Bruins Wrestling

Competition is about to begin!!!

2009-12-01T14:17:00.002-06:00

This Friday night we are hosting our first dual. Norwood will be visiting Cedaredge to see what the season holds in store. This is the first ever competition for many of our young men, so please come and show your support. We are doing various things to try and make the night special. We will have the best seat in the house for the first 5 youth wrestlers that show up. We will be giving out Cedaredge wrestling t-shirts to the first 50 fans. In addition, we will be holding a random drawing for door prizes for our loyal fans. We will be giving away a free i-pod, an iTunes gift card, and a gift certificate to RJ's Steak House. Finally, we will have a special recognition for all CHS wrestling alumni. Be sure to also check out the "new" wrestling room. At this point, our roster is as follows:

103 Sam Williamson (returning letterwinner)
112 Jordan Eiler
119 Marty Peterson (state qualifier)
125 Zach Jones
130 Joey Kallsen
135 Zack Love (state qualifier)
140 Jon White (returning letterwinner)
145 Dustin Stracener
152 Brady Dean
160 Martin Alejandre (returning letterwinner)
171 Cole Caywood (returning letterwinner)
189 Ely Fritchman (returning letterwinner)
215 Corby Deutsch
285 Tylor Balistreri

JV
103 Skylar Heidrich
135 Austen Bollinger
135 Justin Engle
140 Sterling Rose
189 Luke Miller
189 Greg Edgington
189 Travis Hyatt-Martin

Injured Reserve
145 Nolan Kissner (state qualifier)
215 Joe Laird

Youth tournaments

2009-11-10T22:08:00.001-06:00

I thought that this video was especially timely as we go into our Bruin Bash tournament this weekend. Enjoy:

Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling

We are on Facebook!

2009-11-08T22:42:00.002-06:00

You can join the group "The Slope Wrestling Club" on Facebook. My wife put some of the scrapbook pages from Montrose online to checkout. You can also friend Slope WrestlingClub.

Big Week

2009-11-08T19:25:00.003-06:00

This next week is a huge week for wrestling in Cedaredge. I finished up the "playbook" today. We have our winter sports meeting on Monday night at 6pm at the high school. Athletes, managers, and parents should all attend. I am working to finalize the technique video this week. I am moving classrooms due to the weight room being moved into my classroom, which in turn means we get the wrestling room back. That means we need to drop mats and set up the room; I would like to do a bit of painting and installing of exercise equipment. On Wednesday, we are going to watch an intra-squad "wrestle-off" scrimmage at Mesa State and picking up concession food. Registration for the youth tournament is due on Wednesday so that means we will be starting to lay out brackets. Thursday is our first high school practice. Friday, after practice, we are setting up for our youth tourney..."Bruin Bash". Saturday is the tournament with the little guys wrestling in the morning and the older kids wrestling in the afternoon. Saturday night is moving mats back, and Sunday is a day of rest...hopefully...

Montrose Lil Indian Tourney

2009-11-08T19:05:00.004-06:00

Yesterday we had our first outing of the year. The competition was pretty tough with kids from Grand Junction, Montrose, Palisade, Meeker, and some other assorted towns. I think many of the little kids from the other towns wrestle year round, and there were even some private clubs represented. Our kids did an awesome job. I am so proud of how hard they fought. Our older kids had a little harder time than the younger ones, but the small issues we have are technique problems that are easy to fix with more practice. I was so impressed with the coachability of the kids. They really listened well and tried to do the things I asked them to. As I tell them, "the only thing you can control is your effort and your attitude." With the high emotions associated with youth tourneys, they kept a great attitude all day--win or lose. I can honestly say that each kid did their best, which is all I ask. Overall, it was a very positive experience. My wife took about 330 pictures and is arranging them into our scrapbook which is starting to take shape with summer club, world's strongest bruin, fall camp, fall season practice, and now this tourney.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-11-04T16:49:00.002-06:00

It is a busy time of year. The final recruiting is getting done. Our fall youth season is wrapping up. We've got our youth tournament coming in a week and a half. The parent rules meeting is Monday at 6:00 P.M. at the high school. We are going to Mesa State on Wednesday to watch some college wrestling. It has been great, but I am looking forward to slowing down the planning and just getting to WORK! Since I haven't blogged in a while I figured I would give you a little flavor of my new favorite coach.

Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling

Bruin-Style Wrestling CAMP !!!

2009-10-04T21:34:00.003-05:00

Hey Folks,
The Youth wrestling camp is all set for our October break. All of the details are on the right under important program links. There is a registration form that must be filled out although it will not cost you anything. To get t-shirts squared away in time, I want registration forms in by this Wednesday, the 7th.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday
October 15, 16, 17
10-3 each day
2nd through 8th graders

Updates

2009-10-04T21:06:00.002-05:00

Holy Cow!!!
I realized that I haven't updated this thing since school has started. I guess things have been busy-- a good busy. This is definitely a time of planning. I am working on planning fundraisers, tournaments, posters, camps, workouts, youth practices, study halls, season promotion, and recruiting. I have been inspired by so many people lately that my wheels are definitely turning. As things have progressed this fall some plans have changed and other plans are springing up. I've been to the world training center and got to hang out with world and olympic gold medallists as well as the up and comers who were training for the world championships that just took place in Denmark. I have been learning on a daily basis and appreciate all of the help I have received so far. So, I'm going to break up some big news items that I need to share with you into other posts, but as a taste, here are some upcoming fall events:
~Fall Bruin-Style Wrestling Camp
~Yearly Poster with meet schedule
~Youth Folkstyle/Takedown Tourney
~Friends of the Family fundraiser
~Fall Youth Season
~Coaches/Captains Clinic
~Mesa State Maroon and White Scrimmage

School's about to begin

2009-08-25T14:27:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow school starts! Wow! We are wrapping up our summer club session, and it has been fun. I am really excited for the fall and one of the big things I'm getting fired up about it bringing Mike Krause to Cedaredge. Check out this clip of him running a clinic in Texas.

Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling

The World's Strongest Bruin !!!

2009-08-10T18:49:00.004-05:00

On Saturday night, August 8th, 30 contestants took to the high school football field in Cedaredge to determine who would be crowned the World's Strongest Bruin. The cubs battled it out in events such as the tire rope drag, tire flip, medicine ball shot put, hay bale turn, and 2-liter 100 meter dash. The big boys events included medicine ball field goals, the wheel barrow 200 meter dash, tire flip, hay bale toss, and hay bale turn. Brody and Brier were crowned the World's Strongest Mini-Cubs. The World's Strongest Cubs were Madison Hulteen and Cole Stumpf. The king of the evening was John White, who's consistency through all events earned him the pride to hold the overall World's Strongest Bruin title. He will put the title up for grabs again when the Cedaredge wrestling program once again hosts the World's Strongest Bruin contest around AppleFest time! Ted and Lynn Schanen would like to sincerely thank Kirk McLaughlin, MaryBeth Litsheim, Todd Markley, Robert Griffen, Roy Brown, Chad Anderson, Chuck Miller and all the families that came out to have fun and support the wrestling program in Cedaredge.

