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“Nobody’s putting their fingers in my eye!”

Whatever happened to the old head tap?

This:
It happened again this weekend:  Wrestler taps the head, other kid backs away clutching at his eye like he got poked.  

One point Red.

This newly overreaching rule has run rampant in collegiate and high school wrestling and is out of control.

One of the most common, effective, and harmless, setups, hijacked by Wrestling Government Overreach.

[Speaking of overreach, it reminds me of the time in college when the optometrist wanted to help me put my contacts in and I was all, “nobody's putting their fingers in my eye!"  Yet I digress.]

Now here'ssomething muchmore pleasant than a sharp poke in the eye…

have you ever wanted to fix just one issue in just 30 minutes?

Here are some common issues off the top of my head:

  • my wrestle-off opponent crushes me with legs.  How can I counter it?
  • I can't get in on the opponents' legs
  • my shot stinks
  • every time I get a front headlock I lose
  • I struggle to fight off my back
  • [this space for rent]

The reason these are off the top of my head is because I've had wrestlers ask me all of the abovethrough the years (as well as too many others to mention).  If you click the link below you can read about one of the more memorable ones.

Now that spring club is over, I have a short window of time to work with athletes who are new to my program, to fix an issue that may be frustrating you.

To learn more, go here

Randy

PS   If this seems like an unusual time for me to launch the 30 minute solution, especially with camps right around the corner, think of it this way:  If you are considering coming to camp this summer but aren’t sure this is the answer for you, this is a great way to get in a short session and see what its about – and see if this training is a fit for you.  If it is, you can join us this summer for more training.  If not, well, you have nothing to lose because the 30 minute solution comes with a money back guarantee (you can read about it here)

How Game of thrones is dragon society through the Muk

A lot of crazy things happened on this show the past few episodes – but here’s the biggest shocker from the series finale of Game of Thrones…..

An estimated 1 million people calling in sick for work the next day… for a show that ended before 11 pm.

Because I am passionate about my chosen profession, no way is a TV show going to keep me from it.

When you have a passion for something, that passion is front and center – high priority– in your life.  And no amount of dragons melting thrones or misplaced Starbucks cups will rank above it.

And if your passion is excelling at the sport of wrestling, and you still watch Game of Thrones – you’re probably discussing it while heading to the gym – or the Attack Barn in Pataskala Ohio– because what you do is ultimately more important to you that what Jon Snow does.

Your journey to claim your own iron throne starts here

-Randy

The ugly truth about the beautifully gifted

Look at that kid – he is just naturally gifted!  What a thing of beauty.

My friend and I were just talking about this very thing, and how people think wrestling comes 'naturally' to some.  You know, the whole 'freak of nature’ argument you hear so often.

And the assumption is that certain athletes are so naturally talented, they don't have to work hard to excel.

While there is such a thing as genetics, and those genetics domake a difference, here's the ugly truth:

the natural wrestler doesn’t exist.


Its a fallacy that attributes another person's success to luck, or genetics, or anywhere but where it belongs:  squarely on the shoulders of the individual who earned it.

Another truth:  when you see a young wrestler chiseled like stone, he didn’t get that way from eating potato chips while watching game of thrones on his couch.

It takes a ton of hard work to make wrestling look so easy.   Wrestling isn't like running – there are real skills, and complicated ones at that, to be learned and refined.  Those who make it look easy, do so by putting in a lot of hard work.

Like the local tennis player I was talking about last week, who appears to be 'good at everything'.  All the while, nobody sees the 500 balls a day (or more) he's hitting to refine his groundstroke, his serve, his net game, etc.  And nobody sees when he sneaks in my building for strength training on my pegboards and ropes either, or throws my medicine balls around.

When you see what athletes do behind the scenes, their success becomes crystal clear.

Their hyper focus (including attention to detail, work ethic, heart and drive) is on full display –  behind the scenes.

That path will be explained in fine detail in Chapter Three of my upcoming book.  The chapter's working title is Rapid Risers Handbook, and that chapter goes to every athlete who trains here this summer.

Warning:  Choosing the path is your decision – I can only lead the horse to water.

go here if you're ready to challenge yourself

Randy

The Manny Sanguillén system of offensive wrestling

Back in the days of the horse and the carriage (aka, my teen years), Manny Sanguillén was a catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates – and one of the best hitting catchers in all of baseball.  

