momentum going their way.

Two minutes later, when I threw Alexeev on his back, I heard the loudest roar I had ever heard, only to be eclipsed 20 seconds later when the referee called the fall. With victories by Lee Kemp, Chris Campbell, Ben Peterson, and Larry Bielenberg (over 2-time Olympic champion Ivan Yarygin), the United States scored our first-ever dual meet victory over the Soviet Union.

My father, Larry Lewis organized the event, and former USA Wrestling Executive Director and now head of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), Jim Scherer has said it is still the most successful USA–Russia dual meet he had ever seen.

After the meet, I hugged my dad and told him I was still THE TOUGHEST KID ON THE BLOCK.

By John McGovern

Most fitness civilians can recover at their own pace from workouts because they don’t deplete themselves of their carbohydrate stores in a typical workout like wrestlers. However, for elite athletes like wrestlers paying attention to pre-workout and post work-out carbohydrate ingestion is essential to optimal training and performance. Here are some suggestions for using food to your advantage before, during, and after competition.

The pre-competition meals should be monitored closely during the 24-48 hours prior to competition. Often the more intense the competition the higher the anxiety level. If you are too nervous to consume a lot of food before competition eat frequent smaller snacks with easily digested foods like bananas or a sports nutrition shake. In general, it is best to start building your carbohydrate stores in the blood for competition by eating high-fiber, low-glycemic index foods like apples two to three days before competition. Do not experiment with new foods or supplements during this the time period, save that for the off-season. Build into the quick release good carbohydrates such as single ingredient whole foods like raisins and potatoes. Remember when you eat a regular meal it takes about three hours to digest before your competition. Avoid a meal that is too heavy for example a steak or hamburger. Eat a light snack apple, banana, yogurt, about one hour prior to competing. Make your pre-competition meals about two-thirds easily digested carbs, and only about one-sixth protein and one-sixth fats. Fats and proteins take longer to digest and can make you feel bloated prior to competition. Do not avoid protein and fats altogether, just make them lighter on the digestive track. Instead of hamburger or steak go for chicken soup, turkey, tuna, or a protein drink. You want the blood ready to pump in the muscles and not in the stomach kicking in enzymes to digest the proteins from steak during your match. If you take liquid nutritional supplements or energy bars make sure they are cleared by your coaching staff and/or athletic trainer. Many substances once thought of as harmless are now banned by the NCAA and many high school associations.

When deciding whether to eat or how much to eat before a wrestling workout or competition, make the decision based on your energy level during your workouts or competitions and adjust accordingly. If you find yourself sluggish or running out of steam during your workouts, then you may need to take in more carbohydrates. If your last meal was three to four hours before your workout, then you should eat a snack high in quick energy carbohydrates. Foods like whole bagels, crackers, fig bars, juice, granola, or carbohydrate drinks or a even small meal within the 30-90 minutes before your workout would help keep your energy and bloods sugar levels stable.

After making weight, focus on foods and fluids that will help you recover and won’t negatively affect performance. The best choices for replacing sweat losses include: juices, which supply water, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals (electrolytes). Watery foods such as watermelon, grapes, and soups that supply fluid, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, high crab sports drinks, and water are excellent choices. Good competition day snacks include: bagels, bananas, apples, fig bars, cereals, applesauce, granola bars, sports drinks, and grapes, whole grain bread, brown rice, pancakes, fish, fresh fruit, beans, peas, and lentils. Avoid bulky, fatty or seedy foods. Again choose foods high in carbohydrates and moderate in protein and fats. If you become dehydrated during an unusually long and strenuous bout of exercise, you should drink frequently for the next day or two. Your body may take up to 48 hours to replace the sweat losses. That is why in wrestling you should never lose more than 2% of your body weight in practice (for example 3 lbs for a 150 lb person). You should always drink water throughout the practice. On day of weigh-ins if you need to lose more than three pounds make sure that you keep the water intake high and do your sweating no more than four to five hours prior to weigh-ins. Studies have shown that being deprived of water for longer periods of five hours or more and your body starts to turn cannibalize muscle protein for energy. If you start losing the water weight more than five hours prior to weigh-ins, you have just cost your muscles some serious protein and in the end you will be a weaker competitor for it. If you do need to lose a few pounds for a match, don’t stop liquid intake until two hours before weigh-ins then rehydrate immediately after weigh-in.

