It's easy to fall into a rut as a coach, structuring each daily wrestling practice using the same basic format. This can be good for the most part: A reliable structure means your athletes can focus on developing their skills and physical attributes without wondering what's coming next. However, an occasional departure from the standard format can keep your wrestlers interested and sharply engaged.
Training Circuit
This is a wrestlers variant on the circuit training you see in health clubs like Curves fitness. Partner up your wrestlers and set each pair on a station. Ten to qw stations works well for this format, but your team size might necessitate more or fewer. Make one-third of the stations work on a specific wrestling drill, such as a double-leg takedown or sit-out switch. Make one-third do calisthenics like pushups or neck bridges. The final third should be light competitive scrimmage between partners. Run each station for two minutes, then allow a one-minute rest before everybody rotates to the next exercise.
Dual Meet
A practice under this format follows the process of a standard wrestling meet. You divide the team into two squads, who wrestle against each other in sequence, with the results of each match going toward a team score total. You can divide the team to split up the most skilled wrestlers or hold an "underdog match" in which an upset victory scores significantly more points than the varsity wrestler beating a junior teammate.
Cross-Training
One advantage of wrestling over many other sports is that almost any kind of training will contribute to the attributes that help a wrestler succeed. Basketball develops speed and hand-eye coordination. Swimming builds strength, cardiovascular endurance and breath control. You can have your team work out for a practice with another team at the school, then later reciprocate by having that team in to work out with your athletes. As your wrestlers teach the visitors skills, they'll develop a better intellectual understanding of what makes their techniques work.
Wrestling Triathlon
Triathlons are top-tier endurance sports because they require three kinds of fitness. A typical wrestling match has three modalities: both wrestlers up, wrestling from the top and wrestling from the bottom. For a wrestling triathlon class, you spend half the class working specifically on skills from each of those modalities. You spend the second half with wrestlers doing live scrimmage in that position only. If a wrestler pulls off a move that takes him out of the position, they immediately break up and go back to the modality they are working on. This format not only works on specific skills but also will be incredibly rigorous physically.
ChessWrestling
A variant on a popular sporting event called chess boxing, this develops patience, strategy and breath control for wrestlers who participate. The format is simple: Set up chess boards at the side of the mats. Have wrestlers pair off and wrestle for a two-minute round, then break up and play chess for two minutes. Repeat until a wrestler is pinned or loses by checkmate. Those wrestlers can then practice or watch their teammates until all matches have reached a conclusion. In most cases, practice will be long enough to allow more than one match.
References
- ChessManiac.com: What is Chessboxing?
- "Coaching Wrestling Successfully"; Dan Gable; 1999
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