In fact, despite being constantly overshadowed by Johnny Bench, he always hit for higher batting average than Bench and was also a defensive wizard.  He had a lifetime .296 batting average, the 4th highest career batting average for a catcher in the last 80 years.

He also rarely walked or struck out.  Unusual that he didn’t strike out more since he was known as a ‘bad ball’ hitter, often chasing balls way outside of the strike zone.  He used to infuriate pitchers who would expect to strike him out with a throwaway pitch, and instead give up a base hit.

He once shared the secret of his successfully unusual hitting style.

Here ’tis:

When he was a kid growing up and playing street baseball in Panama, “everything was a strike.”  You had to swing or you struck out.

As a result, he learned to hit the ball wherever it was – way up high, in the dirt, way outside, etc.  

And, all the practice of taking his cuts at the ball, no matter where it was, paid off.


Just as Manny learned to hit by constantly taking his shots, wrestlers who take their shots, and go for itin practice, tend to develop their offensive skills on their feet more quickly – meaning more takedowns and more wins.

Its why coaches (and parents in a lot of cases) need to let them use practice for practice – and not sweat giving up practice points.  The more you go for it in practice, the more quickly you will be scoring takedowns in matches.

You can discover how to ‘hit it out of the park’ on your feet this summer by training in our HS/Jr High attack system takedown master camp, or youth takedown master camp

In our system, you can attack your opponent 5 different ways using a handful of setups, drill to precision and test yourself at the end of the camp via our final exam.

go here now to check out all 7 camps we offer, including the younger youth skills camp

 for grades 1-3.

Randy

Why I don’t have pictures on my walls

A few blue moons ago a curiosity-piqued individual had a question for me:

Why don’t you have pictures of wrestlers on your walls?

He went on to spew this gem of marketing advice:

You should put pictures on your walls of the champions so everyone can see all the great kids you’ve trained, and can see all the studs who are training in your building.

At that point I had no choice but to Ariana Grande him:  thank you next.

Granted, he probably has a point – it would probably draw some people in if they saw all the studs who trained here.

A lot of places do that after all –  but that’s not how I roll.

Having pictures of state champs on your wall, when you’re training athletes like I do, sends entirely the wrong message – at least for me.

Its a first indicator when an athlete steps into the room about who is most important to the trainer.

And in rooms that use this marketing tactic, the message is clear:
The better wrestler you are, the more important you are.

And the more important you are, the more attention you will get from that trainer.

Get good enough, he will work with you.  If not, he will continue to ignore you and work with the studs and ‘hammers’, so he can quickly attach their star to his vehicle.

That’s why those pictures are on the walls – to let you know how important you aren’t.

As for me, I’ve always marched to my own drummer.

If you commit to stepping into my building and training with me, you are important to me.

Case in point, last night’s training session featured numerous state placers and state level wrestlers…as well as first year wrestlers still trying to figure it all out.

Every athlete got my attention – Every one of them.

When you step into my building this summer, you be trained by me and I will work with you – no matter your win/loss record or accomplishments.

You’ve earned it.

Go here to join us this summer

Randy

 
The ‘don’t touch him’ advice a 3X state champ gave his buddy
The ‘don’t touch him’ advice a 3X state champ gave his buddy

Long long time ago in a galaxy not-so-far-away, I was working with a group of kids, along with mixing it up on the mats with them.

One of them, I call him Jeff (although his dad calls him Jeffrey), a particularly talented athlete (ended up winning 3 state titles), had just scrapped with me, and his buddy was next.

His buddy asks him, any advice?

Jeff replies, Yeah – just don’t touch him.

His way of saying he was about to get owned in handfighting.

Every since I became a competitor, I’ve loved handfighting – and have seeked out winning methods from near and far to add to my arsenal. Through my years competing in high school, college and international style, plus an additional 30 years of training athletes (woo, that’s old!), I’ve carefully crafted a system of handfighting that has helped wrestlers stymie top level opponents for decades.

So much so that it has helped many a ‘lesser’ athlete control and defeat athletes far more gifted than themselves.

