Minutemen Youth Wrestling

The Berlin Minutemen advanced group traveled to Bristol for the first USAWCT tournament of the year. Nineteen wrestlers competed in four age divisions. In the morning session Nicholas Zuk (Bantam) and Jeremy Eliades (Midget) placed first. Jimmy Bourgoin (Midget) placed 2nd and Michael Patterson (Bantam) and Riley Grieder (Midget) finished in 3rd place. The afternoon saw the locals run into some tough competition. Placing first in the Novice Division was Jacob Eliades. Others placing in the Novice Division were 2nd place Brendan Butler, Matthew Cote and Todd Koops. Placing 3rd were Ethan Grieder and Nick Mangiafico. In the Middle School Division the competition was strong and no one medaled on the day wrestling tough were Carla Mangiafico, Sam Vreeland, Tyler Cunningham and Ryan Butler. Also wrestling tough in the Novice Division were Michael Gurrieri and Kyle Zuk. The youth wrestling program is still taking participants for this year in grades 1st through 7th. Anyone interested may contact Coach Roger Moss at 828-9818 for more information.

Novice & Middle School Qualifiers USAWCT Board of Directors has voted on November 16, 2006 and has adopted the following policy for the 2007 Kids State Championship qualifying tournaments for the Novice and Middle School divisions. All Connecticut resident wrestlers must weigh in and compete at their assigned State Championship qualifying location on February 17, 2008 and the Top Four Finishers for each weight class will advance to the USAWCT Kids State Championship, which is to be held at James Hill House High School at 480 Sherman Parkway, New Haven CT. 06511 on Sunday February 25, 2007. There will be no waiver or special consideration given to any Novice or Middle School division wrestler that is no able to compete in or does not finish in the top four places in their weight class at their Qualifying Tournament. If any of the top four place finishers of a location elects not to participate in the USAWCT Kids State Championship, then the other place finishers in that location will move up and the fifth placer of that location will have first choice to compete in the USAWCT Kids State Championship, if that wrestler elects not to participate in the USAWCT Kids State Championship then the sixth place finisher from that location can elect to participate in the State Championships. If a location has an open spot after all place finishers have moved up and the alternates from that location have declined to participate in the Kids State Championship (did not complete application and pay) the alternate 5th place finisher from other locations are eligible for a random draw into the Kids State Championships, if no 5th place finishers from another location does not apply, then the 6th place finishers may apply for the random Draw. The wrestler from another location must clear skin check and weigh in for the weight class in which they were considered an alternate at their location (placed 5th or 6th). Upon winning the Random Draw, the wrestler pays the entry fee and will assume the open spot in the Kids State Championship bracket. Approved by the BOD USAWCT, November 16, 2006

