Wrestling Cross-Training
No matter what your age, sex or sport, wrestling is an amazing way to cross-train. Wrestling provides intense level of competition in a fun and safe environment. Gymnastic style warm-ups, combative games and wrestling technique help provide athletes with higher levels of body awareness and mobility. Why pay hundreds of dollars to work out with a personal trainer, when you can get a years worth of training for next to nothing.
Scan down to read about how elite level hockey, rugby, football, gymnasts and MMA stars are using wrestling to get a leg up on their competition.
Scan down to read about how elite level hockey, rugby, football, gymnasts and MMA stars are using wrestling to get a leg up on their competition.
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Hockey and Wrestling
Slovakian captain Zdeno Chara has always stood out in the NHL when he’s played for the New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators and, since 2006, for the Boston Bruins.
Besides being the largest player in NHL history at 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, Chara is also probably the League’s elite shutdown defenseman, with his overwhelming physical strength and Pterodactyl-like reach having frustrated hockey’s top forwards for over a decade.Also impressive, though, are Chara’s unique methods of off-ice training.
To remain in tip-top shape, Chara has been known to do bushel loads of pull-ups on his father’s backyard apple trees in Slovakia, and to run mini marathon-like distances through Slovakia’s sweltering Váh River valley on a near daily basis in the off season.
But, even still, these activities don’t come close to being Chara’s most unique off-ice training methods.
Greco-Roman wrestling
Every summer, Chara is trained as a Greco-Roman wrestler by his father, Zdeněk, who is a former elite-level Greco-Roman wrestler who once represented Czechoslovakia in the Olympics.
“It’s strength, conditioning, quickness, and agility combined in one sport,” says Chara. “It improves your balance and your ability to stand strong.”
“He trains with the wrestlers in the summer,” adds Marian Hossa, a 2014 Slovakian Olympic teammate who lives near Chara in Trenčín, Slovakia in the summer. “I tried it with him once.
“But, after that experience, I quit!
“I had a couple trainings with him. After I said that I would try it, he grabbed me and I was just spinning around. And then I was laying on the floor.
“That was a bad experience for me.”
“It’s a really unique sport,” comments Chara, with a smile.
- See more at: http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/zdeno-chara-renaissance-man-serving-slovakias-flag-bearer#sthash.g5pAQISP.dpuf
Besides being the largest player in NHL history at 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, Chara is also probably the League’s elite shutdown defenseman, with his overwhelming physical strength and Pterodactyl-like reach having frustrated hockey’s top forwards for over a decade.Also impressive, though, are Chara’s unique methods of off-ice training.
To remain in tip-top shape, Chara has been known to do bushel loads of pull-ups on his father’s backyard apple trees in Slovakia, and to run mini marathon-like distances through Slovakia’s sweltering Váh River valley on a near daily basis in the off season.
But, even still, these activities don’t come close to being Chara’s most unique off-ice training methods.
Greco-Roman wrestling
Every summer, Chara is trained as a Greco-Roman wrestler by his father, Zdeněk, who is a former elite-level Greco-Roman wrestler who once represented Czechoslovakia in the Olympics.
“It’s strength, conditioning, quickness, and agility combined in one sport,” says Chara. “It improves your balance and your ability to stand strong.”
“He trains with the wrestlers in the summer,” adds Marian Hossa, a 2014 Slovakian Olympic teammate who lives near Chara in Trenčín, Slovakia in the summer. “I tried it with him once.
“But, after that experience, I quit!
“I had a couple trainings with him. After I said that I would try it, he grabbed me and I was just spinning around. And then I was laying on the floor.
“That was a bad experience for me.”
“It’s a really unique sport,” comments Chara, with a smile.
- See more at: http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/zdeno-chara-renaissance-man-serving-slovakias-flag-bearer#sthash.g5pAQISP.dpuf
Rugby and Wrestling
Nick Easter and James Haskell get to grips with the new training technique - wrestling
England have introduced a new training method during pre-season in a bid to get in tip-top condition for the World Cup, writes Bea Asprey.
