“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.

My Good friend and karate expert Kelly shared this story with me recently:

You grow up fat, then you train and become enormously fit. Everyone tells you that you look amazing but when you look in the mirror, you still see the fat kid. Until you see the fit kid, you will always fight the same emotions. It is hard to evolve sometimes – but athletes have to if they want to get to the top.

Have you ever advanced farther than you thought possible, only to arrive and get this nagging thought:

I don’t belong here.

I have.  When I was in high school and just emerging as a competitive wrestler, I’d get to the finals of a tournament (surprising many, including my coach)…

and sure enough, those feelings started to creep up and smother me.

That’s the fat kid in the mirror syndrome that Kelly refers to.  No matter the level of success, there’s that nagging feeling again, ready to squeeze every ounce of confidence and self-esteem right out of your body.

Once you learn to shove those thoughts out of your mind and replace them with this: I DO belong AND I’m going to take it to this guy…

you will finally bust through those invisible ceilings and win a whole bunch more (surprising many, but not yourself – because you will expect to win).

Next week at our special advanced training, Winning the position war, you will learn how to win from many different positions…and be trained to do so.

Even better…

It will no longer matter who your opponent is.

You will also learn how to build confidence, look in the mirror and see a champion!

It starts by doing this:

• learning how to get the most out of practice.
• simple tricks that speed up your learning of new technique
• build confidence by pushing past tired
• train yourself to wrestle with confidence (starting today in the practice room)
• learn to use quick phrases to get your mind on to winning and off negative thoughts.

Here’s your chance…

Look in the mirror and see the fit kid

Randy

PS  This shuts down Friday…or earlier.  I can’t guarantee it will still be open by then because the room is already mostly full. 

This week I'll be discussing 7 deadly sins of wrestling.  Today, we look at one deadly sin that will shred your season faster than that weasel did those poor hapless chickens.

Downed by Funk

To listen to some, wrestling has changed dramatically.  You've gotta be able to funk wrestle in order to win, they say.

They are wrong.  Funk is no more prevalent than it was years ago (and its just as easy to counter).

In fact, one of the nation's best high school wrestling coaches, 13X state champion coach Daryl Weber, laments this attitude…doesn't buy into it…and doesn't even bother much with it (yet still wins his state tournament every year).

Know why?

Because he, like all top wrestling coaches (not just the armchair coaches) knows that matches are won at the highest levels, predominantly, by executing a top level, fundamentally sound system.

However….wrestlers (and parents….and even some coaches) agonize over this.  If you've ever been in a close match against a beatable opponent, and all of a sudden they pull out yee olde funkaroo…

well, its a devastating way to lose. 

What's worse, you will hear the screams and cheers of your victorious adversaries' fans ringing in your ears for years to come.

That's why wrestlers want to know how to counter the funk.

Nobody wants to lose that way….nor should they. 

There's no reason for it – Funk is not that hard to counter.

From my 30+ years of training athletes, I've seen tons of funk moves, often hailed as the second coming.

Hence…

I knoweth of what I speaketh.

Its not difficult.  There's one key thing you do…every time – that beats almost every funk move in existence.  And next week, I'll be showing my Small Group athletes the keys to beating funk moves….and silencing the crowd.

Yesterday, small group athletes learned how to beat the top front headlock guys…every time.  Couple main keys to shutting them down in less than 2 seconds, but most of the wrestling world misses it and gets tormented with it as a result.  We'll be speed drilling it again next week.

They also learned the very best method to score with front headlock…much more so than head in the hole.

Tonight, the youth wrestlers learn these valuable lessons that will allow them to dominate their opponent for years to come from this crucial position.

Here's your chance to join us next week

Randy

PS  Tomorrow's message is called 7 deadly sins that will stink up your season faster than a cow turd in the commissary.  To get this message in your inbox, go here.

when all of a sudden, my best friend and teammate told me who my next opponent was…

Jim “Grim Reaper” Leghorn…the most feared leg rider in the entire valley!

About 6 foot tall with a menacing snarl and a bloody fang for a tooth (the only one in his head), he was a gruesome nightmarish ogre of a teenager that struck fear in the hearts of the helpless kids who were unfortunate enough to cross his path!

And here he stood before me, fists clenched, snarling and growling every step of the way!

Right now I was wishing I’d have brought the magic potion, carried my silver stake and eaten my garlic bread!

Alas I was unarmed (and unprepared).  As he approached, I ran…and ran very fast.  Unfortunately he was faster and was catching up to me at an alarming speed.

Just as he reached for me I heard a loud blood-curdling SCREAM!

I quickly recognized it as my own.

Then I woke up in a cold sweat in the fetal position.

That was my nightmare…

but it doesn’t have to be yours.

He spoke to me like he'd known me all our lives.  Asked me questions that let me know he remembered me.

And while its true that I'd seen him before, even trained in the same room with him before, this is a guy who'd met thousands of people and seen thousands of faces.

That he could put one at ease, like longtime besties, was beyond amazing to me.

