GettingPreparedPart2.. - Boot Camp Wrestling Clinic

							               Getting Prepared For The Wrestling Off-season Training: Part 2.


                 In part one you were given a home work assignment to fill out, for those of you
                 who took the time to really do it let’s start with a quick review. After the review we
                 will discuss part 2 which will cover needs and how to fix them.


                 By: Mike Fry - Grapplers Gym



There should not be a day that goes by where you do not try to improve on something. For many of you
it may be your grades in school and for others simply making it through the day without being punished.
Whatever it is, try to improve on it every day.



Turn In Your Homework

In part one you were given a home work assignment to fill out, for those of you who took the time to really
do it lets start with a quick review. In part one you were asked to divide your paper into 4 sections and
label them Want & Need with the last 2 left blank.

You were then asked to place in your WANT box everything that you wanted to accomplish in the
upcoming season. Then you were to review in your mind the previous season and list all the things that
you needed to do improve on. From this list of needs is where we are going to start.

In talking with my wrestlers and the readers of our newsletter the topic that comes up the most is how do I
get stronger and improve on my conditioning. For many of you this will be on your list and that is why I
mentioned it.

What I am going to do is give you an example of what I have on my list right now for myself as I still
compete.

  My Example

        WANT:
        Win the 2005 Congress state games
        Win the 2005 Connecticut Nutmeg games
        Compete with the USA Veterans after Oct 1st
        Compete and win in submission wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

        NEED:
        More mat time with better training partners
        Improve foot speed
        Decrease joint pain (6 knee surgeries = nagging pain)
        Improve on pre-match rituals to reduce excitement
        Attend BJJ classes and drill
        Turn 35

        Wants
          As you can see from my WANTS... I try to keep them clear and simple. I do this so I can
          focus on them clearly and not have to worry about all kinds of details. I can close my
          eyes and see each and every one of these goals coming true.

          If I am a freshman getting ready for college life and I had listed 'attend OSU and make
          the varsity team and win national championship,' all in one goal you would spend too
          much energy on the useless facts instead of just saying 'Winning the National
          Championship.'

          I really don't think if OSU turned you down that your goal of winning the NCAA's would
          change if you attended Michigan or Minnesota. So just stick to the basics when you're
          writing your goals.

   Needs

          Now let's look at the NEEDS. As you can see again, I keep them simple and to the point.
          It's not important at this time to worry about the details because we will be filling that out
          in our next box. Just make a good list of the things you want to improve on.



Now Back To Your Paper

 How

   On the bottom right box write the word "HOW". This is the magic
   question you need to ask yourself "how am I going to improve my
   needs". Let's start by using my list as an example.

   Need 1

          I have listed 'More mat time with better training partners,' how do
          I improve this? For me I made contact with Brazilian Wrestler
          Rodrigo Artilheiro who also trains with Pedro Rizzo of the UFC
          so when I am in Brazil I can go in and train with them.

          In the states I have my new friends from Best-way Jiu-Jitsu who
          do tons of mat work and after each practice I get to train
          takedowns with a fighter who trains with Chuck Liddell. Very high intensity work with top
          athletes. So I have indeed taken care of that need.

   Need 2

          To improve my foot speed I needed to visit a personal trainer who specializes in speed
          training. He has me working on "basic" exercises to help me reduce my ground time for
          my feet. We also do lots of high speed jump roping and foot drills with the 5 dots.

          Related Articles
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        Need 3

                Decrease joint pain: not much I can do for this one until I learned some new joint mobility
                drills. These are drills that many of us did before practice drills like rolling your knees and
                ankles around to loosen them up. Has helped a little but still long ways to go.

        Need 4

                Improve on pre-match rituals to reduce excitement: I went online and started reading
                about pre-match rituals and sports psychology. I made some phone calls and talked to a
                professor in sport psychology who was on the National team for Judo in Poland. He
                taught me about the 7 major skills that every combat athlete should possess. I took that
                information and put it to use.



About The Author

Michael Fry is the owner of Grapplers Gym and www.grapplersgym.com. Grapplers Gym is the home for
advanced fitness and conditioning for today's wrestlers. Subscribe to our FREE weekly Newsletter! Each
issue is crammed with free training tips, articles, programs, exclusive discounts, strength/conditioning
news and many more surprises. Mike can be reached by email at mike@grapplersgym.com.