The 45-man squad has been taking part in wrestling sessions under the direction of Paul Stridgeon, an ex-wrestler who is the RFU’s head of strength and conditioning.
Rugby and wrestling require common skills and techniques, and similar exercises are useful for conditioning the participants of both sports. Back-rower James Haskell has been relishing the sessions, which he says are both enjoyable and a useful training tool.
“I had been wrestling and doing some mixed martial arts for eight or nine months, so I was familiar with the concept when the England coaches introduced it to our training programme,” says Haskell. “It’s great fun and as well as being beneficial for your technique and conditioning, it brings a different element to our training. It also gets very competitive which all rugby players love.”
The squad took part in two 35-minute sessions a week for three weeks, and dropped to one session after that to allow more time for rugby sessions. However, it will remain a focal point for their training camps throughout August.
Haskell continues: “The sessions are physically demanding. You get very out of breath and your heart-rate goes through the roof. Our sessions are always in a hot marquee!”
Read more at http://www.rugbyworld.com/takingpart/fitness-takingpart/join-england-and-use-wrestling-to-improve-your-skills/#STcmawZuwFswIwdm.99
WRESTLING DRILLS are a great conditioning tool for rugby and help to bring a competitive edge to training. Rugby World fitness editor John Dams, Harlequins’ head of strength and conditioning, suggests using the Thai-style clinch (above) and Greco-Roman wrestle in training
Read more at http://www.rugbyworld.com/takingpart/fitness-takingpart/wrestling-drills-for-rugby/#LLgegPhGUfe7QI0L.99
The 45-man squad has been taking part in wrestling sessions under the direction of Paul Stridgeon, an ex-wrestler who is the RFU’s head of strength and conditioning.
Rugby and wrestling require common skills and techniques, and similar exercises are useful for conditioning the participants of both sports. Back-rower James Haskell has been relishing the sessions, which he says are both enjoyable and a useful training tool.
“I had been wrestling and doing some mixed martial arts for eight or nine months, so I was familiar with the concept when the England coaches introduced it to our training programme,” says Haskell. “It’s great fun and as well as being beneficial for your technique and conditioning, it brings a different element to our training. It also gets very competitive which all rugby players love.”
The squad took part in two 35-minute sessions a week for three weeks, and dropped to one session after that to allow more time for rugby sessions. However, it will remain a focal point for their training camps throughout August.
Haskell continues: “The sessions are physically demanding. You get very out of breath and your heart-rate goes through the roof. Our sessions are always in a hot marquee!”
Read more at http://www.rugbyworld.com/takingpart/fitness-takingpart/join-england-and-use-wrestling-to-improve-your-skills/#STcmawZuwFswIwdm.99
WRESTLING DRILLS are a great conditioning tool for rugby and help to bring a competitive edge to training. Rugby World fitness editor John Dams, Harlequins’ head of strength and conditioning, suggests using the Thai-style clinch (above) and Greco-Roman wrestle in training
Read more at http://www.rugbyworld.com/takingpart/fitness-takingpart/wrestling-drills-for-rugby/#LLgegPhGUfe7QI0L.99
Football and Wrestling
Physical Skills
Wrestling is one of the most physically demanding sports that any athlete can partake in. It is a total body sport requiring athletes to be flexible, strong, explosive, agile; to have a great sense of balance; and have the level of conditioning that rivals any other endurance sport. Wrestlers, through the course of their training and competition, are often subject to physical discomfort and pain at a level that far exceeds most sports. These skills benefit football players at all levels, from the ability to move laterally, keep a man in front of you and close the distance quickly, to driving a 225lb running back into the ground and forcing the fumble. There is no doubt that a wrestler’s physical-ness is a skill set desired by all coaches.