World's Strongest Bruin Contest

2009-07-29T18:07:00.002-05:00

The World's Strongest Bruin Contest is being held at the highschool football field on Saturday, August 8th, at 7:00 p.m. We will be holding this event as a fundraiser to support the Cedaredge wrestling program. There will be a $5 entry per contestant, and we will have concessions available. The events will be Hay Bale Toss, Hay Bale Turn, Tire Flip, Tire Hop, The Wheel Barrow, The 2-liter 200, Med Ball field goals, Five gallon run-switch-run, and The Rope Drag. A couple wrestlers practiced some of the events this past Saturday and it was a huge success. We are hoping to draw a lot of people and have a really fun summer night dragging, carrying, and throwing stuff around before school starts.

Wear your headgear!

2009-07-14T20:12:00.001-05:00

As we get more and more into handfighting, it is more and more important to wear your headgear. Red Alert!

Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling

Day 2 Mesa State Camp

2009-07-10T00:07:00.002-05:00

Today went great! Because we only brought 3 wrestlers, they got split up into different teams. Marty is on a team with Falcon, 3 Olathe wrestlers, and a kid who's going to be a freshman that lives really close to Kansas. This situation has been really good, I've gotten to know some new coaches and some parents. I really think we will get some Olathe guys to come up to some club practices. Marty's team won the takedown tournament; they are super impressive. So this freshman from way out by Kansas has no one in his hometown that wrestles or is willing to in the summer. Two highschools are combined to make up 10 guys on his team. So, every weekend, this kid drives 3 hours each way to Pueblo to wrestle. Talk about dedication, and he is a horse. He and Martin had two awesome matches. I really like the Olathe kids. They joke around but are classy guys and wrestle super tough. Anyways, Marty is wrestling very well. He continues to gain confidence on his feet. He hasn't had too many challenging matches, but he's working tough. Today was great in that I got to see our guys actually wrestle on the mat. On the mat is definitely where Marty excells and with his wrestling on his feet coming together, he is going to put together a lot of dangerous weapons.

Martin and Cole are on a team together with Horizon and a few other lone stragglers. One of the stragglers we've adopted and I've coached a bit is from Florida. I told him that he can move to Cedaredge. He is a super good kid that wrestlers really tough. I think Cole gets better every match. He is really concentrating on the fundamentals of good position and it has allowed him to win some matches and keep a lot of matches much closer. He is handfighting really well, and has greatly improved defending with his head, and wrestling with short arms. We are definitely climbing the ladder. Martin is just hammering. His nerves are going away, which was the major goal for me for camp. We are concentrating on the fact that he approaches all matches the same way. Focus on staying in good position and dominating those positions whether the guy is shaped like a pear and has his lip pierced or whether he's got fancy new shoes and a nice singlet. He still gets a bit nervous at times because people sometimes "look" tough. I told him how to spot posers. If they walk around with their shirt off, they are a poser. If they wear their singlet for a 4 hour break, they are a poser. If they tuck their cell phone into their underwear in between matches, poser. If they put excessive amounts of tape on their head gear, they may be a poser. If they run their mouth all day and talk big even during matches, but then try to be serious tough guy when they have a good match coming up, they are a poser and often times get worked. Then we watched a bit of Fedor Emelianenko, especially his fight against Kevin Randleman. Look it up on youtube. It is awesome! Martin is my little Fedor. I really wanted to videotape the matches, but I can't sit still and coach the match through the lens. Since they aren't videotaped, I'll try to give you some highlights. Martin has had quite a few very big matches, almost all wins. He beat a real solid Central kid twice, once in overtime and once on a last second takedown. He also has a rematch tomorrow with a solid kid that he horsed to his back once, hit a sweet hi-c on where he lifted him with one leg and "peed on the ceiling"--it was a fan favorite. The crowd realized that Martin has the strength of ten men. As this opponent started getting desperate, Martin maintained good position, met a super hard shot head on and the guy just crumpled backwards. I think that gets the highlight of the camp award from me. Now, Martin is carrying over his solid positioning and handfighting to wrestling on top and bottom. Other big highlights were Cole's punch throughs but what is most impressive about those is that they came from him changing levels when his opponent changes levels, blocking with his head, getting his legs back, and getting heavy on the head. Very few of his opponents get a clean shot at his legs any more. Cole gets the most improved defense award. As far as Marty goes, one of my highlights has to be when he hit a beautiful short hi-c. Now he's hit a few here, but one in particular clicks in my mind. He's wrestled some long armed beasts here, and he popped the post immediately as it hit his shoulder and then finished immediately. I think all the other coaches did the "oooooooo" on that one. Marty also gets the coachable award. From running back to the center and consistently pushing the pace, Marty has done everything I've asked him to here. When I'm coaching at this level, I'm talking to the kids a lot. I've asked them and they say they like it, and I think it helps me as well. I also think it cuts out most internal dialog in their own head that may be judging or thinking as they wrestle. I always get a response out of Marty when I talk to him. One particular example comes to mind. Marty was running a cross wrist and we really seemed to be on the same page. As I was talking to him about it, he took a big step and turked the leg, he was getting nearfall and as he was there, I was telling him how to adjust his leg and arch and pull the head and it directly got the pin. It was so cool! It's is all coming together for all three boys, and I've received many compliments about them from many of the coaches here. Tonight, we had a little Mexican fiesta on the balcony out the dorm rooms. During our "recreation" time in between the nine matches, Martin directed us to the Mexican store where we were going to get tamales to eat after we got done wrestling at 9:30. It was a good educational experience because I was able to point out to Martin all the candy that he was not allowed to eat. We were too late for the tamales but stocked up on some other great food and enjoyed it while sitting on the porch listening to Jimmy Buffet and talking about Mexican polka, culture, video games, prom, which girls can eat a lot of food, and diet water. Overall, it was a great day!

Day 1 Mesa State Camp

2009-07-09T08:59:00.002-05:00

We had a technique session yesterday and got in 3 matches of a takedown tournament. I really like these shotgun matches. It is great for coaching. You get done with one match, give some little tips, then the guys get to try it out in a half hour. Immediate feedback. Carl Valley ran one of the technique sessions yesterday and covered almost the exact same thing I did last Sunday night. So, we've got Marty, Martin, and Cole here. It is going well. Marty is wrestling super aggressive. He had one real tough kid, that we will definitely have to put multiple moves together in a chain, but he got after him. He is pushing the pace in his matches and there is lots of action. Cole is really concentrating on positioning. Maintaining a good stance, blocking with his head, wrestling punchy with his hands--1 foot races. He had some tough draws and is wrestling up a weight, but is fighting hard. The little pointers are paying off. We saw a lot of progress in his last match. He had super defense. The guy kept shooting, Cole blocked, snapped, front head, punch through. Exactly as we are working on. Great to see. Martin is wrestling tough. Super good position. Explosive. He's beaten some really good kids at 171. He's working on the mental side most of all. He is getting more and more relaxed each match--wrestling smart and aggressive.

All the boys are pretty sore this morning. We've got 9 matches today. We got up early for breakfast, they went back to bed, and I'll get them up in 15 minutes to get the morning rolling.