This is one of the most exciting times of the year because all the season ending tournaments are upon us. Every high school athlete is striving to have a Peak Performance at the Regional and State Tournaments, while the college guys are looking to turn it up notch for the Conference and NCAA Championships. I have attended the NCAA Championships annually since 1982 and the competition is intense. State Tournaments are also very exciting! I will be following the success of my summer camp students by attending six different State High School Tournaments between February 16 and March 10. Then the High School Nationals, National Open, World Cup and World Team Trials will be held in consecutive months. I will attend weekend tournaments with my youth club between these events making for a very busy spring. I will share some of my observations from these National Tournaments with you in my upcoming AWN columns. My most vivid memories from my wrestling career are undoubtedly State, National and Olympic competition. Of course, in order to excel in those events I wrestled in hundreds of tournaments over two decades. However, over 90% of what I remember is from the season-ending events. Winning my first State Championship is one of the most intensely satisfying experiences I have ever had on the mats. I was 15 years old and it was the culmination of a boyhood dream. When I made the Olympic Team I was already an adult. It was definitely very fulfilling, but different from winning my first State Championship. I have boxes of nice memorabilia in my basement, but all I display in my office are the few with the most significant meaning from the season-ending tournaments. Towards the end of the season I tell the high school athletes that I work with "what you achieve at the State Tournament will become memories of a lifetime". Over time, no one will remember exactly what your regular season record was. Throughout your life people will ask did you get to state? Did you place? Did you get to NCAA’s? Did you place? These season ending tournaments are your chance to shine. Make the most of your opportunities! Do not walk off the mat feeling you held anything back. If you give it your all, you will have no regrets regardless of the outcome. Seize the moment! RISE TO THE OCCASION! So how do you "Rise to the Occasion" in your biggest matches? Few athletes perform at the same level in major competition as they do during the season. Unfortunately, many athletes tighten up and hold back. Great Champions are able to get the most out of themselves when it counts! Champions perform at their "optimal level of emotional arousal" and do the little things necessary to win the close matches. Below are some simple suggestions in no particular order that will help you win your big matches when it counts the most. Intense Drilling will help you perform instinctively in the heat of battle. Fight for every point in the practice room. This scrambling instinct will help you in matches. Always think positively, particularly during the weeks and days leading up to major competition. Visualize yourself executing your game plan, winning against your toughest competition and having your hand raised in the Championship Venue as your cheering section cheers. Study videotape of some of your best matches. This will help you visualize and think positively. Also study video of your toughest potential opponents and picture yourself implementing the game plan you need to defeat these adversaries. Get proper rest & nutrition. Control your weight so that you can focus on your performance. Warm-up properly before matches. This helps prepare your body for battle, while helping reduce anxiety. Be intense, yet relaxed, when you step on the mat to do battle! Allow me to elaborate on this key point. Over time, champions learn to develop a routine that allows them to consistently get to their optimal level of mental arousal level prior to matches. This optimal mindset is different for everyone and can change over time. Each athlete is different and coaches must help athletes identify when they have performed their best and what their mindset was going into the match. Personally, I performed at my best early in high school when I was totally psyched up and attacked my opponent relentlessly. As I matured and faced better competition on National Level, I found that I could perform better when I was a little more relaxed. Don’t get me wrong; to be at my best I still had to be intense and focused, but not wound so tight that I did not react quickly or made mistakes. Control the tempo and ties. The late, great Dave Schultz passed on this little pearl of wisdom to me. I specifically asked Dave when visiting his home in 1986, "Dave, you look so poised out there in competition. What are you thinking?" His response was simply, " I am looking to control tempo of match and control the ties". Dave was a master of the 2 on 1 and front headlock (along with about every other hold for that matter). When Dave controlled a tie, he could score quickly in a variety of fashions depending on how his opponent reacted. Use Motion and body fakes to control the tempo &/or close the gap. Never stand around. Use body fakes to put your opponent on the defense so you can get a hold of him to control ties. If you like to shoot from the open, use body fakes to set-up low ankle single or double. Too many athletes stand around and then dive in. No one has executed the low ankle single as well as John Smith, largely because few athletes have trained and conditioned themselves to create the motion that John Smith had. Precise technique, quick level change and unorthodox flexibility were undoubtedly some of the keys to John’s success too. However, the motion he created was one of the keys many athletes are lacking. I trained with John at every Olympic & World Team Training Camp from 1984-1992. I speak from personal experience. When he was not moving well, I could stop him with a front headlock. When he was moving intensely, he was practically unstoppable. If you want to get more effective with low single, create more motion and body fakes. Keep wrestling through the end of every period. It disgusts me to see wrestlers rest at end of periods. This is a great time to score or at very least work your opponent’s head and wear him down. Never get caught on your heals and scored upon at the end of a period. My athletes often score with the blast double, low single or snap down during final 15 seconds of period. Strive to finish every period on top and definitely not on bottom! I wonder how many wrestlers who get ridden out to the end of a period come back to win? Undoubtedly, far less than 50%. Never relax on the edge. Too many athletes get knocked on their butt on the edge and give up quick points. This is a critical error. I encourage my athletes to wrestle in the center and to know where the edge is. You are much better off if you can see the edge as opposed to having your back to it and being vulnerable. Wrestlers should circle in immediately when pushed near the edge. Stay focused no matter what happens. Too many athletes get visibly frustrated if they make a mistake or get a bad call. Do not do this! Get right back in there and keep plugging away to score and win. Believe in yourself no matter what happens. You must believe you can win when you step on the mat as well as when you fall behind. Never doubt yourself. Remember McIlravy’s comeback victory in NCAA Finals his freshman year. Be tough when you are tired! I tell my athletes this often. We can talk technique and tactics, but when it comes down to it, you must execute your technique and tactics during the final moments and seconds of close matches if you are going to reach your highest goals. Learning and understanding the game will only benefit you if you have pushed yourself to higher mental and physical thresholds daily throughout the season. Once your season is over, assess what you need to do to improve and then make and follow a training plan that will allow you to live your dreams.