Mental Skills
Weight management, the discipline to maintain a healthy diet for 6 months or more out of the year, the drive to give a 100% every practice, and the drive it takes to wake up early everyday to get an extra run in are just some of the mental skills that it takes to be a successful wrestler. But none compare to the mental toughness it takes to walk out on a mat, alone with no teammates to help you win and take on an opponent one on one. Nothing compares to that feeling; whether you have a broken finger, bruised ribs, strained or torn knee ligament, a wrestler knows that for 6 minutes nothing else matters but putting his opponent on his back and getting his hand raised in the end. What football coach wouldn’t want an athlete on their team that is always going to give them 100% An athlete that they never have to tell, “hit the weight room,” or “you should get extra laps in after practice?” A true wrestler always wants to be the first to arrive and the last to leave. A wrestler is self reliant and will never blame his teammates for his loss. Wrestlers are mentally tough.
Physiological Skills
Hand eye coordination, proprioception and anaerobic conditioning are three skills that are vital to both wrestling and football player! The definition of proprioecption is, “the ability to sense the position and location and orientation and movement of the body and its parts.” It utilizes all of the senses in the body. It is the ability to know where your body is in the space you are in, without having to look at your body. In other words, when a wrestler is in a scramble and his head is stuck underneath his opponent and without looking he is able to move his whole body, all four limbs, often in different directions at the same time, while simultaneously keeping track of his opponent’s entire body and staying in-bounds to finish the takedown; this is proprioception. On a football field an offensive linemen, for example, has to keep track of the man in front of him, his body, the bodies to his right and left and the quarterback behind him all at the same time. A wrestler is forced to hone this skill everyday in a competitive practice environment. This repetitive practice can only benefit a football player.
Anaerobic conditioning is defined as as your ability to perform at a rate faster than can be met by oxygen supply. Short bursts of intense exercise tax your anaerobic system. Wrestling is a combination of Anaerobic and aerobic metabolisms however, it relies heavily on anaerobic conditioning within a match or tournament. It is because of this that wrestlers are often saught after by football coaches because they are in superior shape to athletes who do not work their anaerobic system.
"I would have all of my offensive linemen wrestle if I could.” –John Madden, Hall of Fame Football Coach and Broadcaster
“I love wrestlers they are tough and make great Football players.” –Mike Stoops National Championship Football Coach at Oklahoma University.
“I draft wrestlers because they are tough, I’ve never had a problem with a wrestler.” –Joe Gibbs Hall of Fame Football Coach.
Influence of Wrestling on the NFL:
12 Hall of Fame Members
43+ Multiple Time Pro-Bowlers
60+ Individual State Wrestling Championships
13 NCAA Wrestling Championships
3 Heisman Trophy Winners Wrestled
And currently: 63 RB’s, 23 LB’s, 2 QB’s, 66 Linemen, 6 DB’s, 1 K, all wrestled.
Wrestling is one of the most physically demanding sports that any athlete can partake in. It is a total body sport requiring athletes to be flexible, strong, explosive, agile; to have a great sense of balance; and have the level of conditioning that rivals any other endurance sport. Wrestlers, through the course of their training and competition, are often subject to physical discomfort and pain at a level that far exceeds most sports. These skills benefit football players at all levels, from the ability to move laterally, keep a man in front of you and close the distance quickly, to driving a 225lb running back into the ground and forcing the fumble. There is no doubt that a wrestler’s physical-ness is a skill set desired by all coaches.
Mental Skills
Weight management, the discipline to maintain a healthy diet for 6 months or more out of the year, the drive to give a 100% every practice, and the drive it takes to wake up early everyday to get an extra run in are just some of the mental skills that it takes to be a successful wrestler. But none compare to the mental toughness it takes to walk out on a mat, alone with no teammates to help you win and take on an opponent one on one. Nothing compares to that feeling; whether you have a broken finger, bruised ribs, strained or torn knee ligament, a wrestler knows that for 6 minutes nothing else matters but putting his opponent on his back and getting his hand raised in the end. What football coach wouldn’t want an athlete on their team that is always going to give them 100% An athlete that they never have to tell, “hit the weight room,” or “you should get extra laps in after practice?” A true wrestler always wants to be the first to arrive and the last to leave. A wrestler is self reliant and will never blame his teammates for his loss. Wrestlers are mentally tough.
