Tom Brands "This is not just another match"
- Thread starter dunkej01
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Gotta love Brands! Tells it like it is 100% of the time. One of very few people in life that don't lie
He can be irritating and just once I would love to see the brothers be told to sit down .
But I really do appreciate and like Tom Brands
This simply is not just another match and it was missed last year.
But I really do appreciate and like Tom Brands
This simply is not just another match and it was missed last year.
That sucks re: Cortez. I forget, was it ever confirmed as a shoulder? Clark isn't a good guy to test a shoulder against, especially in CHA.
I'm only worried about this as much as I can control it - which is zero, by the way, but shoulder injuries can be really bad news. It can take a National Champ caliber wrestler and make him a non-placer. Recent examples: McDonough, Altons, Q...I hope Cortez has the light version of this.
The Brands brothers would have been GREAT character actors in the spaghetti westerns of Clint Eastwood...I can see them now...."Here come them Brands brothers again, last time they blew through Tulsa, now on their way to Dodge City!!!"
Q was a 4x AA and won a championship the year he hurt his shoulder. He was a 9 seed.
Actually that happened with Nevills last year. Just could not get past the injury. Agree with Gray52 here...we might be taking 9 to St Louis.
Can STILL get it done, but it is what it is.
Yes, he did recover and finish well, but my point was that in all these cases the wrestler underperformed significantly while dealing with the injury. In Q's case, he had good timing on the injury which allowed him to finally heal enough to do big things at the end of the year. During that season though, he was not looking very good for a while there. Thanks for pointing that out though, he was indeed a National Champ the year of the injury.
Yes, essentially a mild sprain doesn't leave lasting damage and you can recover with full-strength, range of motion, etc... More serious sprains and separations often ultimately require surgery to heal properly.
I wonder if what triggered the reporter's question as to whether the upcoming PSU Dual is treated as "just another match" isn't the way Cael answered this same question at his weekly press conference? Cael basically said the same thing he always says....PSU treats preparations for every Dual the same....completely focus and preparation....they approach each Dual the same way and don't break their routine, etc...
My experience is a shoulder / neck injury is far more difficult to overcome for a wrestler than a knee injury ...
Confession is good for the soul...
My first impression of Tom Brands, the coach, was frankly...that he was a nut case. An "out-of-control", animated, mess-of-a-coach, that somehow reached his "Peter Principle" position in life at a younger-than-normal age.
My impression now is totally different. He's passionate, committed, and wildly entertaining. Don't blame him for walking onto the mat when he shouldn't...blame the referee. And listen to him (don't tune him out, really listen), and you'll hear a coach that "gets it", far more than rabid fans from other schools give him credit. He's a great coach, at a great wrestling school, and his demeanor fits perfectly at the school he's at. And I'll even say, in a broader sense, he's great for college wrestling. My opinion...
My first impression of Tom Brands, the coach, was frankly...that he was a nut case. An "out-of-control", animated, mess-of-a-coach, that somehow reached his "Peter Principle" position in life at a younger-than-normal age.
My impression now is totally different. He's passionate, committed, and wildly entertaining. Don't blame him for walking onto the mat when he shouldn't...blame the referee. And listen to him (don't tune him out, really listen), and you'll hear a coach that "gets it", far more than rabid fans from other schools give him credit. He's a great coach, at a great wrestling school, and his demeanor fits perfectly at the school he's at. And I'll even say, in a broader sense, he's great for college wrestling. My opinion...
The Brands brothers will always be bigger than life in the state of Iowa. They bring incredible passion and knowledge and are very good guys to boot. I do think they tend to have trouble relating in the modern world when compared to a guy like Cael or Tom Ryan. They are old school in everything from technology to wrestling. I think this is why change has been so slow around here. Recruiting is huge, and they seem to be figuring that out the past couple of years, but it might have helped to adapt about five years sooner.
This idea of approaching every event the same way is how John Wooden taught it. I thought all coaches teach it this way nowadays. I was surprised to hear Tom Brands say the opposite.
By the way, I love the way my coach explained the concept to us. He said that when he first wrestled in the NCAA tournament (D1), he was so motivated that he wrestled "harder" than he ever had before, and everything felt "off", and he underperformed. Only later did he realize that, when you wrestle a match at, say, 105% as hard and fast as you train, you are rushing, and you mess up the timing of your set ups and reflexes and everything else. So he says, train at 100% and wrestle at 100%--no faster/harder. I think that explanation (using "percent") makes sense to kids.
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It seems unlikely that it could happen, but Tom Brands' words make me wonder whether a team as high-end as Iowa could have been repeatedly making my coach's rookie mistake when they've (allegedly) underperformed recently in the post season.
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Agree.....often times you hear it referred to as attempting to "force it". Wrestling is a sport where you have to "feel" what your basic advantage is, while at the same time keeping your "defensive level" high especially against someone you are not familiar with because they are doing the same thing you are (very much like boxing in this regard.....which is why they always called boxing "the sweet science" - there is no way to go on the attack in boxing without first dropping some portion of your defense and making yourself susceptible to "counter-attack" if you are unsuccessful in your attack. Jabbing is as much "defense" than "offense", but it allows you to gauge your potential to attack, set the timing, range, etc....).
