Strider Wrestling Blog

A lot of beginning wrestling is teaching your body to perform actions that seem unnatural at first. Staying in a good stance is tiring, especially if you've never done it before. In the same way, getting used to moving your own body while controlling another person is a challenge. This is why wrestling takes a long time to learn, and proper teaching is vital.

We had good numbers at both College Church and Lawndale last night. Word is getting out and we are getting the chance to teach a lot of kids how to wrestle. At Lawndale, we worked again on double leg takedowns again. I told the kids about Chicago native Joe Williams, who won three NCAA championships at the University of Iowa, wrestled in the 2004 Olympics, and, just yesterday, won a bronze medal in the World Championships in Hungary. I told the wrestlers about him for two reasons. First, he's from Chicago, just like them. Second, his best move is a double leg takedown, and he's one of the best in the world at it. Following that, we transitioned to defense, and I showed them the seven S's of a counterattack, courtesy of Conestoga Valley High School (Pennsylvania) head coach Trent Turner. They are as follows:
1. Stuff
2. Sprawl
3. Square
4. Slide
5. Sword
6. Spin
7. Score

They made a lot of progress. I was impressed. Over at College Church, Coach Norton took the group through some basic stance and motion drills. Also, he introduced the attack step again and progressed from there to the beginning of a double leg takedown, focusing on the "power triangle." At both sights, the wrestlers are eager to learn. They want to wrestle, and I couldn't ask for more than that.