Wrestling Success Comes In Large Part From How Productive Your Workouts Are

Wrestling Strength Training

Wrestlers must exert strength and power from every direction, and with every muscle in their body. Matches are brief, grueling events that test your stamina, balance, strength, and will. Your training should prepare you for this reality.

There are some great tools out there to train for combat sports nowadays. Kettlebells, for one, use an off-center load that strengthens major muscle groups while simultaneously challenging stabilizers. They should be used often by wrestlers.

Core stability and bodyweight strength should also be staples of training for wrestling. A particular emphasis on what is called the 'posterior chain', or the muscles on the back side of the body should be a priority.

Explosive training through Olympic lifting, medicine ball training, and plyometrics are also recommended. Olympic lifts also strengthen the muscles in the neck, a key area in terms of injury prevention.

Balance in the lower body, and total body flexibility (particularly in the shoulders) will also help with positioning and control while on the mat.

Finally, challenging grip strength work to build the muscles of the forearms and hands can also be a positive addition to a training program for serious wrestlers.

Wrestling Conditioning & Quickness Training

Although sprinting and cutting skills are not necessary, there are some other movement skills that wrestlers can and should work into their training.

Quick reactions are critical for success, and drills that incorproate read and react-type activity will speed up reaction time. These should be done in small spaces to match the specific demands of your sport.

Quickness development can also be enhanced with simple tools like jump ropes, which also help with conditioning and coordination. Some advanced level jump rope skills (plus a few other cutting-edge techniques) would further build athleticism.

Another big piece of your training should involve conditioning. This must be done safely while moving athletes up to the extreme heart rate levels they will experience during competition. Training tools like heavy conditioning ropes, and other interval training concepts can be built up to over time. Fast-paced running or biking is also helpful. Long distance work, whether biking, running, or in some other form, is beneficial when used in moderation.

You can also carefully organize your strength training routine to keep your heart rate elevated without sacrificing any strength and power gains, although this idea is a little more complex to implement properly.

Injury Prevention for Wrestling

Wrestling currently ranks fourth in youth participation levels among sports, but second for injury rates. It is a relatively dangerous sport, but a smart approach to training will minimize your risk.

Older athletes are more at risk due to the greater strength and power outputs generated by fully developed wrestlers. Many injuries come from exteme impacts with the mat or an opponent, and to an extent these cannot be prevented through training. There are some key areas that can, though.

Knee issues that come from impact and from being twisted (ACL and meniscus tears are most common) would rank first on the preventable setback list. Strengthening the muscles in the thighs and hips will best stabilize the knees, and protect them as much as possible.

Rotator cuff strains and other shoulder issues can be lessened by a smart approach to upper body strength training. Using exercises that stimulate the stabilizer muscles can protect you from harm. Exercises that simply buiild bulk and raw strength, like the bench press, should not be the centerpiece of a smart wrestling development program.

Total-body flexibility is also critical, as you can expect to be twisted and turned into end-range positions regularly on the mat. Simple tools like foam rollers can lenghten tigher muscle tissue, and supplement a sound stretching routine.

An FYI to coaches:
A recent wide ranging study on high school wrestlers determined that 63% of injuries came in practice, likely when athletes are out of gas and technique begins to suffer. Obviously participants need to fully prepare for the stress of competitions and train at a high level, but it would be wise to keep a close eye on breakdowns in positioning towards the end of practices to prevent any unnecessary problems for your athletes, and ultimately the success of your team.

Youth Wrestling Training Considerations

Wrestling has become much more popular at younger ages over the last 10 years. It is a physically challenging sport that demands great athletic ability, even in your early years.

Age appropriate training should take care not to make workouts too tough, too early. This will do nothing but turn kids away from this sport, and possibly any other, in the long run.

What would make a very positive impact is to add in workouts that slowly build bodyweight strength, conditioning and flexibility. Young athletes will get the most from this over time if training is done in a fun and engaging atmosphere. These positive experiences will build their desire to continue training in later years, when it will become much more physically demanding.

Wrestling Game Intelligence

Do you wish there was an easier way to bring out the competitive fire in your players?

Do your athletes show the self-motivation and personal accountability they'll need to become more successful in the future?

The mental approach you see in an athlete is the result of a complex number of underlying factors that, when brought into the open and understood, can quickly and dramatically lead to much better performance.

Sports axiology is an exciting new field of athletic intelligence development that offers an efficient and effective path to making progress on the mental side of sports.

Power Source Training will begin offering sports axiology to their athletes in Massachusetts and surrounding areas during the Fall of 2010.

Wrestling Training at Power Source

Massachusetts and New Hampshire wrestlers can gain access to our elite sports performance programs. Build muscle, get leaner, develop more strength & power, lower your injury risk, or do all of the above. Our high-level programs will individualize your training plan to give you exactly what you need.

We can also help your team with stamina and quickness by tailoring one of our conditioning clinics to the specific needs of wrestlers.

Those just starting to get into the sport should focus on a more general athletic develoment plan. Power Source offers an Athlete Springboard Program that prepares kids in their earlier years to enhance all the basic characteristics they'll need for success down the road.