Nolf and Bo have very difficult styles because their constant-attack mode is to keep you distracted and if you do attempt to "counter" and mix it up, there is no backing out (that is their advantage - they are constant motion machines that are not "out of position" even when you think they might be "out of position"......they are rarely "uncomfortable" even in crazy scrambles - not true for most wrestlers.
But agree with you, simply attempting to "force it" will not work if you do not have that advantage on your opponent and they can easily counter your foolish aggression. It works for Jason and Bo, but that is because they are not human.....
That's a nice way to phrase/think about the attacking vs countering approach to wrestling. (I'm going to borrow it to confirm to kids who become afraid to attack that, yes, you do make yourself vulnerable when you attack, but ...)
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This feeling seems to have a footing across the interwebs. My opinion is that this is more about the perceived tone of press conferences and the "older generations" projecting a displeasure of the Brands on the mat actions to mean that they are too tough or old school for our current generation of wrestlers.
My feeling and this isnt at you JW3, just my feelings. I see Iowa as a leader with Flo, I see iowa doing events with their kids like wiffleball, I see iowa getting top 10 P4P guys from out of state, I see iowa as a leader of out of the box ideas (grapple at the gridiron) and so on. I think the brands get it, I really do. Their public demeanor when compared to Cael is just genetics and spice of life in my opinion. Cael is as intense a competitor as the brands, but is low key in public. The Brands I feel are as fun as PSU, et al but they keep their down time for the most part to themselves.
I think that I would have no problem getting into a foxhole or a beach volley ball court with either. If there was a sofies choice, probably have to pick myself so as not to drag the others down.
Darth Ryan.....well not so much, but thats just me.
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My modern world comments are about technology. Twitter, and other forms of social media are pretty new to these guys. I don't think that is bad, but it has not been perfect for recruiting. I'm not sure we weren't all better off before social media took over the world. Morning* was hired, imo, to fill this void as much as anything.
I have no problem with the Brands brothers......I find their "genuineness" and passion to be very refreshing. What I like about the Brands is that they are "good sports" at the end of the day - both in regards to their ability to laugh at themselves as well as their acknowledgement that Cael has dominated the wrestling world just like he said he was going to do back in 2009 when he took the PSU job (i.e., Cael was 100% right about the unique advantages he saw and why he would be able to build a dynasty at PSU that he couldn't build at ISU....). The most refreshing part of the Brands' comments (especially Tom as the HC at Iowa) is that he acknowledges that Cael has simply gone out and done what any great coach does.....maximize the opportunity and talent you are given.....and you can't fault someone for simply executing and maximizing their opportunity. Brands is correct, Cael has been extremely good for the sport in regards to the increased exposure he has generated for the sport via the exciting brand of wrestling he has consistently put on the mat at PSU -- people tune in to watch PSU wrestlers because they are entertaining as all get out and you don't know what you're going to see next! At the end of the day, that's good for the sport.
The only incident I didn't like so much was the public pissing match that the Brands engaged in last year with Dresser and Ramos......not that the other parties didn't play a role, but I think TB would have come off better if he simply ignored it rather than engage in a public pissing contest and "dirty laundry" airing.
I love the Iowa coaches too. If it weren't for their WWE style antics, we wouldn't be the recruiting machine that we are. And yes, I just said, "WE ARE!"
I don't think he had a choice with Tony's situation. It was aired at him, and I promise you Tom didn't want that, and I bet Ramos actually regrets going that way. I love Tony Ramos so this isn't a slight on him, but rather just defending the fact that Brands ended up in a no win situation by being loyal to all of his guys. Gilman is thinking 2020 olympics and so is Spencer Lee. He must help both guys reach for the stars- what choice does he have? Cael could be there with Nico and Suriano also.
That's optics.
It's Iowa. Every potential recruit in the country, from junior high backups to world team members, knows who Brands is. And if they somehow don't, he's at a camp and meeting them face to face.
Plus all of the relevant adults in their lives -- parents, coaches, club coaches, etc. -- all know about Iowa and Brands.
I have no issues with the Brands as I believe they are very good coaches. They know the rules, are sharp to catch officiating slips, and from what I've seen on video's have a good approach to teaching. I simply do not like their match antics from the corner.
Some people are just more "animated" than others, even when in a leadership position. Honestly, I don't think the Brands brothers can help themselves.....it's just who they are (i.e., they are very much "in the moment" - typically, after the match they are able to laugh at themselves and are usually pretty gracious). But I'm not even sure describing their personalities as "animated" even quite captures it.....if nothing else, they are generally entertaining as all get out, which - as another poster pointed out - does not apply to the Head Tanner.
Truth be told -- it's easier when our team is on top.