Ken Chertow offers this advice on how to get the best out of our young students. Ken was an Olympian, 3 X Academic All-American, and a 3 X NCAA All-American. I have been working with young wrestlers throughout my competitive and coaching career. During high school, I would stay after practice to work with our kids program. I encourage youth coaches to invite the varsity wrestlers to work with your local kids program. When training young wrestlers, the more feedback they receive the better off they will be. The varsity wrestlers can serve as role models for the younger wrestlers and will also benefit from helping the kids. Also, encourage the youth wrestlers to attend varsity matches and vice-versa. Perhaps even develop a big brother program. Every summer during college, I ran my own day camps, worked at PennState Camps and took a team to Junior Nationals. I worked with kids in all different age groups, and these summers proved to be very beneficial and rewarding experiences for me. I enjoyed my work with the kids tremendously and saw how much the wrestlers benefited from their time on the mats. Summer is an excellent time for skill development. The kids are not busy with school and preparing for competition. The emphasis is on skill development, learning new techniques and having fun. I encourage you to organize open mats and day camps in your community during the summer. Send your serious wrestlers to away summer camps. Summer training camps were instrumental to my development and have played an integral role in the development of my top students. Upon graduation from Penn State, I expanded my local day camp into overnight camps. I spent my entire summer organizing workouts for kids. This was much different than being a counselor. As a counselor, you only have to supervise the kids and do some instruction. There is no planning involved. As the coach/camp director, you have to plan the workouts and technique curriculum so that it is both well organized and interesting. This is a very important facet of coaching young people. I realized there is much more to coaching than just teaching moves. You must organize your instruction in a progressive fashion, not only during the course of a workout, but throughout the season. If you do not have a systematic game plan, kids will get lost. Incorporating periods of review into your practices and repetitively drilling what you have taught is of paramount importance. During my 5 years coaching collegiate wrestlers at Ohio State and Penn State, I also conducted USA Wrestling Kids Clubs. I would work with my college age wrestlers throughout the day and my youth wrestlers in the evenings. Working with both age groups on a daily basis helped me learn the differences in the ways you should train and motivate wrestlers of varying ages. To run a successful "Kids" (14 and under) program, you must treat the wrestlers differently than you would when running a college program or even a high school program. High school wrestlers fall somewhere in between depending on the program and the individuals. The following are some basic suggestions for how to get the most out of your kids program. 1. Emphasize skill development. Do not rush to teach them more techniques than they need or can remember. Drill the "Basic Skills" as outlined by USA Wrestling on a daily basis. Not only the stance, motion, etc., but also the Greco skills as outlined by Mike Houck in USA Wrestling’s Greco Coaches Syllabus and some folkstyle bottom drills like hip heists and building your base. Often use games to incorporate the basic skills into your practice. 2. Shadow drill frequently. Kids need to learn to control their own bodies before they can control someone else. Plus, everyone in the room is drilling intensely, simultaneously, rather than half of the guys being partners. Shadow drilling is fun for kids and good conditioning. Kids use their imagination well. This can help you lead into teaching visualization skills. Kids are never to young to dream about becoming a champion. 3. Be enthusiastic and give positive feedback frequently. Kids need your leadership and guidance and thrive on positive feedback when they do something well. Also, give parents positive feedback if their child is doing well. They need to stay motivated as well and hearing their child is doing well gives them a big boost. 4. Encourage parents to get involved. I welcome and encourage parents to watch my practices. I also welcome them to get on the mats and help. The more personal attention your students receive, the quicker they will improve. At tournaments, I invite the parents to sit in the corner with me. This is a positive experience and sometimes I have many kids competing at one time, so the parents need to be prepared to be an asset in the corner rather than a detriment. 5. Run a tight ship, but let the kids have fun. Take your instructional phase of practice seriously but not too serious. Good teachers and coaches make their instruction interesting for the kids,so they pay attention and have fun. Incorporate stories and interesting analogies into your instruction. Carefully structure the practice so the kids benefit as much as possible, and also make time for a couple of "games" every practice. I have made up a variety of fun games that incorporate wrestling skills and conditioning into them. If the kids get through a segment of practice and do really well, we often play a game for a couple minutes as a reward before moving on to next segment. 6. Incorporate live wrestling throughout your practice. In a traditional practice most the live wrestling is done at the end of practice, and some kids programs I am familiar with do not let the kids do much live wrestling at all. Kids like to scrap and can only absorb so much instruction at once, so break up your practice with segments of live wrestling. I often let my students wrestle a live match after warming up and doing some basic skill drills. It seems to settle them down and tire them out a little, and the result is that they pay better attention when I teach. Give it a try. Live situations are also an essential training tool. They allow you to teach important technique points between starts and the kids enjoy them because they get to wrestle. 7. Utilize videotape for instruction and motivation. Beginners need to see what it looks like when a move is executed correctly in competition, and edited highlight tapes can prove to be very motivational. 8. Teach more than just technique. Emphasize to your wrestlers the value of sportsmanship, poise, goal setting, discipline, work ethic and the other important "lessons of life". My wrestling coaches had a greater impact on my character and life than my school teachers. Instill the lessons of life in your students because they will undoubtedly help them in everything they do throughout their lives. Kids look up to you more than you will ever realize. I left full time college coaching in 1994 to devote more of my time to working with young wrestlers. I expanded my Olympian Summer Camps and local Olympian School so I could coach kids full time. I still work with wrestlers of all ages regularly, but I probably enjoy working with young wrestlers the most. I believe a big reason that I have been successful working with the little guys is that I truly enjoy being around them. I enjoy the challenge of getting kids to learn the game and develop a passion for our sport. Undoubtedly, the kids who excel when they grow up are the ones who love doing it. All work and no play at a young age, is not always a good formula for success later on. Don’t get me wrong, my students and I value winning. However, skill development and fun take on equal importance. The trick is to plan and conduct structured, reasonably intense practices, so that your students get good while still enjoying the training. Then they start to win and really enjoy the sport. Let’s face it, no matter what the activity or age group, winning is more fun than losing. Our Olympian School Youth Program motto is " Work Hard and Have Fun on your way to #1!" Good Luck on you quest for success!!