Which goes hand in hand with this fact: most of the really talented athletes are lacking in handfighting skills. It leaves them vulnerable to athletes who learn how to handfight effectively and can tie them up in knots as a result.

Case in point, last year’s Big Ten championships where I observed a top level former national champion struggling to control his opponent, missing wide open handfighting opportunities – and losing as a result.

Here’s how you can tell if you struggle in handfighting….

If you get out of position (head down or away, elbows away from body, etc) when the opponents:

  • Grab your head
  • Get a two on one
  • Grab your wrist
  • Put a hand on you
  • Get an underhook
  • Get an over/under

Then you are potentially missing out on a ton of points and wins due to handfighting.

Even more:

If you struggle to flip ANY of those positions to your advantage, well…

Handfighting Superiority can help you

Even if you’re not convinced yet that you want to wrestle the Olympic styles of freestyle and greco – joining the club to supersize your handfighting skills is more valuable to your wrestling bottom line than just about anything else you can do.

Its a big reason why Freestyle and Greco will help you accelerate your handfighting skills to higher levels that are nearly impossible to reach without them.

Especially in my room where:

  • I don’t take 100 kids or pack it in as tightly as possible
  • I keep the number of athletes I accept to a level where every athlete gets my attention
  • Have a question? I will always make time for you (stay after, see me at water break time – we’ll make it happen)
  • Our culture here is built around support – veteran wrestlers often help less experienced athletes with their skill (my training regimen is designed to make this even more possible)
  • Video training throughout the spring to re-enforce what was taught in the room
  • Freestyle/greco essential DVD that every club member gets (and includes some excellent handfighting in it even though I rarely talk about that
  • Systematic fast implementation training methods developed over decades, meaning you have an opportunity to retain important details at a much higher level than ever thought possible
  • A full travel schedule that allows you to test your skills against athletes far and wide, not just in your back yard.

Speaking of numbers….

Because I insist on working with every athlete, and only take as many as I can work with in sessions, I strictly limit the spots available in my trainings.

Further, we are rapidly running out of openings. If you want in, grab your spot now before its gone.

Randy

Tis better to have the luck o’ the Irish or the skill o’ de Snyder?
Tis better to have the luck o’ the Irish or the skill o’ de Snyder?

Top o’ th morning to ye.

Me ponders a question on this post Paddy day…

Which is better to have? Luck or Skill?

Well, being successful does involve a bit of both…..

For instance, being lucky enough to

  • Stay injury free
  • Stay flu free
  • Stay skin-funk-free
  • Avoiding slipping on a slick spot on the mat
  • Avoid wardrobe/equipment malfunctions
  • avoid tripping under a ladder while steering clear of the black cat on the way to mat 3
  • A host of other unlucky things that can go wrong

But its also true that the harder you work…

And specifically the smarter you work…

The luckier you get.

For instance, the luck o’ the Irish is likely to shine down on you more if you:

  • Are ox-strong
  • Have excellent hips
  • Are brilliant at handfighting (ala, every time they put their hands on you – your advantage)
  • Are lean and in excellent physical condition
  • Are skilled
  • Possess a great mental game (wrestle with high confidence, recover from adversity quickly, pre-match routine prepares you to wrestle your best every match)

Back to the above question…..

Let’s have both.

This spring, while you are dramatically accelerating your wrestling skills, and developing instinctive hips…..

Now there’s even more.

This year we have added two new features to our Olympic Styles Program, Club Simpson:

Introducing:

1. Handfight Superiority. One day a week is dedicated to winning the Handfighting wars. Every time they put their hands on you – Your Advantage.**

**This is a Club Simpson elite feature. Club Simpson athletes will have the option of joining us for Handfight Superiority every other week).

Get the edge on rival clubs, teams, and opponents – beat them as soon as they make contact with you.

2. Strength Blast – Built right in to training to help you gain your own ox-strength

Apply now to join us while there’s still space

Randy

PS After carefully observing and taking notes at this weekend’s junior high state, as well as the recent High School state……and studying our adversaries and rival clubs….

I have some very specific game plans in which to attack our adversaries. Some methods these clubs use over and over again that we can exploit to our own benefit. I will start to unveil them at Club Simpson, which starts a week from Wednesday.