It is nice to finally see some wrestling in Colorado outside of our room. There are some fantastic wrestlers here, and also a lot of posers--the same as everywhere I guess. Our boys are really fighting and representing Cedaredge well. I can't count how many times I've said to myself and to our boys how thankful I am to have them wrestling for me. So, hopefully some of you fans are reading this, and I'll try to update again tonight after some matches today.

Ernie Monaco, the club model

2009-07-06T12:20:00.004-05:00

Training for the next level
Everything needs to be in sync, it's about the lifestyle, it's about the whole person

Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling

A packaged offense, aka "no huddle" offense

Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling

Wrestling is a sport of POSITION!

Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling

WRESTLING MEETING THURSDAY NIGHT !!!

2009-06-29T19:59:00.003-05:00

The Slope Wrestling Club will be holding a meeting for signup and information this Thursday night at 7pm at Cedaredge High School. Spread the word! $40 for USA Wrestling card for insurance, a BringIt! t-shirt, and the "playbook", in addition to 2 months of practices. Good, good stuff.

Some of my favorite quotes

2009-06-29T19:45:00.002-05:00

A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done. - Vince Lombardi

What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it. - Alexander Graham Bell

The secret of our success is found in our daily agenda. - John C. Maxwell

Most men stop when they begin to tire. Good men go until they think they are going to collapse. But the very best know the mind tires before the body and push themselves further and further, beyond all limits. Only when these limits are shattered can the unattainable be reached. - Dr. Mark Mysnyk

Take a strong wrestler, get them tired, and they aren't as strong.
Take a quick wrestler, get them tired, and they aren't as quick.
Take a technical wrestler, get them tired, and they aren't as technical.
No matter what kind of wrestler, everyone is afraid of getting tired.
It's those who learn to perform when they're tired that find success.
- J. Robinson

I don't choose to be a common man. I want to be better tomorrow than today. And through a commitment to work and discipline, but mostly hard work, I'll be a little more content, and a little different from the average guy. - J. Robinson

Another workout

2009-06-27T14:23:00.002-05:00

So, how does the best high school wrestler in the nation workout?

Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling

Wrestling every second

2009-06-27T12:48:00.002-05:00

This match is amazing! This match shows why wrestling can be the greatest spectator sport when two confident athletes battle eachother wrestling every second.

Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling

Why wrestling?

2009-06-24T20:54:00.001-05:00

Check this out!

Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling

A Legend in Delta County?

2009-06-06T11:41:00.002-05:00

I just received a mass e-mail from Mark Schultz, yes, the Mark Schultz. For those of you that don't know, here is his wikipedia bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Schultz_(amateur_wrestler)
If you have a bio on wikipedia, you are kind of a big deal. Here is what his e-mail said:
Hi Everyone,
I hate to admit this but I'm looking for a job. I need to find one right now too! Our company (USA Masonry) is going under in about a month and I'll lose my health insurance. Here's 2 of my resume's. One for coaching and one for Athletic Director. I'd like to stay in Colorado if possible. If not I'll probably move to California. Call me or write to my email. I have no teaching certificate (California requires one) so I'm stuck with colleges and private schools in that state. I don't know about Colorado. I sent one of these emails to the California Clubs thinking someone must know something but I get asked "do you want to teach" a lot. I can't say I do under the present circumstances. It's not that I don't like it. It's that I'm 48 and can't build up a decent retirement even if I work till I'm 60. I have to do something else if I'm going to survive after retirement. I'd like to work for USAW. I've applied for several jobs (both national coaches, manager of developing style, grappling coach (not paid much there though). I'd also not mind living in North Denver and learn to fly helicopters with Jake Miller, Darryl's son. I don't know what to do so I'm reaching out.

--
Mark Schultz
(303) 809-5286
1969 Denver West Dr. #1035
Golden, CO 80401
msgrappling@gmail.com

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Obviously, with a resume' like his, ending up in Delta County may not be his number one choice. However, Delta County is a nice place with good people, and I feel I would not be doing my job if I at least didn't spread the word and see if this possibility, although a long shot, could become a reality.

A rising tide lifts all boats

2009-06-03T07:22:00.005-05:00

Choosing to make the commitment and focus year round, creates a gap between you and the competition. The Steiners decided to do that after 8th grade. That improves everyone around you. You may have to make some sacrifices, but enjoy the process. Work is not the opposite of play. Again it comes back to what J Rob says, what experiences do you want to have. You need to choose.

There are three things I want to highlight about the next video:
Motivation is contagious
Competition is good as long as it stays healthy
Become comfortable with greatness

So, I've been in Cedaredge for a few days now. It is great to be here, and I want to give out a little recognition. Martin Alejandre has approached me, and although I am running The Slope club twice a week, he wants to wrestle every day. This is in addition to working full-time + doing hard manual labor. Marty Peterson has wrestled and worked out with me twice. Who else is going to rise up to the challenge? I will be making more phone calls and we have signup for the club on Thursday night at 7pm in my classroom at the highschool. Bring It!

Tribes

2009-06-02T18:53:00.002-05:00

I think that the idea of tribes as a vehicle of change is really interesting. Change is happening all the time. There is a world of change going on right now at Cedaredge High School if you haven't noticed. Looking at our wrestling program really gets me thinking about change. Last year, as most readers of this blog know, the wrestling program was scheduled to be dropped until Roy Brown and Allen Abeyta stepped up as coaches and the community got riled up. So now it is my turn to keep the momentum going. We are definitely looking at change. Wrestling will not succeed with the number of wrestlers out and the number of people in attendance at home meets. Change must happen. So this first video discusses how that happens. How do you institute change?
-challenge the status quo
-build a culture
-be curious, ask questions
-connect people, people want to be missed
-commit, commit to the cause, the tribe, and the people involved

This second video goes into greater detail about how to get your ideas to spread. I want this wrestling program to be successful. Success comes about by getting ideas to spread. If we look at marketing an average wrestling program to average people, we will just be ignored. What I feel that I'm working diligently towards is building something remarkable, as in worth talking about. The wrestling program cannot just be very good, it must be remarkable. Then it needs to be sold to the people that are listening. We need to figure out who does care, not just blanket the masses because we will be ignored. If we aim at uncommon people who are obsessed, they will listen, and the idea will then spread to all the people, and success will come about.

What is success?

2009-06-02T18:45:00.002-05:00

Cael Sanderson never lost a college match, he won gold in the Olympics, and now he is the highest paid wrestling coach in the country and has the #1 recruit, David Taylor, coming to wrestle for him at Penn State. Count how many times he says to surround yourself with the right people.

John Wooden had 38 straight victories in NCAA tournament play between 1964 and 1974. He has the most appearances in the Final Four and the most victories. His all-time 40 season winning percentage is .813.

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable."

Forming Winning Habits and being Uncommon

2009-06-02T18:42:00.004-05:00

I love J Rob! I posted him in the beginning of this whole blog, and I felt we were in the need for a little more.

Here is a quote that I hang on my refrigerator:
“I don’t choose to be a common man. I want to be better tomorrow than today. And through a commitment to work and discipline, but mostly hard work, I’ll be a little more content, and a little different from the average guy.
--J. Robinson

Being uncommon comes from developing habits. Make yourself better every day.

