“James, A question concerning wrestling. I have no experience. My son wrestles but he started late and is behind the learning curve. He works hard during the season but in the off season he's lazy and pays the price the following season. After this season I'll have him start a work out regime. I have experience lifting but have no idea on what to concentrate on for a wrestler.”
“One idea is grip and I have ordered one of those hand resistance units. Build a grip and forearm.”
“Any suggestions on the best off season regimen would be appreciated.”
SC
SC, my number one concern for any young combat athlete is tendon and ligament strength and muscular balance to avoid injuries.
Grip strength is an aspect of the wrestler’s tendon strength, which is the shocking aspect of wrestling with a dude that has been doing it since age five—the Chimpanzee-level vice that is their hand. Trying to catch up too quickly could blow out a flexor tendon or result in other wrist complications.
Use a rubber band to work hand extensions to balance out grip compressions. Also consider making the old school forearm tool. Take a one-inch dowel of 18-20 inches and drill a hole in the center. Thread a cord attached to a weight loop at the end. Have your son kneel at the top of the stars with his arms over the railing and raise the weight and lower it by way of turning the dowel in his hands, winding and unwinding the cord. This builds the forearm that houses the grip and can help with stability in hand plants.
As for the rest of the tendon strength development he will require, I am sure that whatever I did 40 years ago has been vastly improved upon and suggest you source what is online. Do not just look at body building and strength training but at rehabilitation also. I prefer making basic rehab exercises the core of a fighter’s conditioning.
I have a number of grappling and strength coaches that read this site, and hope that they will share some advice.
My biggest suggestion is that you get a mat and wrestle with your son. Do not try and win but just act as a live resistance dummy and give him something to work on. The danger of you being hurt will be in take downs. Let him practice off matt clinching and shooting [with knees pads on] but not taking you down. Do this all in timed 2 minute rounds like his matches. Once you get a mat, work extensively from the referee position with him. If you do this and watch wrestling on YouTube your knowledge will increase.
Some of the best fight coachs I know did not even learn the sport until their child got involved.
Ideally you want him shadow-wrestling just like boxers shadow box. The real serious wrestlers do this—but it is so boring for the majority that it is eschewed. So, you offering yourself as a giant piece of play dough can get past this boredom block and keep him working in the off season.
Really working with your son on wrestling is the most basic masculine tradition in the world and I would not pass the opportunity up for anything.
Please, if our grappling readers could help SC out here it would be much appreciated.
I second what James said about wrestling with your son. After wrestling in high school I got accepted into U of Pitt and planned on wrestling there. I went up the summer before to train with other wrestlers and was thoroughly schooled. The difference I noticed between them and myself was the ability to chain moves together QUICKLY. Upon talking with them i ascertained they did this basically due to repetition. They had all been wrestling since age 3 or 4 in Iowa and other wrestling states but it primarily boiled down to repetition. After he instinctively can have 3 or so different moves after he takes a shot depending on what his opponent does then you do the same with another position.. eventually when these moves are instinctual it becomes about different bodies to practice with to give him different looks. If he wants to catch up DRILL DRILL PRACTICE PRACTICE (with people that wont try to hurt him as this only delays progress). Also as for grip, when I was lighter I always found towel pull ups extremely helpful ( I doubt I could pull one off now) and also hand grippers as much as possible in his free time. Good luck.
I am totally unqualified to offer any advice as my son decided he hates wrestling after I did my best to lay a strong foundation. That being said
1. Talk to the coaches about out of season clubs. Wrestling coaches are more fanatic than any middle eastern religion follower and are equal in devotion to gymnastic/dance mothers. They will know someone who knows someone who runs an off season club. That club will not be found in the yellow pages. Congratulations You have just joined a cult. Also don't worry if it is not the right kind of wrestling. There are numerous types of wrestling, but their similarities are greater than their differences.
2. Off season is a good time to concentrate on strength development. You are not banging bodies together in the off season so weight traing is good. I found that my friends never got seriously hurt in judo. You get hurt training trying to keep in shape for judo. Recovery time is necessary for weight training but not so much for calisthenics. So weight training off season / body weight during season.
3. He needs to have an off season sport that requires running. No one normal likes to run. But lots of people like to run up and down soccer fields and basketball courts.
Hopefully something is useful.
Wrestling clubs and jiu jitsu are good for the off season. Some of the clubs are hard core! Stress the importance of technique. Youtube videos are a surprisingly good resource.
My kid is pretty lazy, But he did run and do core exercises in the run up to the season. Core core core. I like medicine balls and kettlebells.
I've found that stressing that they will get creamed the first 1-2 years in prevents them from getting frustrated. Usually the first year is one miserable ass- kickin after another. Brag on the black eyes and war wounds alot. Also i have some propaganda articles about special forces instructors claiming that high school wrestlers breeze through the conditioning. Kids like shit like that..
Great sport, especially for smaller guys.
Really focus on the finger extensions if you have him work with grip. James is giving this advice under the pretense that for every pulling motion you do, you need to do a pushing motion, and vice versa. This maintains muscular balance and prevents injuries, which is paramount to the young fighter.
What James describes when he says for your son to complete only half the throw is what I know from Judo as 'fitting in' to the throw. For example, when you have the boy shoot, have him stop short of picking you up and slamming you. Have him do this for BOTH the left and the right side. Assuming your boy writes with his right hand, he'll favor the classic right-foot-forward wedge stance. Have him do one out of every three sets from left hand side, to prevent overworking his right side.
Most importantly, and something James does not touch upon here, is the mental aspect of the game. Do not try to fill your boy's head with empty platitudes—let him work it out himself to a point. You need to be the man he comes to when he's worked whatever obstacle he's got in his head to a certain point, to give him the hints, the advice that he needs to break through.
As a mediocre athlete with a keen mind for the fight game, I've found that being a good coach means that you need to cast a critical eye upon your students and training partners, to see where they are strong and where they are found wanting. Guide him, but do not push him until he's ready. Be patient, be kind, be firm, and be quiet. Let your boy know with your actions that you are there for him, and let the act of grappling bond you two together as men. In this way, we transcend and shirk our shackles for a time. Never forget this.
If you have any other questions, SC, know that we are here for you sir. Now have fun and good grappling.
Thanks much to Adam, Sid, FatMan, & Oliver. I appreciate the advice.
James suggested getting a mat and practice with my son, or let him practice on me and I'll follow through on that so I'll definitely have more questions. I really appreciate it.