The name of the game in wrestling is "take them down & pin them". But what really constitutes a take down and what is a pin?. These questions will be unraveled along with many more basic folkstyle rules, scoring, & positions.

First, let's explain the difference between professional wrestling and folkstyle wrestling. Although the general idea is the same, "take them down & pin them", the focus or thrust of each style of wrestling is different. Professional wrestling is purely entertainment lacking true competition and/or any rules except for the rules of drama, acting, & scripting. Folkstyle wrestling is purely competitive and has many rules some of which we will cover.

Neutral

At the beginning of a folkstyle match, the wrestlers are both standing in the neutral position. The neutral position literally is neutral because neither wrestler has control of another i.e. both wrestlers have neutral control. If either wrestlers gets established control via a take down, 2 points are awarded (the points are awarded for established control). A take down occurs in folkstyle wrestling when one gets established control from the standing neutral position. Established control in this sense means getting behind the opponent & taking the opponent down to the mat or ground & controlling the opponent for at least 1 second. Often times in folkstyle matches, control is not gained & 2 points are not awarded because the referee feels no one had established control or the 1 second of control did not occur. This lack of established control may be called a scramble.

Referee's Position

Wrestlers can score points from the neutral standing position or the top & bottom positions. The French call this top & bottom position par terre (which means on the mat or ground). American (USA) folkstylers call this position, where one wrestler is given a clear control starting position, referee's position. The wrestler given the clear control starting position is the top wrestler. The wrestler who is being controlled is in the bottom position. If the wrestler on bottom reverses control, s/he is awarded 2 points for a reversal. If the wrestler on bottom escapes control, s/he is awarded 1 point for an escape. As stated earlier, wrestlers can score from all positions.

