Last year I posted on my How Wrestling Wins blog the importance of adding a point to nearfalls and takedowns. Fortunately the NCAA agreed with me regarding the 4 point nearfall and implemented it. They have yet to see the wisdom of going with the 3-point takedown but they will because 1) it simplifies how … Make Scoring Simpler to Explain
I just received a short note from a colleague who is well known as an icon in our sport. The gentleman is in his 70’s now and there’s not much he hasn’t seen or done. This was in response to a conversation we had regarding the way America handles its youth programing. “I have coached … Youth Wrestling . . . How Stupid
Over the next year my wife and I are planning to tour America. Visiting every state, seeing old friends and meeting new ones while sharing what I’ve learned over 45 years in the sport with coaches and their athletes. Would your wrestling club, your team or someone you know be interested in my Pinning Made … Offering My Clinic Services
I just returned from Las Vegas and the World Championships. At a minimum, the event was interesting to watch and at times exciting, both on and off the mat. May I begin here by offering my congratulations to all the medalists, both foreign and domestic. It’s always a great honor for anyone to wear their … How the 2015 World Championships Hurt Us
I began to talk about this in How Wrestling Wins but I wanted to revisit it. For its wrestling’s skeleton, the framework that supports the challenge we have of making the sport relevant. Think for a moment, you just bought a failing restaurant at a good price. You’ve always wanted to be in the food … Wrestling as a Restaurant
Epilogue I thought of three more things I would develop in the sport if I were the man in charge holding the magic wand. Please add these to your “let me think about it” list. The team who forfeits a weight class also forfeits any say in the order of bouts for the evening and … How Wrestling Wins – Epilogue
Chapter 18 Here’s the final chapter of How Wrestling Wins. I hope you’ve enjoyed the read as much as I enjoyed my time trying to infuse logic into the sport. This effort represents 147 pages of text and literally hundreds of hours of critical thinking, mostly with a good glass of scotch in hand so … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 18
Chapter 17 When you combine the following baseline changes and short synopsis of why each is important with last week’s Chapter 16, you have the future of wrestling. But remember, none of what I’m espousing is perfect and I implore you not to get caught up in the finite minutia. Each of us can find … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 17
Chapter 16 So to recap and start to bring to a close How Wrestling Wins, our future depends upon the speed and scope of our reforms. Small alterations in thinking will only assure equally small alterations in achievement. Deciding to wait until next year to finalize that which is clearly obvious this year only insures … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 16
The following proposal recently made it’s way to the National High School Association for possible inclusion as a rule for next season. I’m sure it won’t see the light of day but it got that far; that’s a start. At least a few decision makers actually get to think about “what if” relative to a point earned is … A Point Earned is a Point Scored
Chapter 15 What I would like to do now is begin to work toward the end of my How Wrestling Wins blog. It’s been very time consuming but I felt compelled to share a few of my thoughts and fears with our leaders and of course you, my readership. Now I realize not everyone agrees … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 15
Chapter 14 Nothing we do to save wrestling will work in the short term, or the long term for that matter without spectators. They are the lifeblood of any sport and the first step in any significant amount of national exposure or income. I’m not trying to be Captain Obvious here but without spectators, … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 14
I just received this from a friend who is a member of the international press. It defines some of our issues and supports what I’ve been saying about wrestling’s leadership. Their actions continue to speak so loudly that none of us can hear what they’re saying. Wade ____________________________ “It really is over. There was no TV … Wrestling is Dead!
Chapter 13 Going the political route. While there are a few of us attempting to get the sport’s act together, we need to find ways to slow the train that’s barreling down the tracks toward our destruction. Here are two thoughts we might consider, both political, and most likely iffy, but they’re worth throwing out … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 13
Chapter 12 12. Protect our youth. Athlete retention must be a priority. We have to work at growing our numbers while expanding our revenue if we expect to survive as a sport but what a challenge that is when half of those we attract leave in the first year. The main challenge we have here … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 12
Chapter 11 This week Mark Emmert, the President of the NCAA spoke to the Associated Press in regards to the University of Alabama-Birmingham dropping football. “I’m worried while autonomy for the Big Five conferences will lead to more money being spent on athletes it could decrease the overall number of opportunities in college sports for … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 11
Chapter 10 10. If something is important, we need to make it important. How many of you would work on a road crew digging ditches for $1.00 an hour? Would it change your mind if you were paid $150.00 an hour? How about $400.00 an hour? Isn’t there a point where everyone would pick up … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 10
Chapter 9 This next segment of rule changes is designed to unscript that which is boring. Some of these are as critical to implement as many of my previous suggestions and when combined together they should change the landscape of wrestling. To begin let’s minimize, no let’s eliminate the importance of starting lines. Of course I’m … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 9
Chapter 8 7. Decisions are seldom spectator centric: The only way wrestling is going to be turned around is to run the sport through a battery of evaluations to see if it can survive in today’s market place? I think all of us already know the results of such an endeavor but it’s this kind … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 8
Chapter 7 4. It’s also about the athlete: wrestling needs to create more heroes and legends of the mat like baseball has done with Babe Ruth and boxing with the iconic Joe Louis. We need to find ways to make our stars just as well known to the general public. So let’s start with a few … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 7
I received this response from one of my readers. It pretty well sums up some of the challenges the sport faces. You have to understand, I’ve never been a wrestler. My father once said wrestling was gay. Even if my father hadn’t said that, I probably couldn’t have been able to wrestle. I was born … A Must Read
Chapter 6 2. Coaches should coach and delegate. Just as athletes focus on competition, referees should officiate and spectators should cheer; everyone has a role on wrestling’s stage. As for coaches, they should be free to concentrate on what they do best; develop their athletes academically, train them athletically and mentor them socially. What they … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 6
Chapter 5 Let’s take a look at a few examples of how we penalize action but please try and forget what you’re used to seeing and how you’ve become accustomed to the way things are. Instead, analyze what’s being written strictly in terms of action and non-action. If we want action I have to ask, how can we … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 5
Chapter 4 Regarding the crew from USAToday, not one inch of copy ever made it into print. Neither the finals nor the team scores earned even a box score mention, exactly what NASCAR receives on a regular basis for something as uninteresting as qualifying times for even their lesser races. So what does all this … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 4
If you like what you’re reading, please pass this on to others. The only way change will occur is by awakening those who make a difference; our fans. It’s obvious leadership isn’t making the changes. Chapter 3 Now I’m not sure whether our wrestling community is eternal optimists or ostriches, but too many of them point to the new spectator … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 3
Chapter 2 Drawing a sport parallel, for the last twenty or so years Judo has been taking a beating in participation numbers and subsequent revenue dollars with the advent of the UFC where I might add, Judo players dare not tread. The meteoric rise of Brazilian Jujitsu and America’s fascination with the whole Mixed Martial … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 2
Introduction As part of the wrestling community for over a half a century, my fondness for the sport has developed into a deep and everlasting respect. It has to be the greatest sport a young man or woman can participate in or a country can offer its children. In many ways it could be considered … How Wrestling Wins – Chapter 1
Prologue Wrestling is in absolute jeopardy of no longer being an NCAA sport by the end of this decade. But amazingly, it also has the ability to become one of America’s staples in the sports entertainment industry. Actually it’s the only sport I’m aware of that has that capability; and my reason for writing this … How Wrestling Wins – Prologue
It’s a common practice for school boards to adopt proposals that tie academic performance to after school activities. In most cases, if students fail to maintain a certain academic average they become ineligible to participate in after school activities like cheerleading, tennis and chorus. The prevailing philosophy is that students are more apt to improve … How Kids Learn to Reach their Full Potential
