Wrestling is a competitive sport. Athletes and coaches alike search far and wide for every edge available. It can be addictive, searching for that extra drill to fix a weakness in your game, or discovering a new move with which you can surprise others. Your wrestling training does not stop when you leave the mats -- online training exists for the sport.
Considerations
Although a wealth of wrestling knowledge is available online, the most reputable source is always your coach. Online drills can be hit or miss in quality and the only way to know that something will work is to put it into practice. Training in the flesh with a qualified coach supervising you is always the best way to learn. Martial artist and author George Leonard advises that there are no short cuts on the way to mastery, and that dedication and putting in the hours is the only guarantee of improvement.
Types
Online training comes in all shapes and sizes, whether it is sites offering articles on aspects of wrestling training, or short videos illustrating wrestling techniques. You can also buy DVDs from online sites dedicated to specific areas of wrestling, like an entire video on the double leg takedown, or others covering broader topics such as other styles of wrestling, like catch wrestling or Russian sambo wrestling.
Benefits
Online training can give you a structure for your training sessions, giving you different variations of a single move to practice. You can find chain combinations online that can give you a sequence to practice, or new options such as alternative ways to finish a single or double leg takedown.
Potential
Practicing techniques away from the mats can help you when you get to the mats. Even running through the techniques, rehearsing them in your mind, can give you a better feel for them. According to visualization and goal setting expert Maxwell Maltz, renowned martial artists and sportsmen have used these techniques of mental rehearsal away from the practice mats with great success. All boxers use shadow boxing as a tool, while wrestlers should also practice their techniques without resistance, visualizing an opponent.
Significance
Make sure you use what you've learned. While you can develop skill by working on visualization techniques away from the mats, or improve your arsenal by studying new techniques online, you need to actually put these tools to use in training or teaching new drills and techniques to your students. Wrestling is always conducted on the mats -- sharing and practicing new skills on the mats makes the online training productive.
References
- "Mastery"; George Leonard; 1992
- "The New Psycho-Cybernetics"; Maxwell Maltz, M.D., F.I.C.S.; 2001
- Fight Authority: Freestyle and Greco Roman Wrestling
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