wrestling techniques

[desmondn]

Hi everyone,

I been doing BJJ since early 2006 and I LOVE IT. It's a really fun sport and new challenges every day! Also at my BJJ school, there is an Olympic wrestler who teaches takedowns wrestling. He used to be in the Canadian Olympic team and competed in 1996 at the Olympics. I'm thinking of taking private lessons with him because I want to get on my university's wrestling team (it's a canadian university, it's not like we're University of Iowa).

I'm planning to try out for my university's wrestling team one year from now and I might start private one on one greco training three times a week with this Olympian. How much can one learn in a year if he does this?

I know for every sport the learning curve is different. How is the learning curve for greco-roman wrestling?

Thank you everyone for all your advice.


DN

 

[Rory McDonell]

is the coach Ainsley Robinson?
he is a good guy, and I've worked out with him when he came and trained at Guelph. He is knowledgable and a great athlete. That being said, wrestling is a different game than BJJ. While it will certainly help to have an athlete of his calibre coaching you, the best way to get better at wrestling is to wrestle live competition.
I'd suggest that you keep going to the wrestling classes, but hold off on the privates. Go and train with your university team for a year, and by this time next year you'll get a lot more out of private lessons.
Are you at U of T? what weight class are you?

 

[desmondn]

is the coach Ainsley Robinson?
he is a good guy, and I've worked out with him when he came and trained at Guelph. He is knowledgable and a great athlete. That being said, wrestling is a different game than BJJ. While it will certainly help to have an athlete of his calibre coaching you, the best way to get better at wrestling is to wrestle live competition.
I'd suggest that you keep going to the wrestling classes, but hold off on the privates. Go and train with your university team for a year, and by this time next year you'll get a lot more out of private lessons.
Are you at U of T? what weight class are you?

Yeah, it's Ainsley. He's a REALLY nice guy. I've done two classes with him, I only joined in his class a week before I left town. I'm studying at Harvard right now but I will return to the University of Toronto in a couple weeks. Yes, I'm at U of T and I'm cutting down to 76 kg. I've never wrestled a day in my life except two takedowns classes, and a bunch of BJJ classes and private lessons.

I saw on the U of T site that the coach welcomes wrestlers of a lighter weight class. But don't I have to pass a try out first? I doubt I'd make it because of my TOTAL LACK of greco.

DN

 

[xinster]

i wish i went to a shittier school so i could get on the wrestling team even d3 is hard as fuck

 

[knoxpk]

You CAN learn alot in a year. You have to drill the techniques and focus on perfect form. Also just like with anything else you have to do the extras. I fyou think (i know u dont) that just taking wrestling 5 days a week for however many years is going to get you ready to compete at a university level you are wrong. Again I am sure you are aware of this. you are going to have to run in your off time, lift weights and find a partner to drill with. If you do ALL of that you willbe AMAZED how good you can really be in a year of training.

 

[desmondn]

You CAN learn alot in a year. You have to drill the techniques and focus on perfect form. Also just like with anything else you have to do the extras. I fyou think (i know u dont) that just taking wrestling 5 days a week for however many years is going to get you ready to compete at a university level you are wrong. Again I am sure you are aware of this. you are going to have to run in your off time, lift weights and find a partner to drill with. If you do ALL of that you willbe AMAZED how good you can really be in a year of training.

I am totally aware of what you just said. It's not like I think just a few lessons a week is going to make me compete at that level. I got a friend who used to wrestle at U Windsor who could drill with me. You mentionned how good I could be in a year of training, right? Does that mean university level? I usually work out at least 3 times a week, do weights at least 3 times a week, and I was undertaking a BJJ / Boxing / Muay Thai regime up in Toronto before going to USA to study.

This one time I did five hours of training (1 hour of BJJ private, 1 hour of boxing, 2 hours of BJJ group class, 1 hour of Muay Thai). I like dropped dead after, good times. :icon_chee

 

[Standard]

I'm kinda in the same boat, i go to Brock and we have a really good wrestling team, i was thinking about practicing with them as its open to any student to come and train. Is there anywhere i could learn about the basics? just so i don't come in like a deer in the headlights?

 

[eworden78]

I wrestled at NJCAA and at D3. Both teams I was on didn't really make "cuts".
If you wanted to be on the team and you weren't very good you could still hang around you just wouldn't compete at events.
If guys thought you weren't worthy to be on the team they'd pretty much just kick your ass on the mat until you quit.
Wrestling is so brutal, by the end of the year it's hard to keep enough guys in the room to practice with.

 

[desmondn]

I'm kinda in the same boat, i go to Brock and we have a really good wrestling team, i was thinking about practicing with them as its open to any student to come and train. Is there anywhere i could learn about the basics? just so i don't come in like a deer in the headlights?

Wow you go to Brock, they got a DAMN good wrestling team.

 

[Standard]

Yeah man. there are some complete monsters there, i couldn't really ask for a better place to learn at, which is why i'd like to take advantage of it

 

[knoxpk]

desmon,
everything is relative...For example on my brothers HS wrestling team they pulled a guy off the football field to wrestle the 189lb division for the school..he knew how to pummel in, bearhug, lifft and throw..then from the top he knew the half nelson and from the bottom he knew the standup...thats IT!
As the year went on he added some technique here and there but overall those basic moves was all he used.

He went to state that year his 1st EVER year wrestling.
To make this clear wrestling season started in october...practices began september..state championships were in february..in 5 months he was one of the top 16 wrestlers at his weight in the state..

Now he was a beast, he had good staming...huge thighs and arms like a log so the style he was taught fit in perfectly with his physical gifts...I would wager he didnt spend alot of time running after school or drilling either. He got on the team basically to stay in shape for football the following year.


So how will YOU do?

I dont know..BUT with a year of good solid training with an expert coach and conditioning like no other you could possibly do very well....maybe not starter but definately competitive..

the key is to work the techniques you knw..forget the fancy stuff..If you learn the single leg, practice that move as many times as you can until the next lesson...

eventually you will find some techniques that work best for you and those you drill over and over and over...

 

[Rory McDonell]

Yeah, it's Ainsley. He's a REALLY nice guy. I've done two classes with him, I only joined in his class a week before I left town. I'm studying at Harvard right now but I will return to the University of Toronto in a couple weeks. Yes, I'm at U of T and I'm cutting down to 76 kg. I've never wrestled a day in my life except two takedowns classes, and a bunch of BJJ classes and private lessons.

I saw on the U of T site that the coach welcomes wrestlers of a lighter weight class. But don't I have to pass a try out first? I doubt I'd make it because of my TOTAL LACK of greco.

DN

U of T does not have a great team, so getting on the team is a possibility. And I've never heared of a wrestling team not allowing someone to train. You might not make the varsity team, but I guarantee that you'll be able to wrestle. Couple of other options, Team Impact (Ask Ainsley about it) is a good club team, and Cabbage Town wrestling are both located in TO.
Also University wrestling in Canada does not have any Greco unless you tryout for the FISU team. Its freestyle wrestling.
Also a heads up, 76kgs is my weight class, I wrestle for Guelph, maybe we'll match up at a tournament Best of luck with your wrestling

 

[Lapu-Lapu]

All you can do is get as much mat time possible and then see what happenes. My first full year wrestling I ended up quilifying for the USA Nationals for Freestyle. So there is hope man. Just work hard. All you can do.