1 foot races

2009-06-02T18:10:00.005-05:00

This match shows David Taylor. The number one highschool wrestler in the country. Understand that he is wrestling a multi-state champion, not just some joker off the street. He does a lot of cool tilts and half rolls which is what works against the best wrestlers--the top 5%. He has incredible precision in his wrestling. The execution is in the details. He always has a response. He isn't thinking, he's flowing instinctively. This is art! Wrestling is a sport of position. He has dominant technique. Then he implements that technique with aggression. He isn't just going out there to beat on people, he is scoring points. Just watch the way he ties up. He punches the ties with heavy hands. He just gets on a roll and things are over.

Wrestling really is a series of 1 foot races. It is not who can squeeze the tightest, not necessarily faster movements, but faster reactions. The best wrestlers have no delay, no thinking. When you are offensive and begin the sequence, you control the next step, and if you know the next step, you will beat the person to the punch. Then if you have the gas tank and push the pace, you will always be one step ahead. We will work on this a lot. Being decisive from the first contact, knowing the possible or typical reactions. Then just have the guts in scrambles to find a way to win, push the beserko button and fight. Have that relaxed intensity, step to step, following a plan, learning chain sequences, taking the time and knowing where you are going and where you want to end up from the moment contact is made. As we train we will take time to plan and learn sequences that most fit your abilities and will result in 5 points not just 2. This can be tedious but eventually it becomes reaction and instantaneous. Become the student of perfect slow motion, develop the brain-body connection with thinking repetition, then it will not be pulling the trigger during a match and thinking about the best time to hit the shot, eventually we will get to the flow, the second contact is made, we are flipping the switch of a sequence that is instantly reactionary. Put that technical superiority with physical and mental preparation and you become a dominant wrestler. The more chains you have, the more weapons you have, the more dangerous you are. Concentrating on mastering each chain is important. Be patient, we need to build up the blocks. We want to train to compete with and beat the top 5%. I'm purposely putting videos on here of the best wrestlers in the country because that is the level we are shooting for. It will take hard work-no doubt about it, but I have a map.

You don't need a lot. Believe in the system, master fundamentals, start at the bottom, wrestle with confidence. A lot can happen in 7 weeks.

Losing is hard, but smart hard work gets you through the frustration.

Turning 2 into 5

2009-06-02T18:06:00.004-05:00

This is a really cool match. It shows many interesting things. Both of these highschool seniors definitely have smooth technique which has resulted in multiple state championships for each. Another thing I really like here is Biscaha turning 2 into 5. Directly off of takedowns he is working into tilts. I like it! Also, he is such a tough rider based off of basic principles of wrestling. Ride behind the arms, stay in good position, look for wrist control, and then turn it directly into a tilt. This also hits on some of the mental side of the competition. Some times, the match should be a lot closer than it is, but a near fall or extra points gets one wrestler on a roll and the best protection is building your lead. The final thing about this match that is so cool, is that it shows another reason why wrestling is so awesome. No matter how bad you are losing, you are never completely out of it. The Oklahoma kid is down by 11, but catches a neck wrench and almost gets the pin!

Dangerous, smart, and scoring points

2009-06-02T18:04:00.006-05:00

The Darrion Caldwell / Brent Metcalf match in this years NCAA finals received a tremendous amount of press. Most of the press was due to the shove by Metcalf during Caldwell's celebration at the end of the match. However, this is a tremendous match! The video here shows the first two periods. I'd like to make a few comments regarding the match. A little background first... Caldwell caught Metcalf in a spladle during a previous match and pinned him. Metcalf also tech'ed Caldwell earlier in the year. Metcalf, being the returning Hodge winner, and by winning in such a dominant fashion earlier in the year, was definitely the top bet to be a national champ again this year. However, things did not turn out that way.

Typically, the "Hawkeye style" is extremely aggressive, moving forward, mentally and physically breaking your oppenent by pushing and shoving. That had to be Metcalf's plan entering the match. He is extremely physical, has a great left-handed hi-c, and has probably the biggest gas tank in college wrestling. This conditioning factor is a huge point in the success of the Iowa Hawkeyes (http://www.flowrestling.org/blogs/blogger/baskren/6441-gable-trained)

There were a few things here that I would like to point out that I think are interesting.

**Caldwell is dangerous. He is scary fast, and has weapons. The funk he brings in leg counters saves his goose, not only saves it, but scores with it. Whenever, you wrestle an opponent who at any point can end the match with some weapon in their arsenal makes one a little cautious. He is also winning the match within the first 12 seconds.

**The more weapons your opponent has the more important it is to maintain good position. Logic would tell you to dig inside and pummel for control as Metcalf was doing in the over/under. But you can just see the gears turning with Caldwell, waiting, waiting, then he lets him in and reckless abandon! Lefty head throw! No one hits head-and-arms in college, much less in the finals.

**I really like seeing Caldwell's continuation of throw-bys when Metcalf hangs on the head. I think that is really smart. He didn't score off of a single throw-by, but he didn't allow Metcalf to just hang and wear him down. So many people stay in a collar tie or try digging inside on stronger opponents. Caldwell shucked it off his head continually, and he did tire (back spasm) in the third period, but he definitely preserved his gas tank and kept Metcalf out of his position of favor.

**Caldwell also is an incredible scrambler. He has the technical plan of working his offense, but he does whatever it takes to score points. He doesn't give up the takedowns and really makes Metcalf work for every point and is able to actually score his own points off of positions that seem dire and over.

Anyways, it was a great match, exciting wrestling. Both guys are amazing and will be the future of international competition in the United States. Enjoy!

Fun, Hard Work

2009-06-02T17:50:00.004-05:00

So, hopefully most of you wrestlers have begun some sort of off-season work. I decided to post some videos of "different" workouts. These can add some variety and are good for muscular endurance and combat sports. Try to keep some perspective and think of the suffering as a companion instead of an opponent. Relaxed intensity. There is no substitute for hard work. You've got to put in the time, but realize it is the miles not the years. Transformation does not take 10 years and these workouts are only 25 minutes in duration. Remember, everyone has their time and you've got to build brick by brick.

***As a side note, I firmly believe there is no substitute for hard work, but I find it hilarious that Sean Sherk says this when he was busted for steroid use and had his UFC title taken away. In addition, there is a good deal of controversy around Brock Lesner. He was arrested for being in possession of steroids, but the cops changed their stance to growth hormones, and his lawyer said it was a "vitamin type of thing". He was never convicted... Regardless of the controversy, these are intense interesting workouts. I like 'em***

Gotta Love It!

2009-05-30T08:50:00.002-05:00

This is amazing!

Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling

Brain Research

2009-05-27T16:55:00.004-05:00

One of the things I like doing the most is to take lots of ideas that strike me in some way, roll them around, take a walk with them, and have them blend together. In the study of many different things in school and life, finding blended central principles leads to truth, and really that's what education is all about. I ended up writing my undergrad thesis on the alternative assessment of identity, but I also put a lot of work into creating a type of "consilience" (E.O. Wilson) regarding principles within highschool biology and "life".

