Final+paper

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Wrestling is one of the world’s oldest and toughest sports because it has been around through ancient civilizations that have left evidence through tomb drawings and written documents that wrestling had existed during their time period. “Wrestling entered the Ancient Olympic Games in 708 B.C. and proved to be a huge popular success” (The U.S. Olympic Committee 2). Wrestling is a popular but underappreciated sport that requires strength, flexibility, and conditioning. Wrestling is not the fake pile drivers and sleeper holds that many people of America believe it to be. The main objective in wrestling is to “pin” the opponent. A pin is getting the opponent’s shoulders onto the mat. There is no age limit for wrestling and wrestlers can start at the age of 4 or younger. “Given a choice, all coaches would take the athlete who has the self-motivation to do off-season workouts, show up ready for practice every day, work tirelessly on improving his technique until he’s mastered it, and squeeze out every ounce of his talent. Those kinds of wrestlers are rare” (Gable 23). Coaching wrestling is not easy and there are different approaches when teaching it. The two main ways to teach to wrestling is through hands-on learning or through visual learning. The easiest and most common way to learn wrestling is through hands-on teaching style. A hands-on teaching style will improve a wrestler’s ability to learn while developing wrestling techniques and skill through muscle memory and practice. ======

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There are three styles of wrestling which make a universal teaching system crucial. These three styles are Folkstyle, Freestyle, and Greco-Roman. Folkstyle is the American style used mostly at the high school and college level. Freestyle is the international style and cousin of Folkstyle which is used in the Olympics. Greco-Roman is a form of wrestling that restricts the use of leg holds or holds below the waist and is also used in the Olympics. ======

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Wrestling has basic concepts, but executing those concepts can become difficult. Understanding wrestling should not take long to figure out but performing the actions to be a successful wrestler can prove complex, ======

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“The basic concept of wrestling is simple. The wrestler tries to take his opponent to the mat; his opponent tries to get away from him or reverse positions with him. The wrestler tries to turn his opponent to his back. The maneuvers used to accomplish these relatively simple goals are not so simple, and they number in the thousands” (Jaraman 4-5). ======

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The basics moves of wrestling are the takedown, reversal, and nearfall. A takedown is when a wrestler takes his opponent to the mat and gains control of him, this is also worth two points. A reversal is when the wrestler on bottom position changes position and takes control of the top, and this is worth two points also. A nearfall is when a wrestler puts his opponent’s shoulders within four inches of the mat and is worth two to three points, depending on how long his shoulders are on the mat. There are seven basic skills a wrestler needs to master to become a good wrestler. The seven basic skills are posture, motion, and level, penetration, lifting, back-stepping, and back-arching. ======

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Posture is the initial body position and has different stances for when a wrestler goes out onto the mat. Wrestling posture begins with a good stance. It is significant during a wrestling stance to keep the head up, the arms close to the body, and the feet, hips, and shoulders in good vertical position. “…The proper neutral stance, which provides good stability as well as a base for movement. This is called an even stance because the feet are positioned so that neither one is ahead of the other” (Jaraman 29). A good posture in a closed or tie-up position is important. In a closed or tie-up position a good posture is important because if the arms are not close to the body the opponent can attack underneath them. A closed or tied-up position is when both wrestlers are locked head to head and must use the push and drag methods to get their opponent unbalanced so that a shot opens up. If the feet are spread too far apart during a close or tie-up position it hinders the wrestler’s ability to move forward or backward. Another mistake would be if the head and back are too low making the wrestler vulnerable to a head technique or making them in danger of being snapped down or thrown down on the mat. Being snapped down is when the wrestler takes his opponents head and throws it towards the mat straight down. A good posture in referee position or when you are on your hands and knees is important because it gives the wrestler an advantage to explode up off the whistle. Offensive position is when the wrestler has one leg up behind his opponent who is in defensive position and arm on his opponent’s elbow and his head on his opponent’s back. Good posture in this position gives the wrestler the ability to move in any direction once the whistle is blown to begin. Good posture is important because it allows the wrestler to have a solid defense and strong offense. ======