To properly recover from making weight a wrestler needs water. Water and electrolytes are needed to replenish glycogen stores, reduce muscle and oxidative stress and rebuild muscle protein. The role of hydration can not be overstated. Fluid and electrolyte replenishment is crucial in maintaining cardiac output and regulating body temperature during exercise. Water is important but it is not the only component. Electrolytes must be replaced as well and this cannot be accomplished by water alone. Supplements that could be considered for post weigh-ins are a carbohydrate/protein mix or fluid replacement drink, vitamins c & e, glutamine, and branch chained amino acids. After your workout eat carbs and a moderate amount of proteins in your meal within thirty minutes of your workout. Then eat a main meal about sixty to ninety minutes after your workout. Good examples would be: fresh fruits, bagels, raisins, yogurt, tuna, pretzels, granola bars, fruit juices and sports drinks. Ideally, you should consume carbohydrate rich foods and beverages within fifteen minutes of making weight. That is when the enzymes responsible for making glycogen are most active and will most rapidly replace the depleted glycogen stores. You’ll need about 75 grams of carbohydrates or 300 calories within the first thirty minutes to aid your recovery. Two hours later you should eat another 300 calories of high carbohydrate and high protein foods. Some examples might be an eight ounce glass of orange juice and a peanut butter covered bagel, twelve ounces of cranberry juice and an eight ounce cup of yogurt, or one bowl of corn flakes with a milk and a banana. Don’t avoid protein in your recovery. Protein, like carbohydrate can stimulate the action of insulin, the hormone that transports glucose from the blood into the muscles. Eat protein rich foods with carbohydrate rich foods. Combinations such as protein rich milk with cereal, turkey on a bagel, protein rich yogurt with juice are good examples.

Remember if you decide you must experiment with your diet, do so in the off-season. This will give you an idea of what sits best with your digestive tract. Focus more on healthy eating than dieting in the off-season. The best approach to take for healthy eating and nutrition is a year round approach. When choosing your meals and snacks base your nutrition game plan on variety, moderation, and wholesomeness. Each food offers special and unique combinations of nutrients in their most bio-available form. Oranges may offer vitamin c and carbohydrates but no iron or protein. A slice of roast beef offers iron and protein but no vitamin c or carbohydrates. There is no one magic food. Remember you’ll do best eating a variety of fresh foods that are low in processing.

Here is a quick update on our stuff. In a time when our competition is reducing inventory and reducing choices, we added several new colors of the Tornado and the Cliff Keen Signature. Now we have 87, yes 87 color choices of the Tornado in stock ready to ship to you (that’s code for we’ll ship it really fast). The Cliff Keen Signature may take over as our number one wrestling headgear this year. It’s perfect for high school and college wrestlers, not so good for the little guys with the small heads.

Check out our wrestling headgear page to see what we have to offer. Over 200 choices of headgear.

Also, on a sad note, the Junior Extero’s (e.g. for the little guys) are going to be in limited supply – at least in black. If your kids start wrestling in January (like a lot of youth wrestling programs do), don’t wait on this shoe if you want a black velcro based shoe for this season. We are already out of several sizes. Luckily my kids team is Red. Otherwise we might not have been fast enough to get a pair for my two boys. Little guys shoes are on our youth wrestling shoes page.

What are your thoughts about this program?

Here is a link to check out along with several others you should click on if you are interested. Click on Active Start, Fundamentals, Learn to Train, Train to Train and Active for Life.

http://www.canadiansportforlife.ca/default.aspx?PageID=1004&LangID=en

I think it’s a great model – have you found anything like this based in the USA?

Below is the content from the Active Start Section – I think it’s worth checking out if you are a coach or a parent interested in your kids performance on and off the field. I know with my kids we have taken this relaxed approach to their athletic development. We want them to participate in high school and collegiate athletics if they are interested (e.g. I don’t want to burn them out on tee ball or youth wrestling!).

Active Start
Ages 0 – 6

From ages 0-6 years, children need to be introduced to relatively unstructured play that incorporates a variety of body movements. An early active start enhances development of brain function, coordination, social skills, gross motor skills, emotions, leadership, and imagination. It also helps children build confidence, develop posture and balance, build strong bones and muscles, promote healthy weight, reduce stress, improve sleep, learn to move skillfully, and learn to enjoy being active.

Objectives: Learn fundamental movements and link them together into play.