I am teaching about the human body right now and we have gotten into the nervous system, so we are looking at a lot of brain research. Wow! It is one of the most fascinating topics out there, and it applies everywhere from motor functions applied to sports to emotions to psychology to academic learning and on and on. Wilson, in his book, even has a chapter devoted to the collaboration in the field of neurobiology between biologists, psychologists, philosophers, and people within the humanities.

This blog is a little bit of my pulpit, so I get to preach a little. My oldest brother and I recently had a discussion on coaching and wrestling. Whenever we get together we also invariably discuss "the world". He said that if he were to coach, the biggest thing he would like to see come about as a result of boys participating in wrestling is producing men that can deal with situations and control their emotions. I find this to be an incredibly important task within sports and education.

I recently read an online discussion about bad habits attained among high school wrestlers, and a couple of people discussed that kids weren't "mean" enough and the reason college wrestlers were so much better was because they were meaner and enjoyed beating people up. Now, wrestling is a combat sport, but I really believe that the sports psychology tactic of being angry is a defective one. With all of the brain research out there, to neglect the mental training aspect is to do a tremendous disservice to the athlete. But the question is then posed, how do we go about training the mental side and what do we want to achieve as a result of the mental training? Are we out to make "thugs that beat people up" or are we attempting to produce solid citizens that perform at the peak of their abilities? I think the answer is obvious. I also feel that the win-loss record of thugs vs. confident peaceful warriors would shock people.

I will admit. Back in the day, (I don't know if I'm allowed to say that at 28 years old) I worshiped at the shrine of toughness. Back then, I viewed toughness and intensity in the framework of suffering. The more you suffered, the tougher you became, and therefore you were getting better. Suffering became an enemy to overcome. Wrestlers were meant to be angry and show their will by fighting the suffering, or so I thought... I went for a run the other day, and I became the old wrestler. I had my face scrunched up, I was hunched over, I was breathing hard, I was pounding my feet, I was suffering. I focused and was consumed by the suffering and a need to exert my will. Then, I woke up. I changed my mental state, and talked to myself like a good coach. I relaxed my face and neck, I thought about a string pulling me up from the top of my head, I thought about light bouncing, breathing, and moving quickly. Suddenly, I was flying and the suffering became my companion instead of my enemy. My performance, not to mention my enjoyment, greatly increased. Watch the fastest sprinters in the world, they aren't grimacing, they are so relaxed the cheeks on their faces bounce.

I believe in aggressive and action-filled wrestling, but this video discusses the concept of relaxed intensity. Brandon Slay beat one of the greatest wrestlers of all time to win the Olympics and now he coaches olympians at the OTC in Colorado Springs.

In this video, John Smith, arguably the greatest American wrestler, talks about character. How to be aggressive and an "animal" but yet a gentleman.

I could play you a ton of videos about athletes' and coaches' opinions about how much of wrestling is physical and how much is mental. I chose this video with Cory Cooperman because I think it really highlights how your thoughts affect your performance, and how important it is to "work" and "practice" controlling your mind.

This video is really enlightening. It provides the basis for how our experiences increase our abilities. It really is a snowball. This involves not only physical training but mental training.

This video discusses practices and research about training the mind and working with emotions.

This next video has a lot of application to the best mental state for performance and happiness: flow. Matching a high level of skills with a high level of challenges has so many applications in life outside of wrestling.

This final video is probably one of the most amazing and inspiring stories I've ever heard. It directly relates to meditation and Cory Cooperman's video by shutting down the chatter.

Housing

2009-05-17T14:00:00.002-05:00

So, in a little over a month, my wife and I will be in Cedaredge. We are very excited! We are hoping for a little help. We want to buy a home and are pre-approved with my contract with the school district, but we cannot actually get the loan until I've gotten a paycheck from the school. So, we need to rent for a few months. We will have 3 dogs with us which also makes things more complicated. With all of that said, I am hoping with this post the word will get out, and hopefully through word of mouth we may find some temporary housing. If you know of anything out there, let me know.

Building Muscle Memory

2009-05-10T21:57:00.002-05:00

A lot of my own personal training was done individually. Through high school and college, I was on some pretty weak teams and didn't have high-quality practice partners. In addition, when you focus on getting better throughout the year, you will find yourself training alone from time to time and having to be your own coach. These next few videos will describe some slow motion shadow drilling and describe the importance of continually building your foundation.

The Bruin Sets

2009-05-10T21:54:00.002-05:00

These workouts again focus on muscular endurance, but even more so, they are meant to push you further and make you mentally stronger. Be intense and breathe!

Stance Endurance

2009-05-10T21:51:00.002-05:00

Another great companion workout with the hyperfitness that really focuses on good position and muscular endurance is shown here:

Wrestling Hyperfitness

2009-05-10T21:44:00.002-05:00

Before getting too deeply into the workouts that I've posted, please read through the article under Important Program Links entitled "Making Omelettes".

Here is a possible circuit type workout that is a lot of bodyweight exercises that focus on power and muscular endurance. See the written companion to these videos under Important Program Links entitled "Wrestling Hyperfitness".

Facilities

2009-05-08T16:14:00.006-05:00

I don't think it is news to anyone that there is a problem with the facilities at Cedaredge High School. I don't think we can build the program I am envisioning sharing the wrestling room working on one mat with the weight training equipment and those classes. I don't know what the answers are at this point, and I think it will require face to face discussions about options. In the meantime, I'd like to begin by dreaming about ideal facilities. This post will include various videos of top facilities in the nation at the high school and youth level. I might even throw a Russian video on here.

To start things off, here is a video of my high school alma mater: Ozaukee High School. My brother-in-law is the current principal and my best friend is the head coach. They have about 250 students 9-12, have recently finished 2nd in the state as a team, and have wrestlers heading to Fargo this summer representing Wisconsin at Cadet Nationals. Check out the size of their room. And to think the old room built by the "club", not by the school, was even bigger!

These next two videos highlight Blair Academy's facilities. Blair is amazing! The first video shows the old facilities, and in the second one, Buxton takes us through the new facilities.

This next video highlights the facilities at a "club" not a school. It is Eierman Elite.

The next video gives you an idea of what facilities are like at St. Paris Graham.

The next two videos give you a glimpse of things at Detroit Catholic Central.

This final video shows a club in Russia. Check out the huge windows and natural lighting. Sure beats wrestling in "the dungeon" like most wrestling rooms.

Transitioning to Phase 2

2009-05-08T15:46:00.002-05:00

The only really big thing on my to-do list for Phase 1 is to publish the first newsletter. There are certain people I am going to ask to do articles, but it is mostly going to be introducing myself and advertising this blog to all of the different families involved in wrestling in Cedaredge. I am not worried about putting the newsletter together, but what I do need help with is getting a mailing list together. I want to get it out to every family that has a kid wrestling, all the teachers, the school board, the district office, local businesses, college programs in the state, local media, as well as all the Cedaredge wrestling alumni we can come up with. I had a great talk with Chad Anderson the other night, and he is working on getting the addresses for the youth program which will probably be the biggest list as he said there were 80 kids out this past year. So, start sending me any addresses you can think of.