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“Speed is a wonderful gift for the wrestler to possess, but maintaining good position during movement is more important. Motion is used to defend, attack, and set up moves as well as to execute the maneuvers themselves” (Jaraman 37). ======

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“Your base of support is very important, especially in defending. When you attack, you can’t give up that base. In most cases the foot closest to the direction of movement is the first to move. This widens your base of support. When the second foot moves, the original base is restored. You should attempt to keep your feet apart most of the time and should never cross your legs or feet” (Jaraman 37). ======

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Forward, backward and sideways are the three most important types of motion in wrestling. When attacking in wrestling you should always move the foot closest to your opponent to start. When your feet are spread apart it makes it easier for the wrestler to defend. If the wrestler crosses his feet he cannot use any backward motion because he will trip. When a coach is teaching motion for attack from a neutral position, when both wrestlers are standing up, he wants the wrestler to learn to be aggressive and use push and pull methods to successfully move his opponent in the right position to take a shot. Push and pull methods involve the wrestler pushing his opponent back and pulling him forward again to get his opponent off balance and break down his posture. Motion works with all the other basic skills to teaching how to effectively wrestler. ======

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Changing levels is important when setting up, executing, and finishing, and countering your opponents moves. When changing levels the wrestler must lower or raise their hips, “It isn’t actually changing levels that present the problem, but maintenance of good posture as one does so. Strength and flexibility must be developed in the legs and hips, and good alignment must be maintained, if the level is to be changed effectively” (Jaraman 43). Mastering the art of change levels and maintaining good posture at the same time, changing levels includes a wrestler bending his knees to lower his hips into the right position takes, and takes weeks and months of training. Training consists of practicing your level change and doing weight work outs on your legs. To set up moves, raising and lowering levels is key to getting past the wrestler’s opponents defenses. When changing levels your opponent might react in a way that will have them change their own level allowing the wrestler to penetrate his opponent’s defenses. “Level may change several times during the execution of a move to gain an advantage. Level changes are almost always involved in finishing moves” (Jaraman 43). While teaching the level change to wrestlers a coach will usually start off by showing how it is done and naming similarities. A squat, used in weight lifting, is very similar to changing levels. After a wrestler has changed his level or managed to have his opponent react to change their level to benefit the wrestler he will take a shot or use another technique to takedown his opponent. Changing levels becomes more critical as the level of competition rises. A successful level change will almost always result in a takedown and usually make an opening for the wrestler to get back points or turning his opponent on his shoulder blades. ======

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The fourth basic skill in wrestling is penetration. “To accomplish a takedown you must attack your opponent’s upper body or legs. On all leg or hip attacks you must take a penetration step (or steps) to get inside your opponent’s defenses and within range to complete the move” (Jaraman 53). A penetration step is when the wrestler takes a step from neutral position and gets his or her foot in between their opponent’s legs. This will lead to the wrestler’s opponent becoming off balance and give the wrestler a chance for a takedown. “The two types of penetration used for the majority of leg attacks are the center-step and outside step” (Jaraman 53). The center-step is important for the wrestler in gaining a double leg takedown or a high crotch shot. These are two of the beginner level techniques wrestlers learn. They are also the most often used and usually the most effective. The outside step is used when a wrestler shoots for a single leg takedown. A single leg is also a beginner level technique and one of the more commonly used techniques. Teaching the center-step to a new wrestler a coach will have the wrestler imagine a stick in between his opponent’s legs that the wrestler wants to break. This is a common teaching method coaches use to teach the center-step. Some mistakes new wrestlers make are over penetrating, or moving too far into his opponent making the wrestler unbalanced and sacrifices position giving his opponent an easy counter. “You should never stretch or extend yourself to reach an opponent who is too far away after penetration. You should simply return to your original stance by bringing up the trail leg to reestablish the base” (Jaraman 54). Motion and level changes play a big role in setting up an opponent for a penetration step. The best way to obtain a penetration step is to pull the opponent into the attack or to push him into a stationary position. If the wrestler does not reach, over penetrate, or use motion and level change while attempting to do their penetration step the wrestler will most likely have a successful attack. ======