Physical activity is essential for healthy child development during the critical first six years of life, and is especially important during the first three years since brain growth is extremely rapid, and learning creates more brain cell connections than in later years (Gruhn, 2002). Among its other benefits, physical activity during this time:

* Lays the foundation for future success in skill development, by helping children enjoy being active, learning to move efficiently, and improving coordination and balance.
* Creates neural connections across multiple pathways in the brain (Council of Physical Education for Children, 2000) particularly when rhythmic activities are used.
* Enhances development of brain function, coordination, social skills, gross motor skills, emotional development, leadership and imagination. Helps children to build confidence and develop positive self-esteem.
* Helps builds strong bones and muscles, improves flexibility, develops good posture, improves fitness, promotes a health body weight, reduces stress and improves sleep.

Things to think about:

At this age, physical activity should always be fun, and part of the child’s daily life, not something they are required to do. Active play in a safe and challenging environment is the best way to keep children physically active.

Organized physical activity and active play are particularly important for the healthy development of children with a disability if they are to acquire habits of lifelong activity. Because this is a period when children with a disability rapidly outgrow their mobility aids, communities need to find effective ways – for example, equipment swaps or rentals– to ensure that all children have access to the equipment they need to be active.

Children with sensory disabilities (visual impairment or hearing loss) often require more repetitions to learn movement skills, and different ways of getting information from the instructor. To find out more, contact your local organization providing support for persons with the specific disability.

Physical Literacy Activities

Encourage the child to run – not just in a straight line, but with stops and starts and changes in direction. Tag and chasing games are excellent.

Play catching games with the child. Use a wide range of soft objects, and balls of different sizes. Start with catching a large ball with two hands, and progress towards smaller balls and eventually one handed catching. Remember – Balls that don’t bounce too much are great for learning, as are bean-bags.

* Play games making body shapes – upside down and right-side up. Pretend to slither like a snake, and roll like a rolling pin on the floor, or down a small grassy slope.
* Play throwing games – and start with soft objects that the child can hold easily in his or her hand. Try to get the child to throw at a target, and sometime to throw as hard as they can. Get them to use both the left and right hand when they throw.
* For quiet times, or when in small spaces, play balancing games. Stand on one foot and then try the other – try balancing on different body parts, and try walking along any painted lines on the ground.
* Jump, make shapes in the air, jump to see how high the child can go, or how far. Make imaginary “rivers” and get the child to jump from one bank to the other. Try jumping from one foot, or from both. Make sure the child bends at the knees when they land.
* Introduce children to water activities and learn to swim programs. Get them on skates or skis and out on the ice or snow so that they learn to slide.
* Ride a tricycle, or a bike – with or without training wheels to develop dynamic balance.

Now is the time to develop some season goals. What would you like to be able to bench, squat, deadlift, hang clean, power clean? How many push ups will you be able to do at the end of the season? Will you be able to run 2 miles under 12 minutes…work with your coach to develop some season fitness goals? How many 400 meter sprints will you be able to do, how fast, etc?

Start to think about how you want to finish the season. Do you want to be a Regional Champ? Sectional Champ? State Place Winner? State Champion?

Set a long term and set some interim goals to make sure you are making progress towards that long-term goal. Make sure you review your progress at least once every couple of weeks. The key is to set a specific goal. Don’t set a goal to wrestle well. That particular goal is not easily evaluated to see if you achieved this goal or just as important you can’t objectively see you are making progress towards that goal.

Set a goal to win a State Championship then set interim goals to win a couple interim tournaments. Make sure you work hard to qualify for each stage of your year-end tournaments. Make sure you don’t overlook your qualifying tournaments to get to the state finals. E.g. don’t say you want to be a State Qualifier and then forget that you still have to take Regionals (the first qualifying tournament) seriously otherwise you won’t have a chance to qualify for the State Finals.

Challenge yourself on and off the mat. Make sure you set some goals that relate to your educational goals. First make sure you are eligible then start working on getting grade for college or post high school training.

Article written by Jeff Pape and updated 10/28/2009

Jeff Pape is the founder and current owner of WrestlingGear.Com, Ltd. Jeff wrestled for one of the winningest coaches in the country, Charlie Farina of East Leyden and Leyden wrestling. He qualified for the Illinois State Tournament reaching the State Quarterfinals but failed to place. Jeff continued to wrestle at the University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign before hanging up his wrestling shoes after about 3 semesters on the varsity practice team (e.g. never broke the line up). He has a Bachelors of Science in Accountancy from Illinois and a MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management with majors in Marketing and Operations.