So, as I wrap up Phase 1, we will begin transitioning to Phase 2. Please go to the Phase 2 link under "Important Program Links" on the right hand column. There are more planning items involved than what is included in the important summer dates listed in the link. I am considering Phase 2 everything from when I get out to Colorado to the beginning of the high school season. Most of the folks reading this blog have some investment in our program. So I am soliciting some help once again. Most of Phase 2 revolves around working with kids, either in the weight room or on the wrestling mat. I am working on calling various people, but if you get to this site before I call you and you want to help out with lifting or The Slope Wrestling Club, get a hold of me. Another big, big request for help in Phase 2 involves fundraising. Here are some ideas: Contra dance, golf tournament, and silent auction with live music and dinner. I could definitely use all the help I can get in this area.

Another clinic in the works

2009-05-04T23:02:00.002-05:00

So, Mike Krause is a done deal for the clinic over Fall Break this next year. I know you guys are going to love him! This past week, I did an online webinar for the bronze level coaching certification within USA Wrestling. For those of you that don't know, USA Wrestling is the organization that leads Olympic development across the U.S. from tiny kids to future Olympians training in Colorado Springs. Sam Barber led the clinic. He is the head of the coaching development for USAW. I have talked to him a lot about program development, and he is featured in an earlier post when I talked about the Air Force Academy camps. I am going to go to the OTC(Olympic Training Center) in September to do the Silver level coaching certification.

Anyways, he has offered to come out to Cedaredge to run a clinic for us. He would also bring along a National Team member who is in training for the Olympics. Since we are just getting a USA Wrestling freestyle and greco club started, it would be free. Bonus! So, I think I'll try to set it up for our February break or April break next year.

July 8-10 Mesa State Camp

2009-05-04T22:54:00.002-05:00

Hey everybody,
I've talked to a lot of you on the phone regarding the Mesa State team camp. We are going to shoot for going to this as a group. It is grades 7-12, July 8-10. The cost is $165 with a $70 deposit due with registration. I will try to get the registration forms out into the schools this week. I have heard that some of you will still be going to Western and to Estes Park for an Iowa camp. Man, that is so awesome! I am so pumped to get out there and wrestle with you guys.

Follow this link for the Mesa State camp brochure:
http://www.mesamavs.com/custompages/Wrestling/WrestlingCamp09Final.pdf

Team Camp

2009-04-30T15:37:00.002-05:00

First of all, I know that when this page loads, the kolat.com clips I'v embedded start playing right away. It is annoying, and I'm trying to figure out how to stop that. In the meantime, scroll down and pause them.

As I was talking to some of you wrestlers, it sounds like there is some interest in attending a team competition camp. That's great! I'd love to get you guys some matches and see where your abilities are at. The two options I'm looking into is Western or Mesa State. I know you guys have gone to Western in the past and have enjoyed it there. It is an option, however, it is in June when I won't be in Colorado yet. I would prefer to look at the Mesa State camp. It is July 8-10th. I am going to call Chuck Pipher tomorrow, and then I'll give you guys an update. In the meantime, give me some feedback. Who is interested in going, and do you have a preference as to which we go to?

Strength Training Resources

2009-04-29T18:44:00.004-05:00

I've been having trouble with the embedding code for the videos I want to put on here, so I am just going to include the links.

Here are some videos related to strength training specifically for wrestling. Two are from Big Ten college strength and conditioning coaches and the other is from a coach at the Olympic Education Center.

Gruenwald

Wisconsin

Northwestern

Mental Training Resources

2009-04-29T18:37:00.001-05:00

I really, really like this blog. I've pirated many of his ideas for our Mental Training Rubric.

http://www.genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Nutrition/Hydration Resources

2009-04-29T18:05:00.003-05:00

If you follow this link you will find a great resource on nutrition and hydration that was put out by the Olympic Training Center.
http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=8
Once you get to the page, in the left hand column there is a link to "coaches webinar" which is a powerpoint with really super info.

In wrestling, it is important to be at a weight that allows you to be competitive. However, this article is very insightful in the overall process and purpose of losing weight.
http://www.suples.com/article1.htm

Technique Resources

2009-04-29T17:50:00.002-05:00

Kolat.com is a site that I have subscribed to and one that I think is awesome. This website has spawned a huge idea that I am working on implementing in teaching. Here are some clips to give you an idea about the site.

Promo poster

2009-04-29T14:33:00.001-05:00

The Slope Wrestling Club

2009-04-26T21:12:00.003-05:00

Hey everybody,

Hopefully more people are finding the site after the posters my awesome wife designed got hung in the schools and around town. I hope you like them.

I am going to go against my blogging rule for this post. The idea of me creating the blog is to try to force me to give short bursts of info. So many times when I get excited about something, I tend to ramble and write tomes of information. So, my rule is that in the blog, I must keep my posts short because people aren't going to read it if it is long-winded and takes forever to get through. I am going to break my rule for this post. Sorry! But please stay tuned and read through this as it is really important stuff and going to be some of the most ambitious big time ideas I have.

So, I've created a USA Wrestling Club to parallel my work with Cedaredge High School and the Cedaredge Wrestling Program. After reading some posts on www.cowrestling.com regarding wrestling on the Western Slope, especially those by Gwen Lane, I got to thinking. I was always planning on creating a USA Wrestling Club, just my focus is a little greater now. I would like the club to "provide challenges and opportunities for athletes on the Western Slope to seek the next level in their wrestling performance."

A lot of the purpose here is to renew the wrestling slogan that Iron Sharpens Iron. There are a few major aims of the club:
1) provide open and available facilities where athletes can get the training partners and competition they need
2) coordinate transportation to tournaments and camps to get exposure to the best competition and training in the state and country
3) provide scholarship opportunities for activities for those athletes with the will but not the resources

When I read about the Lane's commitment to helping their boys, I thought a lot about my own parents. I really would like to dedicate this club to them to try to replicate the support they gave me and my brothers. With my mother's illness, I really gave a lot of thought to what my parents have all done for me to help me be successful in school and wrestling. They didn't help us out by being the 24/7 intense parent coach seen at many youth tournaments--heck, after all the matches they've watched and all the listening they did and all the trips to Northern Plains, neither of them could even explain a basic move. They did help us though by sensing if we were nervous and telling us that the other guys sh*t stunk just like ours and if you get nervous just say 3 Glory Be's before the match.

The overall conclusion that I came up with about my success was that my parents were especially good at satisfying my basic needs so that I could focus on doing my best and making my best better. For the life of me, I cannot recall a time going to school worried about something. I cannot think of a time when I brought the baggage or issues that I see many of my own students showing up with each day. Again, my needs were met.

And I'm not talking just about food and shelter. I'm talking about safety needs--feeling secure about my health, money, and that if something were to go wrong, I have a safety net and support group to help me out. I'm also talking about love needs and a sense of belonging. Being accepted at home unconditionally and knowing there was a safety net allowed me the confidence to seek out who I wanted to be and who I still want to become.

So the idea of the club is to help give kids the resources and support they need to become the people they want to be. I want to emulate my parents and help satisfy some basic needs and use wrestling as the engine for this purpose.

