That’s the way to put someone away!

My man Alec was front and center at my special Pinning Combos event for High School/Junior High/Older Youth this past Tuesday, and this is one of the techniques we showed:  pinning from the head & arm position (one of the 3 most common pinning positions in wrestling, besides the half and the cradle).

Now for some back story…

Alec had him on his back a few times earlier in this match but couldn’t finish it.  He didn’t have the details on finishing him off, however….

This time, he did it exactly as I showed him Tuesday.

Seconds after this picture, the ref slaps the mat and raises Alec’s hand.

I’ll be showing a group of K-3rd graders this tactic next Tuesday…along with the hidden Half tactics that are a secret to the rest of the wrestling world but leave your opponent begging you to put him outta his misery.

This junior was running out of time.

He and his dad made a decision:  We’re going to commit to Attack System training. 

He trained here every chance he had…personal training, small group training, spring training, summer camps, fall camps, fall club.  Every time I opened my doors, he was here. 

There was a lot of work to do.

• He wasn’t skilled at hand fighting.
• He only had one attack (a slideby that only worked when people he hadn't wrestled before, hung on his head)
• He didn’t have a shot.
• He didn’t have a system of scoring (or even an offensive attack) on top
• He wasn’t particularly skilled at bottom either.

However, he possessed something most lack:  a determination to commit to a systematic wrestling lifestyle.

When he made his decision to come here, he also made the decision to shun every other training center in existence.

His dedication to F.O.C.U.S (follow one course until successful) was richly rewarded.

He improved fast…developing a system for hardcore, top level handfighting…leg attacks hit exactly and precisely…a system of escapes and counter attacks…and a top system that turned him into an instant threat on top.

the day he shocked even me

Right after sectionals his senior year, his dad called me and dropped this bombshell: “We won Sectionals and we’re going to the districts…for the very first time.”

Wha?

Until that moment, this fact had escaped me…he’d never made it out of sectionals before.

Now as a senior, it was finally coming together.  He had dominated 3 top ranked wrestlers en route to his sectional championship.

District Stunner

Several top 5 ranked wrestlers awaited him at districts.

Again, ignoring rankings and all the other chatter that don’t matter, he handled every opponent on his way to the District Championship….stunning the (so called but often wrong) pundits and prognosticators.

State tournament time

If he’d have paid any attention at all to rankings, he’d have had plenty of reason to worry when he showed up at state.   EVERYONE he faced was ranked.  He wasn’t even mentioned in the top 25 (not even on the ‘also-ran’ list).

He won his first two matches, earning his spot in the state semifinals and wound up 5th in State.

Far cry from falling short every year in sectionals.

“My son Brock was a decent wrestler but he was lacking the skills to attack. We decided to pursue private training and what a difference this made in only 9 months. I wish we could have started years ago with Randy, because he’s not only an excellent coach, but he is also an excellent human being. My son couldn’t even get out of the Sectionals, and now he’s a State Semifinalist!” -Rod and Debbie Rickert]

If only he’d have “gone everywhere” instead…

a prevailing myth in wrestling is regarding your quickest path to success.

Brock’s quickest path was training one place and learning one system. 

That’s how he was able to accelerate his learning curve quickly.  If he’d have fallen for the ‘go everywhere’  myth, he’d have never made it.  Instead of knowing exactly how to react in every situation, he’d have done what many do – try to pull something out of their ‘bag o’ tricks on the fly.

Mathematical fact:  the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Proven fact:  your quickest path to success is always following one path.

This is the path he took in the spring

I’ve seen others – even in my own room – reject the path and suffer the consequences.  Its agonizing to watch but I can only show you the path to excel at your highest level.  The decision to follow it is yours.

This your quickest path to putting it all together

I used to struggle with the better riders – getting turned my some of them, getting at least ridden by others.  Then, I did something about it and since then I’ve never been turned since.  In fact, I get out every time now.  

What made the biggest difference with this athlete?

Greco Roman Wrestling.

I know what you’re thinking – wha?

How can wrestling Greco possibly help you get so much better from bottom position?

Truth is, when you get into par terre (that’s bottom position in freestyle/greco), most of the time, you go flat to the mat.

