Wrestling training at lower intensity?

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ben35

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I'm looking for suggestions of good wrestling training drills with lower intensity or ideas for structuring practice. Some background: I'm an older (mid 40s) hobbyist (BJJ purple). I didn't start BJJ until my late 30s and I didn't start wrestling until 40. But I was lucky to train for a couple years with a legit wrestling coach who'd coached at the college level. I only trained wrestling a couple hours a week but it was great, taking someone down is just way more fun than anything in BJJ, and yeah, I'm just doing this for fun. I got good enough that pure BJJ guys with similar attributes were easy to take down and people at other BJJ gyms assumed I had a wrestling background whenever we started standing, not that that means much.

My wrestling skills have seriously atrophied from lack of use recently though as I'm at a different gym, and so I want to train more standing grappling with people at my current gym. However, I'm feeling that I'm old enough now that I can't do as many short intense live goes as I could just 5 years ago. So, I'm looking for suggestions on how to structure training to keep the intensity down. Any good drills? Maybe do rounds of just handfighting? Ideas?
 
Hey, give me more than a two word reply Jack! You usually like to talk a lot it seems. You mean like flow rolling in jiu jitsu?
 
Last edited:
Yes, like flow rolling. Sorry I’ve beem trying to be less overly verbose lol
 
I like to start each class with wrestling “fit ins.”
Arm drag
Single
Double
Inside trip
Foot sweeps
I go super light, just letting my muscles warm up and create muscle memory. This is not part of the regular class. I just show up a little early and grab someone.
 
90% of wrestling is positioning, not scoring attacks. As a wrestler and as a coach, I make guys focus on positioning just as much as scoring, although its not always the funnest thing to do. Pummelling, hand fighting, getting to ties, and head positioning is a drill you can do that isnt a super high pace, you can do it with anyone, and you have almost no chance of getting injured.

 
Dirty Holt said:
90% of wrestling is positioning, not scoring attacks. As a wrestler and as a coach, I make guys focus on positioning just as much as scoring, although its not always the funnest thing to do. Pummelling, hand fighting, getting to ties, and head positioning is a drill you can do that isnt a super high pace, you can do it with anyone, and you have almost no chance of getting injured.

Click to expand...

This is good advice. I trained with the Scottish Wrestling team when they were in Australia for the Commonwealth games and just being a training partner let them work all these things. Even though I was nowhere near their level just being there and providing movement, clinching and resistance helped them drill a bunch before the hard rounds
 
I am 46 and have been training BJJ for a long time. I wanted to improve my wrestling skills so a few months ago I decided that if I really wanted to get good at wrestling I should find and train with actual wrestlers. I hooked up with several former collegiate wrestlers and have started joining the off season training sessions of my sons high school wrestling team. The training methodology seems more effective than what I see in BJJ. In a BJJ class they generally do a fifteen minute warmup then teach technique and then free roll. What I have seen in wrestling is that there is about ten minute sof general warmup which is followed by about thirty minutes of drilling style work where you work stance, footwork, handfighting, pummeling, take down entries, takedowns, etc.. This is done at less than 50% resistance and partners take turns on offense/defense so that you are able to focus on getting the technique right. This is followed by three or four techniques tied around a specific topic and then live goes are done from the positions that were covered in the technique portions. The live goes are usually focused on a certain positions such as standing, referees, in on a single or double, etc.. I have found this training methodology way more effective in skill development for myself. In BJJ I learned takedowns and then we drilled them against zero resistance and then we made the jump to 100% resistance when we did live goes. This made it hard for me to really get good at any of the takedowns we drilled. The approach in the wrestling practices ahs worked way better for me. You also have to consider the level of instruction. Your black belt BJJ instructor is most likely the equivalent of a white belt in wrestling whereas the former collegiate wrestlers are the brown and black belts in that area. I would highly recommend that if you want to learn how to wrestle for BJJ then you hook up with some actual former collegiate wrestlers and train wrestling. On another note, wrestling has more to offer than just takedowns for BJJ guys. The mat skills I have been learning in wrestling have helped my BJJ as well. THings like switches, granby rolls, standups, rides, etc.. are all wort learning as well. Wrestling is its own complete art so don't think like I want to learn a takedown. THat would be like someone coming into a BJJ class and saying they just want to learn a submission or two. Buys some wrestling shoes and start wrestling.
 
SidRon said:
I am 46 and have been training BJJ for a long time. I wanted to improve my wrestling skills so a few months ago I decided that if I really wanted to get good at wrestling I should find and train with actual wrestlers. I hooked up with several former collegiate wrestlers and have started joining the off season training sessions of my sons high school wrestling team. The training methodology seems more effective than what I see in BJJ. In a BJJ class they generally do a fifteen minute warmup then teach technique and then free roll. What I have seen in wrestling is that there is about ten minute sof general warmup which is followed by about thirty minutes of drilling style work where you work stance, footwork, handfighting, pummeling, take down entries, takedowns, etc.. This is done at less than 50% resistance and partners take turns on offense/defense so that you are able to focus on getting the technique right. This is followed by three or four techniques tied around a specific topic and then live goes are done from the positions that were covered in the technique portions. The live goes are usually focused on a certain positions such as standing, referees, in on a single or double, etc.. I have found this training methodology way more effective in skill development for myself. In BJJ I learned takedowns and then we drilled them against zero resistance and then we made the jump to 100% resistance when we did live goes. This made it hard for me to really get good at any of the takedowns we drilled. The approach in the wrestling practices ahs worked way better for me. You also have to consider the level of instruction. Your black belt BJJ instructor is most likely the equivalent of a white belt in wrestling whereas the former collegiate wrestlers are the brown and black belts in that area. I would highly recommend that if you want to learn how to wrestle for BJJ then you hook up with some actual former collegiate wrestlers and train wrestling. On another note, wrestling has more to offer than just takedowns for BJJ guys. The mat skills I have been learning in wrestling have helped my BJJ as well. THings like switches, granby rolls, standups, rides, etc.. are all wort learning as well. Wrestling is its own complete art so don't think like I want to learn a takedown. THat would be like someone coming into a BJJ class and saying they just want to learn a submission or two. Buys some wrestling shoes and start wrestling.
Click to expand...
So much truth here
 

Im sure these are pretty expensive but most coaches are big fans of this apparatus.

This one is pretty awesome too.....
 
Dirty Holt said:
90% of wrestling is positioning, not scoring attacks. As a wrestler and as a coach, I make guys focus on positioning just as much as scoring, although its not always the funnest thing to do. Pummelling, hand fighting, getting to ties, and head positioning is a drill you can do that isnt a super high pace, you can do it with anyone, and you have almost no chance of getting injured.

Click to expand...


Thanks for this video. That's the same energy as grip fighting rounds in judo.

Man, I've been doing my pummelling wrong :(
 
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