Physiological Skills
Hand eye coordination, proprioception and anaerobic conditioning are three skills that are vital to both wrestling and football player! The definition of proprioecption is, “the ability to sense the position and location and orientation and movement of the body and its parts.” It utilizes all of the senses in the body. It is the ability to know where your body is in the space you are in, without having to look at your body. In other words, when a wrestler is in a scramble and his head is stuck underneath his opponent and without looking he is able to move his whole body, all four limbs, often in different directions at the same time, while simultaneously keeping track of his opponent’s entire body and staying in-bounds to finish the takedown; this is proprioception. On a football field an offensive linemen, for example, has to keep track of the man in front of him, his body, the bodies to his right and left and the quarterback behind him all at the same time. A wrestler is forced to hone this skill everyday in a competitive practice environment. This repetitive practice can only benefit a football player.
Anaerobic conditioning is defined as as your ability to perform at a rate faster than can be met by oxygen supply. Short bursts of intense exercise tax your anaerobic system. Wrestling is a combination of Anaerobic and aerobic metabolisms however, it relies heavily on anaerobic conditioning within a match or tournament. It is because of this that wrestlers are often saught after by football coaches because they are in superior shape to athletes who do not work their anaerobic system.
"I would have all of my offensive linemen wrestle if I could.” –John Madden, Hall of Fame Football Coach and Broadcaster
“I love wrestlers they are tough and make great Football players.” –Mike Stoops National Championship Football Coach at Oklahoma University.
“I draft wrestlers because they are tough, I’ve never had a problem with a wrestler.” –Joe Gibbs Hall of Fame Football Coach.
Influence of Wrestling on the NFL:
12 Hall of Fame Members
43+ Multiple Time Pro-Bowlers
60+ Individual State Wrestling Championships
13 NCAA Wrestling Championships
3 Heisman Trophy Winners Wrestled
And currently: 63 RB’s, 23 LB’s, 2 QB’s, 66 Linemen, 6 DB’s, 1 K, all wrestled.
Gymnastics and Wrestling
When it comes to training, the best gymnasts know exactly where to go for a leg up on their opponents. Coach Cryer has developed a combination of cross sport training for wrestlers and gymnasts alike. But there is a way to turn the wrestling warm up into 10 – 15 minutes of powerful, result producing time for your gymnasts. In the beginning, the warm up will feel like a workout for the wrestlers, but, in a short time period they will adapt as they will become stronger and more conditioned.
They will also improve athleticism along with raising energy levels for the practice about to be experienced.
You want a blend of gymnastics / tumbling, calisthenics, light drilling of basic movements, various jumps / jumping rope, animal movements and even some simple strength work using bodyweight exercises.
Bodyweight training is something wrestlers KNOW to be important, but, there is an entire world of bodyweight exercises that wrestlers can use to become stronger, more explosive, better conditioned and mentally tougher.
- See more at: http://getwrestlingstrength.com/wrestling-warm-up#sthash.rM3EdC8b.dpuf
"They are totally different, but they do help each other," said Goldstein, 20-0 this season at 112 pounds. "Gymnastics gives me flexibility, strength and balance. Wrestling helps in some of the same ways. I like the mix. It makes it fun."
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-01-27/sports/9501270188_1_floor-exercise-gymnastics-wrestling
You want a blend of gymnastics / tumbling, calisthenics, light drilling of basic movements, various jumps / jumping rope, animal movements and even some simple strength work using bodyweight exercises.
Bodyweight training is something wrestlers KNOW to be important, but, there is an entire world of bodyweight exercises that wrestlers can use to become stronger, more explosive, better conditioned and mentally tougher.