So, to leave the philosophical realm and get back to the real world, here are some concrete thoughts:

Initially, I want this club set up for liability insurance and so kids within the district have a place to wrestle with eachother during freestyle, greco, and the off-season as well as bring in world-class clinicians during our weeklong fall, winter, and spring breaks. Although we are competitors, I would like to live the spirit of our superintendant that we are a school district instead of a district of schools. Again, Iron Sharpens Iron. This will ultimately help Delta County Schools and the western slope represent when it comes to state and national competition.
When I have the cash to upgrade my '92 Nissan pickup, I want a Dodge Sprinter for hauling dogs and kids. I plan on spending time each summer in the midwest with family. I would like to raise money for local scholarships to J Robinson's camps. Then my wife and I can transport those kids to Minneapolis when I visit my brother there. When they are at camp, I can visit Wisconsin and Illinois for a month and then pick the athletes up from camp and come back to Colorado.
I also want to take kids that have come through our program to Mongolia. Wrestling is the national sport there and my wife's sister is a missionary in the capital city as well as a freelance travel agent. My wife and I want to visit our Godson and neice and take wrestlers to help out with the homeless children summer camp that my sister-in-law runs for a month. Our kids could help out by teaching "American" wrestling. We would also be able to explore the countryside in one of the most unspoiled countries in the world. To cap things off, we would go to the Nadaam Festival where the country comes together to celebrate the three manly games: horsemanship, archery, and WRESTLING!
This last point is something that is for the long haul. Eventually, I would like to see the club fundraise to the point where our scholarships could come from the interest from an endowment. Schools do this with their scholarship funds for graduating seniors (I just gave a speech at my highschool's scholarship dinner where they had a silent auction and live music), and the Catholic school that I work for now works a lot the same way for teacher salaries. Fundraising for travel is important. One of my best friends, who was an All American in college with me, runs a wrestling club in Juneau, AK. The only way in or out of Juneau is by boat or plane so if they are going to compete they need money. He is really successful and he brings in top TOP clinicians every summer for his camps and his wrestlers compete in Reno every year. He runs the club as a nonprofit and is a government lobbyist primarily for native organizations and non-profits so he knows what he is doing. I plan to lean on his knowledge as much as possible for this goal.
College scholarships are nice because they help alleviate costs for higher education. However, I would like to see this club provide activity scholarships that directly give the kids the opportunities to get the tools to earn college scholarships. This goal of the club clarifies how important it is to connect with alumni, alumni parents, and members of the community. We need people to want to help because they can understand the good that we do. Not only are they giving back to the cause but the cause needs to give back by building a stronger more unified community and also by helping build kids of character who are good citizens.

The Core Support Team

2009-04-25T11:53:00.003-05:00

As you can see from this blog so far, I really like the website www.flowrestling.org

I love watching videos of the best wrestlers and coaches. There is a common thread amongst the most successful people. So many of them talk about surrounding yourself with the right people. So who are the right people? I feel the right people have the key psychology of greatness which is that they maintain absolute faith that they can and will succeed regardless of the difficulties, and at the same time, they confront the most brutal facts of their current reality. Another key psychology of the right people is that they have a "whatever it takes" attitude.

So then who are the wrong people? The most successful people also talk about avoiding negative people and small time thinkers. I really think those are the wrong people. I understand that many of the things I am planning are very ambitious, and I know we must look at the reality of our situation, but I need the right people to keep the faith.

So, I am looking to form a "core support team". The members of the core support team are the "keepers of the flame". When things get tough, we lean on eachother to maintain the motivation when others may fall off a little. We lead by example of the passion we have for wrestling and for the youth of the community. In addition, if you look at the Project Charter, under organization, the core support team are the major task leaders. I understand the amount of work it will take to have a successful program, and I am willing to step up to the plate. I also understand that in order to go fast, you go alone. If you want to go far, you go together. So far, I've done a lot of work and got it done quickly. What I'm looking for now is for people to jump on board, so we can go far together. All of you that have helped me out so far, THANK YOU!

If there are any tasks that you feel you could lend your expertise to, please let me know. Anything from organizing youth tournaments to gathering addresses for the mailing list to coaching to photography, any help, no matter how small would be greatly appreciated. Again, this is not a lifetime commitment so don't get scared off, but if you are passionate about Cedaredge, wrestling, or your kid, get in touch with me.

This just in...

2009-04-24T11:54:00.003-05:00

Hey everybody,

Keep your calendar open next October for Fall Break! I am securing a Mike Krause clinic camp. Mike is currently coaching a feeder program for Detroit Catholic Central. We are looking at 4 days, $100 per family, all ages, preseason tune up! A HUGE portion of the $100 comes back to the club for gear credit at World Wide Sport Supply http://www.wwsport.com

Here is a little taste of Mike:

J Robinson Camps

2009-04-23T23:34:00.000-05:00

If you want to transform yourself, this is the place. It takes a great commitment, but...

Just watch the video, it will speak for itself:

Air Force Academy Camps

2009-04-23T23:09:00.000-05:00

Personally, from what I've seen, I have to endorse the Airforce Academy Camps. This is the link to register : http://www.goairforcefalcons.com/camps/2009-sports-camps.html

Here is their blurb:

The Air Force Academy Wrestling Technique Camp offers world class technique, world class fun and is a proven resource to help develop novice and elite competitors. The training regiment campers will follow on a daily basis has been developed under the leadership and guidance of Air Force Wrestling Head Coach Joel Sharratt.

The camp will focus on fundamental skills and principles that are common in every match at every level of competition.

1. Fundamental principles in the 5 key positions found in every wrestling match.

2. Development and training tips to develop the 6 physical attributes of every wrestler.

3. Character of a Champion, insight into the habits and practices that lead to championship performance on the mat and in life.

Here are some of my reasons why you should consider this camp:

These guys are world class! You can check out their stats if you don't take my word for it. Joel Sharratt and Sam Barber both worked with J Robinson at Minnesota and Bart Horton worked with Brian Smith at Missouri. Plus from what I've heard, I love these guys' philosophy. In addition, with the work I've been putting in on creating the framework for our wrestling program in Cedaredge, they absolutely live that philosophy and are trying to help me out, help the sport of wrestling out, and in turn help you out.

Another good reason is that while you are in the area, you can check out the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Finally, I will let those involved with the camp and program speak for themselves. When I watch these videos, I want to go wrestle for them!

Joel Sharratt

Sam Barber

This final video has a clip of another coach, Bart Horton. He is at about 4:20 in talking about the Missouri recipe. He coached with Brian Smith at Missouri but is now at the AFA. This video also shows that although wrestlers can work very hard, they can have fun in the process.

Summer Camps

2009-04-23T22:40:00.000-05:00

Summer camps are a great way to improve as a wrestler, but when it comes to choosing camps it is important to look at what you are trying to get out of it.

I plan to run our own mini-camps for 7-12 graders at the end of June and also in August before football starts. In between those times, I am cooking up some really awesome stuff for a month and a half mission.