How is it possible that flattening out and ‘stalling’ could ever help you in folkstyle wrestling?

Glad you asked (okay – I asked but still – )

In folkstyle wrestling (high school style), the main emphasis is on control.  No points are awarded to you unless you gain control or cause your opponent to lose control.

In freestyle and greco wrestling, the main emphasis is on back exposure…using about any means possible.  You don’t even have to be in control!  All you have to do is find a way to expose the opponent’s back.  Locking hands is legal (and so are many rough techniques – it tain’t for the squeamish).

Back to bottom position.

All the opponent has to do to score in freestyle/greco is tilt you past 180 degrees (as opposed to 90 degrees in folkstyle).  They can lock hands and roll you.  No two-count necessary!

It takes a lot of work to keep the opponent from turning you in freestyle/greco.  You learn to shift your hips quickly, use your body weight, use every muscle in your body and every ounce of weight and energy to fight – immediately – to stop the top wrestler's attacks.

even tougher…

In Greco, all the action is above the waist…including the defender’s action.  You can’t even post your leg to stop from being turned.

In fact, you can’t even hand-fight.

Greco is even harder to defend from par terre because the rules are so restrictive that you have very few options on bottom.

Your control over your body weight and use of leverage is more important than ever – and you must react exactly and precisely in a split second or you will get turned.

Hence – to win, you have to be trained exactly and precisely…

learn a system of defense from par terre…and drill it consistently.

The kid referenced above has wrestled Freestyle/Greco from March – July for the past 3 years.  

The results are clear to see – he’s incredibly hard to turn…in fact, he’s nearly undefinable from bottom position.

He’s not alone.

Many wrestlers have done this and as a result of this training regimen…

and the focus on continually drilling core skills…

have qualified for freestyle/greco nationals their very first year in my program.

Here’s your chance to join us and become undefeatable too

Next Tuesday we have special Bonus program called Counter Attacks.  Athletes in Small Group Training get in to it for free as one of the many benefits of training here.  Right now you can join us for $49 and while you’re here, find out if this is something you want to continue with.

Here’s how it works:

You join us for Tuesday’s Counter Attacks session – with no further commitment.  When you go to hold your spot, you will also have the option of joining us for the month, or even the entire season.  If you’re not sure – just do the one session and then decide in the next 48 hours if you want to join us for longer.

No Risk!

If just want to commit for Tuesday for now, then decide later if you want to join us for the month or season, you will be able to apply your $49 to the rest of the training.

Read more about it here

Randy

PS  If you hurry, you can also get in for Sunday (or use Sunday as your trial session and then join us for the month or season,  if you choose to).  Just sign up here and indicate you want to come Sunday instead.

“You are becoming salty in your old age.”

I take offense to that and here’s why:

I’ve always been salty.

And I’ve always had a great distaste for booooring wrestling.

You should too – it is sooooo…

•     unnecessary….
•     and easy to fix…
•     and not nearly as much fun…

as relentlessly pursuing the opposition, pushing your adversary to his breaking point…

and attacking him mercilessly.

Now THAT’S fun!

A little more than a week from now, I am holding a special training where athletes get to learn the most exciting attack in wrestling.

Look – if you embrace boooring wrestling and athletes crawling around the mat on their hands and knees like babies…then don’t click on this link.

But if you’re like me and want to be entertained…

here’s the ticket.

Highly successful people develop a success model made up of habits that allow them to excel.

That model governs their lives.

Successful wrestlers….and coaches…do the same thing.

I want you to enjoy as much success as you possibly can while on the mat.  Its why my system of wrestling…and of training winning wrestlers – was based on my personal success model.

In order to excel at the highest possible level as fast as possible, successful people (wrestlers included) follow this simple formula:

• determine what’s most important
• learn how to do what’s most important
• train, drill, and repeat what’s most important – as often as possible – until it is internalized in the brain and can be performed like 2nd nature.

If you’ve ever been in my room, you already recognize that my system  is built around this success model…and many highly driven athletes train here because they recognize the benefits of knowing exactly what to do..and being trained to do it in the heat of competition.