- See more at: http://getwrestlingstrength.com/wrestling-warm-up#sthash.rM3EdC8b.dpuf
Numerous athletes on the Canadian National Wrestling team got their start in Gymnastics and have slowly transitioned over. With wrestlers not peaking until they are 29 years old, the sport provides the perfect cross-training opportunity.
They will also improve athleticism along with raising energy levels for the practice about to be experienced.
You want a blend of gymnastics / tumbling, calisthenics, light drilling of basic movements, various jumps / jumping rope, animal movements and even some simple strength work using bodyweight exercises.
Bodyweight training is something wrestlers KNOW to be important, but, there is an entire world of bodyweight exercises that wrestlers can use to become stronger, more explosive, better conditioned and mentally tougher.
- See more at: http://getwrestlingstrength.com/wrestling-warm-up#sthash.rM3EdC8b.dpuf
"They are totally different, but they do help each other," said Goldstein, 20-0 this season at 112 pounds. "Gymnastics gives me flexibility, strength and balance. Wrestling helps in some of the same ways. I like the mix. It makes it fun."
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-01-27/sports/9501270188_1_floor-exercise-gymnastics-wrestling
You want a blend of gymnastics / tumbling, calisthenics, light drilling of basic movements, various jumps / jumping rope, animal movements and even some simple strength work using bodyweight exercises.
Bodyweight training is something wrestlers KNOW to be important, but, there is an entire world of bodyweight exercises that wrestlers can use to become stronger, more explosive, better conditioned and mentally tougher.
- See more at: http://getwrestlingstrength.com/wrestling-warm-up#sthash.rM3EdC8b.dpuf
Numerous athletes on the Canadian National Wrestling team got their start in Gymnastics and have slowly transitioned over. With wrestlers not peaking until they are 29 years old, the sport provides the perfect cross-training opportunity.
From gymnastics to wrestling.
Dorothy, who is a petite blonde with a fresh engaging smile and a face that radiates good health has been involved in sports all her life. Not surprising since her father, also a wrestler, went to the Olympics five times, and her uncle was World Champion. But before turning to wrestling, Dorothy did gymnastics from the ages of 5 to 14. No surprises there either given that her mother was on the Hungarian national gymnastics team.
Success in short order.
But in grade nine Dorothy decided to try wrestling and for a while did both sports. Within a few months she was already winning wrestling competitions and qualifying for the Nationals! “In less than a year I was already further in wrestling than I ever was in gymnastics! So I stopped gymnastics and concentrated on wrestling.”
Gymnastics and wrestling are very different sports so what does she like about wrestling?
“Wrestling is not predictable! It’s not like gymnastics where you have a set routine. With wrestling I had to change my mental approach and open my mind. When I’m wrestling I have to think about my opponent and change my moves and adjust my strategy.”
http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/vanier-stories/2013/10/dorothy-yeats-pure-applied-science-sport-etudes-elite-athlete-2/
Dorothy, who is a petite blonde with a fresh engaging smile and a face that radiates good health has been involved in sports all her life. Not surprising since her father, also a wrestler, went to the Olympics five times, and her uncle was World Champion. But before turning to wrestling, Dorothy did gymnastics from the ages of 5 to 14. No surprises there either given that her mother was on the Hungarian national gymnastics team.
Success in short order.
But in grade nine Dorothy decided to try wrestling and for a while did both sports. Within a few months she was already winning wrestling competitions and qualifying for the Nationals! “In less than a year I was already further in wrestling than I ever was in gymnastics! So I stopped gymnastics and concentrated on wrestling.”
Gymnastics and wrestling are very different sports so what does she like about wrestling?
“Wrestling is not predictable! It’s not like gymnastics where you have a set routine. With wrestling I had to change my mental approach and open my mind. When I’m wrestling I have to think about my opponent and change my moves and adjust my strategy.”
http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/vanier-stories/2013/10/dorothy-yeats-pure-applied-science-sport-etudes-elite-athlete-2/
MMA and Wrestling
Coach Cryer at the Pan Am Championships.
