Hey guys, I have been talking to a lot of you and you all have the same questions and concerns.

1. I want to get better, what can I do? Practice 3 to 4 times a week. Make sure you are drilling mostly and wrestling the rest of the time. Going to Open gym is okay but you need to be really putting in the time towards drilling. For example, you want a good single leg by next year. They statistics say that to have an effective takedown you need to have drilled it correctly 20,000 times. That seems like a lot but break it down. Doing 100 takedowns correctly (only choose one like a single leg) will take you about 30 minutes a practice. So that’s 200 practices, better get started. If you just go out there and wrestle you will pick up the moves a lot slower and learn bad positions as will. So Drill.

2. I don’t have much experience? Go to as many tournaments in the off season. You should get a minimum of 50 matches before next season if not 100. If you get on average 4 matches a tournament that’s 12.5 tournaments (or one tournament every 2-3 weeks) to reach 50.

3. I don’t have a ride to practice at the Wrestling Center or to tournaments? Understandable. Don’t let that stop you period. Set a plan and make it happen. Plan to come at least 1 to 2 days a week to the Wrestling center and make it to a tournament every 2 to 3 weeks. That’s really not too much to ask from your parents and if you can get a ride from a senior (or junior) who has a license, even better. Plus our team is going to go to a lot of tourneys so you can also catch a ride with us (tourneys other than SDWA).

4. What tournaments should I go to? Definitely mix it up, go to some local San Diego SDWA tourneys and some IEWA (Riverside) and SCWA (LA) tourneys. If you keep wrestling the same guys over and over again all summer and pinning them your progress will be very slow. You need to wrestle people who can beat you and you can work and improve to beat. I know rides are a factor but if you commit to making it to a tourney at IEWA, SCWA, or another far location at least once every 4 to 6 weeks that will help.

5. Should I go to a wrestling camp this summer? Yes and no. Camps are great, you get exposed to other styles of wrestling, wrestlers from all over the nation, and have a lot of fun. However, your goal is to learn one move before you leave. That can get expensive. Come workout at the Wrestling Center consistently and also get someone local to your home, maybe someone who graduated, who you can drill with. You’ll get more out of that.

6. Should I be maintaining my weight in the off season. Not really. Don’t go crazy and eat ribs and other fattening things because you can all the time. Workout a lot, wrestle and lift and eat heathly. Don’t forget to treat yourself every now and then with things you love, for example ribs, milkshake, etc. You should really focus on perfecting your technique, 2 leg attack takedowns, 1 defensive takedown like a front headlock, 2 moves to get off bottom, and two moves on top. Practice that over and over and over again. Avoid learning low level moves because they are cool looking.

7. I’m not as strong as the other wrestlers. First off you need to lift 3 to 4 times a week. In my book I talk about lifting legs in the off season, it’s essential. 3 days a week you should be doing the same routine and lifting legs. Exercises are Front Squats, Radial Dead Lifts, and Plate lunges. That will be enough for your upper body as well but it won’t hurt to do at least 100 push-ups and at least 20 pull-ups everytime you workout.

8. Can I really be as good as some of these other guys that went to state? YES!!! You have to stop saying that you can’t first of all. And all of you that say you can but don’t do anything you need to get to work. I know it may seem at times overwhelming or not possible. The reason is because you don’t have a plan. Set a plan. Make some goals for the off season and for next season. Figure out how you are going to achieve them and then put it into action. I go in great detail in my first 3 chapters on this.

For more advice on goal setting, planning, training and wrestling, read my book “TRAIN LIKE A CHAMPION”. The Promo is Below:

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Coach Eric