Ching

I *think* Russia did qualification matches to narrow down their "entrants" to three in the past as a pre-first-round.

That is correct, but you don't control the tilt of your opponents face. Posting is an invitation to get the call. I would guess coaches are "encouraging" their wrestlers to not do it.

I think the college teams that adjust or have adjusted already are going to be at an advantage. I don't think the adjustment is easy though. I'm sure many of these kids have been posting on the head since middle school and now they need a new way to hand fight. The guys the can bang in close where they are not in danger of touching the face benefit from this. I'm lukewarm on my support for the rule. I think they went a little heavy on the emphasis when cutting down on the blatant offenses could have done the trick.

Are they contesting 197 this year?

1) Daton Fix (Ok St) 2) Dakota Geer (Ok St)

Deadline? If someone is eliminated, they have how many days to get in?

@steamboat_charlie v2, You running a consi bracket??

More hand wringing on Flo/journalism... They are central to the engine that is promoting wrestling right now. Similar to football journalists in the 50s and 60s when they were taking on baseball, they are cozy with the teams and get great access because of it. I don't lose too much sleep when Flo doesn't openly rip coaches and wrestlers in interviews or op/ed segments. That is what this board is for! BTW: Bader asked gross specifically about his injury before the match and pointedly asked about him wrestling a week before. He was tactful with the question, which may come off as little "j" to some of you.

Starter: Daton Fix, Ok St 133 Backup: Nick Reenan, NC State 184

Hancock and Bey have serious potential. I really don't think it matters much who is the coach at the top, the few guys we have that could win medals need a deep stable of training partners. If Hancock stays in Europe and has good training, he will do good things.

I'm sure that is helpful, but I feel like coaches overstress the technical aspect of bottom. Bottom has to be the most mentally challenging part of wrestling and there is very little focus on it. When you are flat on your belly and he feels like a house, your brain starts playing tricks on you. It tells you there is no hope of ever getting away from this guy, there is no way possible. I don't care how many times you've drilled this position if you are thinking you can't get away, nothing save Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ coming back to Earth for the sole purpose of your escape is going to help you out (I wonder if this is something Penn State has looked into?). The great Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson once asked, "Is it a character flaw or physical issue?" This is a powerful question, especially the character flaw part. You can physically be incapable of getting out, but what if you are obviously capable, but can't get out? Can the character flaw actually be fixed? Maybe bottom is just another example of the nature vs. nurture question that is difficult to answer.

The video is there, you just have to watch it on youtube (not embedded on this website).

If you can answer that, you are a wise man.

Me watching a young wrestler showing skills on his feet: Me watching the same wrestler not able to get off the bottom:

There are a lot of fallacies that still pervade the wrestling community. Prime example, during the Tuesday Flo show, Pyles was claiming the NCAA descent rule was ridiculous because wrestlers will often lose 3x+ times that much in a single practice. That is completely wrong. Unless you have to weigh in right after practice, you would need to drink nearly all of this back. At a conservative estimate, an athlete is burning around 2500 calories per practice. I know the 3,500 calories per pound is debunked, but it is a generous estimate for how much you need to work out to lose a pound. At best, athletes are losing 1/2 to 3/4 of a pound per practice. They also need to increase caloric intake so that they can maintain intensity during those practices, additionally reducing their weight loss. The NCAA descent rule is practical. I'm sure the coaches hate this rule because it reduces their flexibility, but with the benefit to the athlete not yo-yoing their weight around all year. As the rules and technology get better, the advantage will be to those athletes that maintain a low body fat and bring the most muscle to bear without losing energy (for training or competition).