Wrestling, whether Greco-Roman (upper-body controls) or freestyle (leg-attacks included), can be used to great effect in both the MMA and street arenas. A solid working knowledge of how to make use of underhooks, Russian ties, body-locks, arm-drags and ‘whizzers’ can provide us with a huge close-quarters advantage over opponents devoid of these skills.Once a fight has gone to the clinch, whether in MMA or in the street, there is no referee to break the fighters apart so they can begin again at a distance. The fight, from that point forward, is very often won or lost in the clinch, and wrestling ability impacts greatly on which way that tide will turn.
Wrestling skills greatly increase, if not almost guarantee, the probability that we end up in a dominant position once the fight goes to ground. This is a huge advantage in MMA and, to some extent, an advantage in the street. Of course, depending on circumstances and environmental considerations, once we’re on the ground, we make an easy target for third-party attack, hence going to the ground in the street is often a bad idea.
In consideration of this, it should be understood that wrestling skills are the very best inoculation against being taken to the ground against our will; to be devoid of wrestling skills leaves us highly susceptible to both close-quarters domination and to being taken to the ground, where our stand-up skills are rendered virtually useless.
As far as wrestling for MMA is concerned, there are many benefits but also some ‘work-arounds’ and modifications that need to be tended to. Basic shots, like doubles (double-leg takedowns), singles, High-Cs (High-crotch change-up to double), ankle-picks, etc., are usually practised and drilled by wrestlers at very close range, whereas in MMA they are often executed (poorly) from long range — and this is when they fail. The MMA fighter needs to practise getting into ‘shooting’ range while under fire from the stand-up fighter before taking the shot — this is crucial. Many of the classic wrestling shots will see the proactive wrestler end up in their opponent’s guard; but again, with some minor modification, this can often be avoided.
There is some work to be done in massaging wrestling skills into a more MMA-friendly format, but the rewards are huge. For the street, wrestling skills will afford you control over your opponent and will keep you on your feet if that is what you want. Fighting without wrestling skills is akin to building a house without a hammer — it can be done, but having the full set of tools makes the job that much easier.
http://www.blitzmag.net/self-defence/482-differences-in-wrestling-for-the-street-and-mma
Wrestling skills greatly increase, if not almost guarantee, the probability that we end up in a dominant position once the fight goes to ground. This is a huge advantage in MMA and, to some extent, an advantage in the street. Of course, depending on circumstances and environmental considerations, once we’re on the ground, we make an easy target for third-party attack, hence going to the ground in the street is often a bad idea.
In consideration of this, it should be understood that wrestling skills are the very best inoculation against being taken to the ground against our will; to be devoid of wrestling skills leaves us highly susceptible to both close-quarters domination and to being taken to the ground, where our stand-up skills are rendered virtually useless.
As far as wrestling for MMA is concerned, there are many benefits but also some ‘work-arounds’ and modifications that need to be tended to. Basic shots, like doubles (double-leg takedowns), singles, High-Cs (High-crotch change-up to double), ankle-picks, etc., are usually practised and drilled by wrestlers at very close range, whereas in MMA they are often executed (poorly) from long range — and this is when they fail. The MMA fighter needs to practise getting into ‘shooting’ range while under fire from the stand-up fighter before taking the shot — this is crucial. Many of the classic wrestling shots will see the proactive wrestler end up in their opponent’s guard; but again, with some minor modification, this can often be avoided.
There is some work to be done in massaging wrestling skills into a more MMA-friendly format, but the rewards are huge. For the street, wrestling skills will afford you control over your opponent and will keep you on your feet if that is what you want. Fighting without wrestling skills is akin to building a house without a hammer — it can be done, but having the full set of tools makes the job that much easier.
http://www.blitzmag.net/self-defence/482-differences-in-wrestling-for-the-street-and-mma