Near Fall

The top wrestler may score by trying to pin the opponent or pinning the opponent. This occurs when the top wrestler uses control holds or techniques to get the opponents shoulders or back to the mat or ground. When the top wrestler gets the opponents back or shoulders 45 degrees to the mat or ground & controls or holds the back/shoulders for 3-5 seconds in that position, aka near fall or back points, points are awarded (3 seconds = 2 points & 5 seconds = 3 points). If the opponent's back/shoulders are flat to the mat, a pin or fall has occurred (when attempting to pin is the only time the top wrestler may lock hands). The timing (time back/shoulders must be pinned to the mat) of the pin/fall varies in the USA from 1 second to 3 seconds depending on age groups.

Pin

Points can also be given if either wrestler is deemed to be stalling or not attempting to be active in controlling holds or techniques. The referee has discretion in this area or the referee decides if a wrestler is stalling and not attempting to be active. Stalling starts off as a warning from the referee and eventually leads to disqualification. Along the way or prior to disqualification, points are awarded for lack of controlling attempts.

Other penalty points may be awarded for the following illegal holds, techniques: kicking, biting, scratching, talking, locking hands while not attempting to pin, & other similar un-sportsman like conduct. Wrestlers may lock hands in the neutral position prior to a take down or while attempting to pin in the top position. All other locked hands are illegal and can lead to disqualification.

Essentially, control is what awarded in folkstyle wrestling. The ultimate control in wrestling is the pin. Wrestlers may also be awarded points for escapes, take downs, reversals, stalling, locked hands & flagrant misconduct (penalty points). This paper highlighted some key terms and scoring rules and is only a brief guide to help you understand the basics.

Recap

·  neutral = both standing; neutral control

·  referee's position = top & bottom or par terre; top control

·  take down = 2 points; established control

·  reversal = 2 points; reverse control

·  escape = 1 point; escape control

·  near fall = 2 or 3 points; control back/shoulders to mat or ground

·  stalling = points accumulate till disqualification; no attempt at control

·  pin or fall = match over; pin back/shoulders to mat

·  penalty points = biting, kicking, scratching, talking, locked hands, & other flagrant misconduct

Frequently Used Wrestling Terminology

CAUTION: A ruling made by the referee where one wrestler is called for stalling, a false start, wrong starting position, etc. A second offense is a penalty. See: Stalling, Warning.

CONTROL: A position of advantage where one wrestler maintains restraining power over the other. This usually means that the other wrestler is off his feet and on the mat.

CRADLE: A pinning situation where the offensive wrestler has his opponent's head and one of his legs encircled, usually with his arms. In a pinning situation, locking of the hands is legal.

ESCAPE: When the defensive wrestler gains a neutral position and his opponent has lost control while either wrestler is inbounds, Counts for one (1) point.

FALL: Also called a "Pin." When either both shoulders and or both shoulder blades are held in contact with the mat for two (2) continuous seconds. It terminates the match and is worth six (6) team points.

LEG BANDS: In tournaments, the contestants wear leg bands to identify which one is being scored as the home wrestler and which is the away wrestler. The green leg band is for home, the red for away. Scoring cards, when used, are also green and red. The referee's coin is green on one side and red on the other. It is used to determine which wrestler chooses the starting position at the beginning of the second period.

Locking Hands: Interlocking or overlapping hands, arms or fingers around the opponent's body is illegal, except when both wrestlers are on their feet or in a pinning (near fall) situation.

MATCH: Individual contest between two wrestlers.

MEET: A contest between two wrestling teams. Each team may have one wrestler in each weight class. Team points are awarded on the basis of the results of individual matches between wrestlers. See: Points (Team), Tournaments.

NEAR FALL: A near fall occurs when the offensive wrestler has control of his opponent in a pinning situation. It involves holding the shoulders or shoulder blades within four (4) inches of the mat or holding one (1) shoulder or shoulder blade on the mat and the other is held at a 45-degree angle for two (2) seconds. It is awarded when the defensive wrestler gets out of the pinning situation. A nearfall is two (2) points if held for two (2) seconds or three (3) points if held for five (5) seconds.

NEUTRAL POSITION: A position where neither wrestler has control.

POINTS (MATCH): Awarded for a takedown (2 points), escape (1 point), reversal (2 points), and nearfall (2 or 3 points). Penalty points are awarded for warnings. See: Warnings.

POINTS (TEAM): Awarded on the basis of individual matches. A fall (or pin), forfeit, default or disqualification is six (6) points. A technical fall is five (5) points. A major decision (point spread of 8 to 14 match points) is four (4) points. A decision (point spread of 1 to 7 match points) is three (3) points. See: Tournament.

