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

After coaching for many many years, and seeing tons upon tons of his wrestlers achieve the ultimate in high school wrestling…State Champion…he made this very telling observation…

Every single one of them had done the same thing in the spring to grow their skills, and blossom into state champions.

They hit the freestyle/greco wrestling circuit in the spring.

Every one of them!

Isn't that an amazing stat? 

Wouldn't you think, after many years and 50+ champions, that at least one of them would be a non-freestyle, non-greco wrestler who was just beastly enough to win it all?

Its not just in his state though…

Here in Ohio, a full 73% of all State Finalists in 2015 wrestled freestyle/greco as well.

If I were a youngster today with aspirations of being a state champ, I'd certainly take notice.

There's a clear path to learning these styles and using this experience to reach state finalist level. 

The seeds must be planted just right, however….

can't just 'show up', or rassle 'round in a room.

One must be trained for success.

Every year, I see athletes become disenchanted…and aggravated, trying to cobble together enough info in these styles to become successful.

Its heartbreaking, but there is another way.

Train for success and success will follow.

Today, many elite athletes do the opposite of what was intended…

They decide what weight class to compete in, weigh in at the testing site no higher than that weight (an athlete wanting to compete at 113 would weigh in no higher than 113 lbs.)…often employing unhealthy, unsafe methods to get there. They make scratch weight one time, wrestle up for most of the year, and crash down for tournament time.

How the rules in this state do the opposite of keeping athletes safe and competing at their natural weight

Encourage athletes to cut weight drastically and make weight too early

Many elite, and near-elite athletes will do the above…cut the weight in advance – so they can get to their weight class

Allow athletes to compete only once at their weight during the season

Because there is no 50% rule anymore (requiring athletes to weigh in at their chosen weight class at least half the time), athletes can make it once – usually early – then not ever have to make scratch weight again. When the state grants the growth allowance, and athletes return to that weight class, they get the extra pounds. This allows wrestlers to wrestle up most of the year and come crashing down at the end of the year when the most important events are held…sectionals, districts, and state.

Change the rules at the end of the year, encouraging massive weight cutting

During the year, athletes have to weigh in, and then wrestle 1 or 2 hours later…a rule that, in itself, discourages large weight cutting because the recovery time is short. Then, when it counts the most – at sectionals, districts and state…
they change the rules.

Allow night before weigh-ins…thereby encouraging athletes to drop as much weight as they can…and in effect, punishing those who manage their weight and wrestle close to their weight class.

Don't believe me?

I just read an article about MMA fighters. It centered on how they drop 20-30 lbs to make a weight class, then, because they have 24 hours to recover, systematically regain 15-25 lbs in that 24 hour period so they have a size advantage over their opponent.

Scary and definitely harmful to the body.

If you don't think high school wrestlers (and even younger athletes) do something similar, then you haven't been up close to see it but its out there.

Last year I went to Fargo. One athlete stands out to me…

He spent hours…and I mean probably 5 hours…working out to get back down to weight. Years ago, one of my trainees, wrestling at 103 (before the weight classes changed) ended up in the placement round at state…against a kid who weighed over 130 lbs.

We lost. Our opponent defaulted out to 6th place…but got to be a state placer by skirting the rules.

Makes you wonder if we have learned nothing from 1997.

to sum it up…

Many of our high school wrestlers in this state cut drastic amounts of weight earlier than ever before, to make scratch when they certify. During certification they go through a regimen of dehydration, followed by precisely timed hydration that allows them to pass the hydration test…then they go up during the season and come crashing down at the end of the year since they weigh in the night before for the important tournaments.

At state tournament time, they are encouraged, due to the current rules, to suck down hard and then gain as much weight as possible for the next day's matches. They can do so because of the amount of recovery time built into the system.

Does this sound healthy to you?

What reality looks like

Today, many elite athletes do the opposite of what was intended…

They decide what weight class to compete in, weigh in at the testing site no higher than that weight (an athlete wanting to compete at 113 would weigh in no higher than 113 lbs.)…often employing unhealthy, unsafe methods to get there. They make scratch weight one time, wrestle up for most of the year, and crash down for tournament time.

