Youtube is the greatest invention our sport has ever seen with access to some of the greatest wrestlers.  The only place I could get this information when I competed was when I was a member of the Foxcatcher wrestling team and our library of video was probably the best there was.

I try and show video to the guys I’m training before training sessions especially if we are working on key areas that day.  Nothing makes your point better than allowing them to see how you are going to have to wrestle to earn and win the position than watching some of the best in the country and world perform it!  Below are a few of the videos I used to teach key points for specific training sessions that you might find helpful with the points I attacked during the videos:

Mark Schultz (used to stress scoring out of a front headlock and high crotch finish)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYKMJjzkQ14

This highlight reel shows Mark eating up opponents and hitting similar techniques over and over again.  The repetition of these techniques are great but my point I was making to my athletes during this session focused on the following points:

1. Every time he placed his opponent into a front headlock position he exploded to the corners to secure the takedown.  He does not hang there, we dont get points for hanging there, we only get points for getting that takedown.
2. He has great penetration on his shots but what he does so well and makes it easy for me to explain was to watch his position on the high crotch when he was stopped.  He performs all the rules to winning this battle by keeping his head looking for the lights, his hips under his shoulders, and slides his knees into the hole giving him a strong position to run over his opponent.  Mark was a big strong guy but his explosion is not coming from so much of his power but his power is coming from his execution of perfect technique when in this scramble.  I found it helpful to pause the video every time we saw him trapped under his opponent in this scramble so they could watch the build.

A high crotch is something you have to have to win big matches and perfecting the finish is what saves you energy in these positions.

Terry Brands vs. Jeff Prescott (used to stress hands always on opponent and what constant pressure can do to another great wrestler)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sndY3caXU2E

History of this match briefly:

• Prescott defending national champion at 118 but typically wrestles 2/3 of season at 126 and then makes drop before NCAA’s to 118.  He was 2x NCAA Champion at this weight.
• Prescott is tough and wont take being bullied around the mat like most guys will take from and Iowa wrestler.
• Terry Brands 2x NCAA Champion style is simple in your face wrestling and will attempt to bully you in every position.
• First time they met was at VA Duals I believe and they both were ejected from the mat for throwing punches at each other.
• There was a great deal of excitement going into this next meeting and both guys wanted the other guy.

I used this video in my room and gave my guys the full history of both wrestlers to create even more buzz before showing the bout.  My point I wanted to get across was simple and the video showed it:  The strategy to winning and beating the top 5% in the sport in folkstlye or collegiate wrestling is very simple, willing to wrestle in front, pressure, never take your hands off your opponent, and believing in that system of attack in every scramble you face without hesitation will beat the top 5%.  You might encounter a guy that can hang with you for half the match even possibly three quarters of the match but when they break you can do whatever you want at that point.  You can go and get 10 more points when that happens.  When two 5% guys meet it usually comes down to one of them somewhere during that bout saying take this one it’s not worth what I’m feeling right now!

Cary Kolat (USA) vs. Elbrus Tedeev (Ukraine)  (used to show what movement, changing tie-ups, and level change really looks like in a match)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deQNU458GjI

History of match briefly:

• My second round of the world championships my win was overturned in a back room and I was sent to the wrestles backs.
• By the time I reached the round for the bronze it was my 7^th or 8^th bout and along the way I face two former world champions, world medalist, and Tedeev world champion for bronze medal.
• Two minutes into the bout I remember for the first time in a long time that my legs would no longer let me stay in my stance so my only chance was to bait and wait.
• Tedeev is not your typical European he will come at you the entire time and you get no breaks.

During this match I picked three people in my room to count the following movements from the guy in red and call out every time they hit the number 20:

1. Level change:  anytime he lowers his level to fake a shot
2. Snap: not just the big obvious pulls but also those heavy handed collar tie snaps because they do damage on your conditioning
3. Tie-Up change:  every time he changed his tie up from collar tie tricep, collar tie wrist, underhook, two hands on head, left handed collar tie, they are all used

I think the first time we did this our number came out like this:

Tedeev performed the following number of actions

Snaps:  192

Tie-Up Change:  164

Level Change Fake:  67

What you get is that good guys don’t come in and hug you if the first tie up does not create the opening they switch out of it.  Nothing hurts more on a good guy than pulling his head down for 6 minutes of wrestling 95% of people will fall over and die at some point.  Level change fake mixed in with a set of hands coming at a guy is a simple devastating set-up that works on everyone just need the timing to go with it and that comes from practice.

I never hurt so bad in my life as I did that match and the only reason I feel I got that win was because in my mind I never lost a match at that world championships I had beaten everyone.  In my mind I was in the world finals not the bronze medal match and I wanted my world title.  This is the only thing that kept me from falling over and saying take it, it’s not worth what I’m feeling right now.