My own wrestling camp experiences were very good. The biggest camp I attended was the Wisconsin National Team Training Camp. I was a cadet, and it helped me in a lot of ways. I was definitely dog-tired, but it gave me a lot of confidence. I was able to practice and train with the best representatives from Wisconsin, and the biggest thing I learned was that I was tougher than a lot of them. I was able to outwork and mentally break most of the guys I was working out with. It was also great exposure. I will never forget the athleticism of Garrett Lowney, who was a pretty big dude. During warm-ups he was turning front handsprings like nothing, and here I was, at the time, a wiry little guy that couldn't do that. It helped me understand the level of where the best wrestlers were and it also let me gauge where I was.

Again, when it comes to looking at summer camps, it depends upon what you are looking to get out of it.

Here are some general suggestions:

As a highschooler, I suggest you go to a camp where you are thinking of going to college, whether you are planning on wrestling in college or not. If you are thinking about going to Mesa State, go to their camp; if you are thinking about going to Western State, go to their camp; if you are thinking about going to Harvard, go to their camp.
If you want to TRANSFORM yourself, go to J Robinson's Intensive Training Camp. Period.
If you really don't know what is up and you're asking for my personal advice, right now, my endorsement would be for the Air Force Academy's camp. I will tell you why in another blog.
If you are a young guy, have fun somewhere! I'm going to try and bring Mike Krause out to Colorado from Michigan for a family camp. By many people, he is thought of as the best youth coach in the country.
For you parents reading this, if you don't want to shell out the bucks for your real young wrestler, but really want to help them out, I suggest you focus on technique and look at www.kolat.com I have a subscription there, it is a great site aimed at helping parents teach and learn with their kids, and you should contact me if you want some more detailed information. I feel this is better than buying technique DVD's, but if you want to go that route, I suggest Purler. I'm also working on making a technique video for the rubrics this weekend with my brother, so stay tuned. Also, I really suggest that you buy you and your youngster a "Bring It" T-shirt like the ones demonstrated in the previous blog post with Mike Krause. You can find the shirts at: http://www.wwsport.com Search for the keyword Bring It

It's never too late

2009-04-23T21:54:00.000-05:00

I know some of you out there have never wrestled before. I know some of you have taken a year or more off from wrestling. I want to make sure you understand it is never too late to do something great. Don't set invisible barriers in your life.

At a coastal aquarium, a savage Barracuda and a Spanish mackerel were placed in the same glass tank with a glass partition separating them.

Unaware of the transparent barrier, the Barracuda quickly attacked the Mackerel but was stopped by the partition. After bumping his nose repeatedly, he finally quit trying. Later, the partition was removed, but the Barracuda would swim only to the point where the barrier had been and stop... because the Barracuda thought that the barrier was still there.

Many people are like this. We move forward until we reach an imaginary barrier but then stop because of a self-imposed attitude of limitation. All of our lives, we have been prevented from our dreams because we convince ourselves of and what the majority of society understands--LIMITATIONS!

The only limit to any person's growth and progress is the one that we place on ourselves by our own thinking!

Success is simple. The only reason why so many people are held from it is because it is because they remain bound to their own self-imposed limitations.

The following movies are examples of some of the best coaches in the US that started late but made a commitment and went on to do amazing things.

J Robinson

Tom Ryan

Brian Smith

Brian Smith's college teammate Mike Krause coached 5 state champs that only began wrestling in 9th grade. He used these types of methods shown in this video (he even got the camera man getting the job done) :

Off-season work and a good place to start

2009-04-23T17:34:00.001-05:00

I believe you need to wrestle to get better at wrestling. However, being a wrestler is much more than just wrestling. Maintaining a balance in your life and managing your priorities can be quite a task. We are approaching the summer which brings up summer wrestling and summer camps but it also brings in jobs and less structure due to no school.

What you choose to do this summer has a lot to do with who you want to be. This video should help you start to think about what experiences you would like to have in your life. When you think about who you want to be, where you want to end up, and what experiences you want to have, you can begin to make a plan for your future.

What is possible?

2009-04-21T21:12:00.000-05:00

I believe in unlimited possibilities! Check this out: in 1 year, undefeated in duals, 10 qualify to state, 5 placers, 2nd as a team, 2000 people at matches, 75 junior high wrestlers! Of course, we need to focus on the team and people we need to BE before we can HAVE our goals, but this is really inspiring to listen to:

Phase One

2009-04-21T19:58:00.001-05:00

So, if you check out the project charter, you will see that there are different phases in my plan and strategy. I know all of that organized framework/rubric stuff I've done looks pretty good on paper (because I've asked top coaches from all levels around the U.S. to look at it), but what really matters is what actually gets done and how effective it is when the rubber meets the road.

So, let's get the rubber on the road! Here are some things I've got planned to do before I move out west.

Form a core support team (any volunteers ?!?) THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT
Set the competition schedule for next winter
Call wrestlers, coaches, parents to begin/renew relationships
Set up USA Wrestling Club
Make a wishlist and research costs involved with ideal training facility
Plan summer (social events, camps, strength and conditioning)
Record Technique Videos and put on website
Get mailing list together of all current wrestling families K-12, as many alumni as possible, and other important recipients (colleges, teachers, local organizations)
Mail out first newsletter

How can you help?

Introducing myself

2009-04-21T19:14:00.000-05:00

Wow!
I've got so much that I want to share with everyone. I guess I need to figure out where to start. Maybe I should start with myself. Many of you know me from teaching at Cedaredge Middle School, but many of you may not. So...

I am the youngest of 7 kids; my parents are from families of 9 and 10 kids = we are Catholic :)

Both sides of my family have been dairy farmers in Wisconsin for many generations with my mom's family farm originating in 1848.

My parents had one of us boys in the state tournament for a decade.

We had a wrestling mat in the basement and a library of wrestling videos including many from Iowa and Russia.

I graduated valedictorian of my high school and with a 4.0 in college...no big whoop...

My older brother Dominic and I both wrestled for Lakeland College.

I lived in 4 states this past year.

So, this past year has been crazy. I'll try to sum it up as briefly as possible. My wife and I left Cedaredge to chase the dream of being professional dogmushers. We got hooked up with a dogfood maker in Michigan and drove 3000 miles with 54 of his dogs to live in a tent on a glacier in Alaska and give dogsled rides to tourists. I rode in a helicopter every week for four months. Then we moved back to Michigan with the 54 dogs and trained to be dog jockeys. We worked with 120 dogs including training 20 at a time pulling a four-wheeler for up to 8 hours straight on trails in the U.P. We were planning on racing all around North America all winter. Then my mom was diagnosed with cancer. My wife and I decided to quit the dogsledding thing and move in with my mom and dad. I got a job teaching science at a Catholic middle school in one of the richest suburbs of Milwaukee. My mom passed away on Valentine's Day which also happens to be my wife's birthday. Then things came together with moving back to Colorado, and that brings us up to the present.

Welcome!

2009-04-21T18:51:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody,
I am so pumped to have the chance to lead the wrestling program in Cedaredge. As most of you know I am here in Wisconsin until the middle of June. So, in order to get this party started, I've made this blog. I've been working on creating a framework to guide the program in an organized way. You can find the work I've done thus far on the right side under important links. That should keep you busy for now...