How the rules in this state do the opposite of keeping athletes safe and competing at their natural weight

Encourage athletes to cut weight drastically and make weight too early

Many elite, and near-elite athletes will do the above…cut the weight in advance – so they can get to their weight class

Allow athletes to compete only once at their weight during the season

Because there is no 50% rule anymore (requiring athletes to weigh in at their chosen weight class at least half the time), athletes can make it once – usually early – then not ever have to make scratch weight again. When the state grants the growth allowance, and athletes return to that weight class, they get the extra pounds. This allows wrestlers to wrestle up most of the year and come crashing down at the end of the year when the most important events are held…sectionals, districts, and state.

Change the rules at the end of the year, encouraging massive weight cutting

During the year, athletes have to weigh in, and then wrestle 1 or 2 hours later…a rule that, in itself, discourages large weight cutting because the recovery time is short. Then, when it counts the most – at sectionals, districts and state…
they change the rules.

Allow night before weigh-ins…thereby encouraging athletes to drop as much weight as they can…and in effect, punishing those who manage their weight and wrestle close to their weight class.

Don't believe me?

I just read an article about MMA fighters. It centered on how they drop 20-30 lbs to make a weight class, then, because they have 24 hours to recover, systematically regain 15-25 lbs in that 24 hour period so they have a size advantage over their opponent.

Scary and definitely harmful to the body.

If you don't think high school wrestlers (and even younger athletes) do something similar, then you haven't been up close to see it but its out there.

Last year I went to Fargo. One athlete stands out to me…

He spent hours…and I mean probably 5 hours…working out to get back down to weight. Years ago, one of my trainees, wrestling at 103 (before the weight classes changed) ended up in the placement round at state…against a kid who weighed over 130 lbs.

We lost. Our opponent defaulted out to 6th place…but got to be a state placer by skirting the rules.

Makes you wonder if we have learned nothing from 1997.

to sum it up…

Many of our high school wrestlers in this state cut drastic amounts of weight earlier than ever before, to make scratch when they certify. During certification they go through a regimen of dehydration, followed by precisely timed hydration that allows them to pass the hydration test…then they go up during the season and come crashing down at the end of the year since they weigh in the night before for the important tournaments.

At state tournament time, they are encouraged, due to the current rules, to suck down hard and then gain as much weight as possible for the next day's matches. They can do so because of the amount of recovery time built into the system.

Does this sound healthy to you?

What they should do instead

If the state, and the federation, made a couple changes, they could immediately make Ohio wrestling healthier…which should be a high priority to them.

First, require the same rules at the end of the year as the beginning. Weigh-ins for sectional, district and state should be between one and two hours, but no more than 2 hours, prior to competition. In addition, weigh-ins should take place every day of competition.

Don't tell me it can't be done, I know better. While the current system might be easier to administrate, it needs to change for the sake of the athletes, and it is doable.

Secondly, employ the 50/50 rule…or some variation of it. Regardless, athletes should be competing, or at least weighing in, at their weight class, more than twice in order to compete there at the end of the year.

Third – and I know this won't happen – either do away with alpha testing or fix it. This is a federation issue that trickles down to the state.

I don't have a solution for fixing it, but having athletes crash down to scratch weight early in the season is not healthy and needs to change. Governing bodies of wrestling will not do away with it, because it is their CYA assurance that they are keeping athletes safe…which they are not…but it keeps them legal.

But this system is flawed.

If you employed the first two rules, you wouldn't need the alpha testing at all. Athletes who couldn't compete an hour after weigh-ins, would change weight classes.

Nobody likes to lose and feel like crap in doing so.

How you can cope with alpha testing and win

Since neither the state nor the federation are interested in listening to yours truly for advice, we can't count on the above, very positive changes for our sport, happening. Therefore, you need a plan for safely working within the system to your advantage, so here goes…

1. Have a body fat assessment done independently in early fall so you know what weight you can get to in a healthy manner.
2. Be smarter than the state, start reducing in the fall.  Instead of crashing down to your given weight class, take the 1 1/2% rule and apply it, starting in September if need be. 
3. Weigh in for alphas at or below scratch weight (if you are going 106, weigh 106 or below).  Follow some of the smart guidelines out there regarding hydration.  Get under your weight class, and a few hours before the test, drink a couple pounds of water weight so you are hydrated.
4. If you work out in advance of, and the same day as the alpha test, you are likely to register a lower body fat.  Keep that in mind if you are not planning on making scratch weight at alphas.
5. Follow my weight management guide to stay as healthy as possible during the season while working out. 

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