Teaching from core wrestling positions

Teaching Core Wrestling Positions

I’ve been coaching wrestling since high school.  As a young coach I taught wrestling techniques one after the other.  Young wrestlers could do the technique that I was teaching, but struggled while trying it during live situational goes.  It wasn’t until I was on World and Olympic teams that I learned how to teach wrestling techniques in a group sequence with a core position.  If I am teaching throws from the over under position, I have to show the position and break it down to the smallest details.  At this point I stress the core position that the athletes need to know and understand in order to do all the throws from that position.  I have the wrestlers wrestle from that position and drill movement and controlling that position so it becomes natural for them.  It may take a whole practice teaching a core wrestling position. After teaching the core wrestling position, at the next practice I show the techniques that work from that position.  My athletes have had more success since I have been teaching this way.  They are able to flow or chain wrestle a lot more effectively.