That's the way he was. 

People revered him around the world.  Russians, Germans, Iranians, all revered him and spoke highly of America's #1 wrestling diplomat…

despite the fact that on the mat, he was one of the meanest SOBs you'd ever see.

He routinely choked out the opposition, leaving coaches and wrestlers scrambling for trainers.

His style led to the 'Dave Schultz rule' that was specifically designed to take away his edge (no matter – he beat them anyway).

While not overwhelmingly strong or athletic, he was extremely good at this…

Insanely incredible positioning. 

He'd stand in front of an opponent, bent at the waist, hands in front…

and it was nearly impossible to penetrate his defenses.

and while excellent positioning is a common trait among elite level athletes…Dave's was exceptional.

This was his trademark

The Dave Schultz front headlock was his trademark.  He would shut down, punish and score with it.

In fact, his was so devastating (illegal by today's standards by the way), that FILA assigned an extra referee to his and brother Mark's matches in the 1984 Olympics (they both won Gold).

This day, he was running a clinic in Grove City Ohio. 

Here's what I remember most about his clinic:

• his nearly counter culture view of wrestling
• his affability
• finally, his flamboyant style

Counter culture view of wrestling technique

Dave embraced some things others wouldn't.  For instance, he didn't mind wrestling with his head down and didn't particularly care of the opponent tried to grab or control it.  He blocked with his head, he led with his head, and he defended extremely well when people grabbed it.  In short, nobody could do to him what he did to others in front headlock.  This day, he was gentle in comparison – meaning, nobody had to gasp for air after drilling with him (unlike his unfortunate Olympic opponents).

affability

flamboyant

He was out there – a one of a kind personality that led people to be drawn to him and admire him…even internationally, where he had a reputation as a nasty, on-or-over-the-edge competitor – the opponents still highly respected him and he was heavily sought after.

Dave's front headlock was designed to do one of two things (sometimes both):

• punish
• score

Great lesson for wrestlers:  make them pay for daring to attempt an attack on you.

These days, Dave's front headlock is illegal.  So I can't teach it to athletes.

However, our goal in Attack System Wrestling is to score first (although punishment will happen too and is an essential element).

Since I implemented this system, and fined tuned it to near-perfection in just the last two years, our wrestlers who have adapted it have devastated opponents at every level…local, state, national. 

Dave's front headlock was designed to do one of two things (sometimes both):

• punish
• score

Great lesson for wrestlers:  make them pay for daring to attempt an attack on you.

These days, Dave's front headlock is illegal.  So I can't teach it to athletes.

However, our goal in Attack System Wrestling is to score first (although punishment will happen too and is an essential element).

Since I implemented this system, and fined tuned it to near-perfection in just the last two years, our wrestlers who have adapted it have devastated opponents at every level…local, state, national. 

I'm teaching it to athletes now

Yes. In today's world a World Champion's son here in Ohio follows this strategy which wrestlers can watch to confirm this strategy – David Carr. However, the sport of wrestling like most sports offer various examples of strategies to success that are very different in concept. I suggest you watch some of Dave Schultz, Randy Lewis, Sergei Beloglazov film. These guys had an arsenol of moves available for the moment. I would think the probability of success is enhanced when opponent do not know what move will be presented for variety of reasons seen in all sports. So both will work but what is best for your personality – some can do same thing million times and not get “bored” while others need variety to stay tuned, the free spirited. I do not think you mess with personalities. I have seen this done with some kids going to college level and they just do not make it out let alone win championships.

(He’s right about David Carr though – that’s the part where he agrees with me)

First, allow me to point out that I’ve seen all of those guys wrestle and met several of them personally.  Dave Schultz was one of the nicest guys in wrestling history (unless you had the misfortune of wrestling him…I talk about that tomorrow via email).

To clarify, John Smith lived off one move, while others use an arsenal of moves.

Point taken.

However, he missed the main point of my blog, which is this:

I can tell you with 100% confidence that every one of those guys that I knew, did one thing exactly the same….

And it wasn’t the Smith single, which was unique to him.

What they did that was similar though, is the main point of the article…

Even though they had different styles…some with an array of moves, some hit only one or two things…here’s what was similar…

every one of them trained to do things exactly and precisely.

Every time Dave Schultz got a front headlock, he did it the exact same way.

If you were brave (and foolish) enough to shoot a double on Randy Lewis, he’d counter you (painfully) the same way.

The champions train hard to use winning technique….  drilling their core moves over and over again until they reach phase five.  That’s why they are prepared to score with it at the highest levels in wrestling (Olympics).

And this is the very element that most wrestlers are missing today:  the understanding of how you get from phase 1 (learning new technique) to phase 5 (being able to execute said technique in a Live Match, against the highest level of competition.

There’s a big difference between everyone winning with the same move, and everyone (of note) training in a similar fashion.

This is the process that led John Smith to Olympic Gold, but leads every champion athlete to high levels of success as well.

PS  Unfortunately, the Facebook world doesn’t embrace this.  But champions do.