PSU third period conditioning

[kgschalhoub 58]

 I saw this in the tOSU match Friday, and have seen it through Cael's years. It just seems that PSU wrestlers usually out-conditions their opponents and have a distinct advantage in the third period (even Schnupp). How much is it their basic phisiology as athletes and how much can be attributed to the PSU coaching staff's conditioning program?

[TBar1977 4,499]

When this happens up and down the line up with guys with totally different builds then it seems their training system must be better.

[Threadkilla 100]

Are you saying Cael can coach?

[klehner 731]

43 minutes ago, kgschalhoub said:

 I saw this in the tOSU match Friday, and have seen it through Cael's years. It just seems that PSU wrestlers usually out-conditions their opponents and have a distinct advantage in the third period (even Schnupp). How much is it their basic phisiology as athletes and how much can be attributed to the PSU coaching staff's conditioning program?

Are those our only two choices?

[TBar1977 4,499]

3 minutes ago, Threadkilla said:

Are you saying Cael can coach?

By golly, I think he can. 

[jackwebster 292]

I think it has more to do with mental preparation. It would seem that any guy who can make it through a 2-hour practice could compete hard for 7 minutes.

But,  look at Mckenna. He ran up the score against a good Michigan kid, but gassed after 2 minutes vs Lee. It wasn't because he didn't calculate the right ratio of play wrestling vs drills vs wind sprints. I imagine when his coach laid out the game plan for beating PSU (winning 5 matches and getting to 18 points), it messed up his head-space ("dark places," indeed).

Edited February 10, 2019 by jackwebster
Clarity

[Cooch1 147]

Utter faith in yourself and your leadership and tradition and the guys around you. Synergy of the whole environment

[kgschalhoub 58]

1 hour ago, Cooch1 said:

Utter faith in yourself and your leadership and tradition and the guys around you. Synergy of the whole environment

Totally agree. But I also want to add that the physiology of muscle efficiency is largely genetic. I think Cael's team looks for that characteristic when they recruit.

[Aviator12 207]

Totally agree on McKenna. He may have under anticipated what being out over a week does to your conditioning. But I think he under anticipated his opponent and went for the major right out the gate.

McKenna has buried just about every opponent right out the gate, rides them for periods at a time after taking them down.

He hasn’t been in his feet for 3 periods for most of the entire year and I think it shut him down mentally when he wasn’t able to do the same against Lee.

Next time he won’t be as offensive and will pick his spots, which will keep Lee off his legs.

Edited February 10, 2019 by Aviator12

[GoNotQuietly 1,168]

They also seem both better rested and less sucked out than just about any other team. 

[Cradle1969 5]

I think how teams approach the weight cuts are also important. Ryan eluded to the fact that mckenna may not of handled the cut too well this time. 

[Katie 1,076]

I noticed that Ohio State guys generally seem more muscled up than Penn State guys. I’m not sure if that’s relevant to anything though. 

[Cradle1969 5]

I think nerves before matches is also key. PSU guys seem more relaxed than most others. 

[qc8223 327]

58 minutes ago, Cradle1969 said:

I think nerves before matches is also key. PSU guys seem more relaxed than most others. 

This is so huge. I was always in great shape, but could never control my nerves. Rarely made it to the third period not completely gassed. Penn State is so relaxed out there and supremely confident in their skills. I'm sure they still get nervous, but they seem to cope really well, and it shows.

[stp 564]

PSU has more fun in the 3rd.

[TBar1977 4,499]

1 hour ago, Katie said:

I noticed that Ohio State guys generally seem more muscled up than Penn State guys. I’m not sure if that’s relevant to anything though. 

I always believed that guys built like Te Shan Campbell, they tire out fast. 

[dmm53 610]

Nolf ran cross country for at least a year in high school, I believe. He was a  pretty average runner if I recall correctly (maybe 18 minutes for the 5K), but there is nothing like serious and sustained distance running to get one in shape and maintain that.  I wonder how much this is incorporated into various wrestling programs.  

 

[BBB4PSU 0]

8 hours ago, Cradle1969 said:

I think how teams approach the weight cuts are also important. Ryan eluded to the fact that mckenna may not of handled the cut too well this time. 

I heard the same.  McKenna is an elite level wrestler.  He’ll be better prepared in March, I’m sure...

[jstock 125]

The cardio gains you get from dodge ball and re-enacting football plays as a pre-match warm up is highly underrated.  

[russelscout 1,573]

Superior technique can make you look like your in superior shape. When you spend less time finishing shots, wrestling out of bad spots, and sitting on bottom, you tend to have way more gas in the tank. Im not convinced that PSU has a superior cardio training system. I am convinced that they have the best technique by far and pace themselves. McKenna gassed himself by forcing shots that weren't there and hanging on a single leg without being able to finish. As good as Nolf is, you never see him just diving in on a shot without a setup. 

[TBar1977 4,499]

The true genius in the PSU results is that 8 years later many pretty knowledgeable people are still not quite 100 percent sure how to replicate it. Thing of beauty. 

Edited February 11, 2019 by TBar1977

[qc8223 327]

6 hours ago, russelscout said:

Superior technique can make you look like your in superior shape. When you spend less time finishing shots, wrestling out of bad spots, and sitting on bottom, you tend to have way more gas in the tank. Im not convinced that PSU has a superior cardio training system. I am convinced that they have the best technique by far and pace themselves. McKenna gassed himself by forcing shots that weren't there and hanging on a single leg without being able to finish. As good as Nolf is, you never see him just diving in on a shot without a setup. 

Not being able to finish those leg attacks probably threw him out of rhythm too. He's usually such a crisp, efficient finisher, and probably not used to having to expend such a large amount of energy for nothing in return.

[de4856 370]

Well, the Buckeyes may have come out to hot to fast, but what I really took away from this dual is that Penn St. is really the class of Div I wrestling. 

[Mr. Peepers 25]

Also interesting that most of the Penn State guys don't really look like physical specimens, in terms of muscularity.  Hall is shredded and Cassar is obviously not a stranger in the weight room.  But Nickal, Joseph, Nolf, RBY, and Lee are pretty ordinary looking dudes.  So was Retherford for that matter, and Taylor was a string bean for most of his career.  Contrast them with Snyder, the Jordans, Tomasello, and Campbell (and going back further to Heflin, Humphrey, Palmer, etc.), and one sees quite a disparity.  I wonder if the aggressive lifting Ohio State obviously emphasizes may be out of place in a technique-based sport?  I don't want to knock them too badly- they've been hands down the #2 team in the country for half a decade, so they've obviously doing something right.  But the disparity in 3rd periods was almost painful to watch.  If I had to take a snapshot that summarized the match last week, it would be of an exhausted McKenna lying belly down on the mat while Lee rode him to the win. 

[TBar1977 4,499]

This would be a great place to re visit Quentin Wright's quote  about how huge dead lifting feats of accomplishment do not correlate to getting off bottom. 

Edited February 12, 2019 by TBar1977