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Lifting is the fifth basic skill a wrestler needs to learn to become successful. “Lifting may be the most neglected skill among wrestlers in the United States. Only in recent years have coaches recognized the advantage of lifting an opponent clear off the mat” (Jaraman 61). Lifting is used in many different areas of wrestling. A wrestler will use lifting to finish takedowns, setup pinning combinations, counter escapes, and counter takedowns. “The basic principle behind lifting is simple: once an opponent is in the air, he no longer has a base for support, balance, or power. Without that base it is almost impossible to counterattack” (Jaraman 61). Wrestlers must be careful once his opponent is in the air. If the wrestler slams his opponent back onto the mat the referee will call it dangerous and giving the wrestler a warning. Lifting an opponent is extremely helpful but must also be used safely. ======

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Back-stepping is the next basic skill a wrestler needs to learn. Back-stepping has gained much influence in the freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling styles. Back-stepping has the wrestler using upper body to throw their opponent. When using the back-step the wrestler’s opponent is usually thrown onto their back for the pin or gets the wrestler back points. “While it may appear that throws take great upper body strength, footwork and level changes are really more important. Strength has to be developed in the chest, arms, and shoulders and is used mostly in fighting for position. Once position is gained, however, it’s the legs and hips that are critical” (Jaraman 73). Changing level, motion and position are important concepts that a wrestler needs to understand to master the back-step. Wrestlers must use both leg attacks and throws to become successful. Without mixing up their techniques they won’t be as productive as their opponent. A common back-step technique that wrestlers are first taught is the headlock. A headlock starts from a tie-up position with the penetration step already taken. Once this is done the wrestlers must back-step through and lift his opponent over his hips to throw him. When teaching, a coach must show the wrestler how to lower their level and use motion to setup the back-step for the throw. The back-step is important in making upper body attacks and footwork is more important than upper body strength. ======

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“Back-arching takes courage and body control. It is difficult to learn, yet most wrestlers work at arching with great enthusiasm. The back-arch opens the way for perhaps the most exciting throws in wrestling. Throws off the back-arch are the “dunk” or the “home run” of wrestling” (Jaraman 83). ======

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Back-arching in Folkstyle wrestling cannot be taken straight back, and the wrestler must turn his opponent to the mat so that he avoids a slam call. A slam call is called when the wrestler does not turn his opponent safely to the mat. “The key to the back-arch lies in the hips. You must not merely fall back and lift or you will end up flat on your back. Instead you tuck your hips under your opponent” (Jaraman 83). The wrestler’s hips are very important because when they are in the right position, they help lift the wrestler’s opponent over him and turn him successful so that he is not called for slamming. When a wrestler performs a back-arch and successfully tucks his hips under his opponent the motion is so powerful that the wrestler’s head does not touch the mat and he ends up in a pin or nearfall position. It is important to have your opponent pushing into you when attempting the back-arch. The back-arch is not commonly used by beginner wrestlers due to the fear of going backwards and hitting their head. The back-arch also takes much longer to learn than other moves. An experienced will use this more often than a beginner. When teaching the back-arch a coach will teach a wrestler the motion of the throw before having him attempt it. After the wrestler has successful mastered the motion of the back-arch he will then proceed to performing the actual throw. A successful back-arch will lead the wrestler in a nearfall position and get the crowd wound up with excitement. ======

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Together posture, motion, level, penetration, lifting, back-stepping, and back-arching make up the seven basic skills of wrestling. When used separately these skills will not benefit a wrestler in an immense way but when used as one they will help the wrestler successfully win a match. These seven basic skills are the most important and must be taught with care. Teaching with a hands-on method will benefit the wrestler more because they will be able to physically see and understand how a certain technique works. When watching a video or see a picture of a certain move it needs to be broken down so that the wrestler can see each step of a technique. Hand-on teaching style has the wrestler doing each step in a clear way that lets the wrestler understand what he is doing. Teaching these seven basic skills through a movie or by pictures will not benefit the wrestler as much as teaching it hand-on because the wrestler does not get an experienced mentor standing by them helping them if they are using pictures and movies to learn. ======