What is practice like for college wrestlers?

[IANit]

Do they typically wrestle matches against each other or is it mostly conditioning and drills? Do coaches and the wrestlers involved in the wrestling clubs (Hawkeye Wrestling Club, Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, Sunkist Kids, etc.) sometimes serve as practice partners even though they generally are no longer wrestling folkstyle?

 

[Cali_Nittany]

Do they typically wrestle matches against each other or is it mostly conditioning and drills? Do coaches and the wrestlers involved in the wrestling clubs (Hawkeye Wrestling Club, Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, Sunkist Kids, etc.) sometimes serve as practice partners even though they generally are no longer wrestling folkstyle?

I've never been in the practice room but we do have some limited twitter evidence.

 

[CurtisLoew40]

I've never been in the practice room but we do have some limited twitter evidence.

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I want to see the blast double Nick says he hit on Cael haha

 

[GogglesPaizano]

Where is Spyker when we need him?

 

[pawrestlersintn]

Do they typically wrestle matches against each other or is it mostly conditioning and drills? Do coaches and the wrestlers involved in the wrestling clubs (Hawkeye Wrestling Club, Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, Sunkist Kids, etc.) sometimes serve as practice partners even though they generally are no longer wrestling folkstyle?

Dodgeball. Lots and lots of dodgeball.

 

[clucas]

They have FUN!

 

[Flying_Tiger]

Back in the late 80s, your could watch practice through the windows. I would observe while waiting in line to get in the gym and my first reaction as a former high school wrestler was how I would die in that room. Intensity and technique stood out the most with guys tending to pair off and work on something specific for short term live segments.

 

[James P. Whitters III]

I think practice has advanced over the years. More awareness that the grind of the sport wears bodies down. We used to live wrestle 3/4 of our practice time. I can't speak to all colleges but of the couple I know from the inside there is much more focus on situation drilling, specific position drilling, and full speed/half power "flo wrestling". Dodge ball and fun games in general really are great ways to condition and build team unity. What makes a coach like Cael so successful is his understanding that not every wrestler needs the same amount of every discipline. You aren't going to spend much time working on a cradle series with a Kyle Snyder type. Some guys are completely self motivated and some guys need a little push here or there. Great coaches figure out what each wrestler needs and figure out a way to provide that specific support.

 

[clucas]

There is a lot of what JPW III alludes to above that is referred to as "play wrestling" that involves just keeping the flow going, wrestling through situations, chain wrestling, etc. We often hear Cael talk about the types of kids they are recruiting...these are kids that are internally wired for excellence and work ethic is rarely an issue. In fact, there is probably a good bit of effort that goes into making sure they aren't over training and knowing when to take the foot off the gas (for example, when we heard about Jason and Zain's battles in the room).

 

[82bordeaux]

 

[diggerpup]

Dodge Ball >>> Dead lifts w/ tanning beds.

 

[IANit]

I think practice has advanced over the years. More awareness that the grind of the sport wears bodies down. We used to live wrestle 3/4 of our practice time. I can't speak to all colleges but of the couple I know from the inside there is much more focus on situation drilling, specific position drilling, and full speed/half power "flo wrestling". Dodge ball and fun games in general really are great ways to condition and build team unity. What makes a coach like Cael so successful is his understanding that not every wrestler needs the same amount of every discipline. You aren't going to spend much time working on a cradle series with a Kyle Snyder type. Some guys are completely self motivated and some guys need a little push here or there. Great coaches figure out what each wrestler needs and figure out a way to provide that specific support.

Thanks for the insight. I kind of had the picture of more of the 3/4 time practicing, though I had heard about Dodgeball at Penn State.

I guess part of what I was wondering is if college wrestlers are able to practice against top competitors who may still be around in training for the Olympics or International competition or if they end up pretty much working with the same teammates most of the time. I.e. does a guy like Kerk get to wrestle Snyder or Cassar on occasion? Do the middleweights go against Zain, Jason or Cenzo sometimes?

 

[El-Jefe]

Thanks for the insight. I kind of had the picture of more of the 3/4 time practicing, though I had heard about Dodgeball at Penn State.

I guess part of what I was wondering is if college wrestlers are able to practice against top competitors who may still be around in training for the Olympics or International competition or if they end up pretty much working with the same teammates most of the time. I.e. does a guy like Kerk get to wrestle Snyder or Cassar on occasion? Do the middleweights go against Zain, Jason or Cenzo sometimes?

NCAA rules limit how much the NLWC guys can practice with the varsity team -- lest they be considered extra coaches. Rules also limit varsity practices to (I think) 2 hrs daily.

However, there is no rule limiting how much the varsity guys can participate in freestyle practice, or on their own after hours.

Many teams hold the practices concurrently, with a dividing curtain separating the squads. (Gable was the first to do this.) The NLWC guys stay on one side, while the varsity guys can switch sides.

I think Cael likes the varsity guys getting in some time on the other side of the curtain, but likely discourages after hours work in order to prevent overtraining.