REFEREE'S POSITION: A starting position where one wrestler is in a defensive position (on hands and knees) and the other is in an offensive position (positioned over the other, normally with at least one knee on the mat).

Reversal: When the defensive wrestler comes from underneath and gains control over his opponent either on the mat or in a near-standing position, while either wrestler is inbounds, Counts two (2) points.

STALLING: A caution by the referee when one of the wrestlers fails to make a reasonable effort to wrestle aggressively. An offensive wrestler must make a reasonable effort to pin his opponent; a defensive wrestler, to escape.

STARTING POSITION: The wrestlers begin each period either in the neutral or referee's position. The first period always starts in the neutral position. For the second period, a coin toss decides which wrestler chooses the starting position. He elects the neutral, offensive or defensive position, or he may defer his choice. Unless he defers, the other wrestler chooses the starting position for the third period. When the wrestlers go out of bounds, either the neutral or referee's starting position is used, depending on whether one wrestler has control. See: Leg Bands, Neutral Starting Position, Referee's Starting Position.

TAKEDOWN: When one wrestler gains control over the other down on the mat from a neutral position while either wrestler is inbounds. A takedown is normally awarded when one or both of the defensive wrestler's knees are down on the mat, Counts two (2) points.

TECHNICAL FALL: It occurs when one wrestler has accumulated fifteen (15) points more than his opponent. It terminates the match and is worth five (5) team points.

TOURNAMENT: A contest between several schools where wrestlers are divided into weight brackets. Each school may have one or more wrestlers per bracket. Normally, wrestlers in each bracket are seeded according to past records. Team points are given on the basis of the final placement of its wrestlers. See: Leg Bands.

WARNING: A ruling made by the referee when one wrestler has made an illegal or potentially dangerous hold or other serious violation. False starts or stalling is given a caution for the first offense. A first or second warning awards the opposing
wrestler one (1) point, a third two (2) points; a fourth results in disqualification of the offending wrestler. See: Caution.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is a wrestling match?
Youth wresting matches are 3 minutes (3-one minute periods) or 3.5 minutes. High school matches are 6 minutes. College matches are 7 minutes. International, Olympic, and World level matches are 5 minutes. If the score is tied at the end of the match, an overtime period is wrestled with the first person to score winning the match.

Why do the team members wear red and green straps on their ankles when they wrestle, and why do the referees wear read and green bands on their wrists?
The green band denotes the home team and the red is the visiting team. The referee raises the arm with the green arm band when awarding points, issuing cautions or assessing penalties to the home team. The same procedure is used for the visiting team.

What is a wrestle-off?
A wrestle-off is when a wrestler wishes to challenge a member to attempt to win that spot. These wrestle-offs are held at the discretion of the coaching staff, who may or may not see fit to allow the wrestle-off, based on a variety of issues. The coaching staff will make the final decision on team members.

Why does the team participate in so many tournaments?
The team participates in tournaments to gain experience. Sometimes the wrestlers will refer to this as "mat time". It is very important that the younger wrestlers get as much mat time as possible. This enables them to hone their skills.

Why are there two (2) sets of scores on the scoreboard? What are the other numbers on the board?
The team score, individual score, period clock, weight class and the number of periods can all be found on the scoreboard.

How are individual scores determined?
Individual scores are determined by the types of moves that are executed during the match.

·  take down = 2 points; established control

·  reversal = 2 points; reverse control

·  escape = 1 point; escape control

·  near fall = 2 or 3 points; control back/shoulders to mat or ground

·  stalling = points accumulate till disqualification; no attempt at control

·  penalty points = biting, kicking, scratching, talking, locked hands, & other flagrant misconduct

How are team scores determined?
Team scores are determined by the type of victory each individual on the team has made.

·  Decision (1-7 point spread): Three (3) points.

·  Major decision (8-14 point spread): Four (4) points.

·  Technical Fall (15 point spread): Five (5) points.

·  Pin: Six (6) points.

Why do referees get tagged with a rolled up towel or flexible tube? When several mats are in the same gymnasium, the buzzers cannot be used to let the referee know when the match periods are over. To allow the referee to watch the match instead of the timekeeper, the referee is tagged when time has run out.