Fix needs a change of scenery.

[jackwebster 137]

The man has not developed at OSU. If he is going to improve, he needs to head east. I'm not convinced that it will work, but if his goals are National, World, and Olympic golds he's gotta try something else.

Edited April 3 by jackwebster

[AHamilton 673]

Just now, jackwebster said:

The man has not developed at OSU. If he is going to improve, he needs to head east. I'm not convinced that it will work, but if his goals are National, World, and Olympic golds, he's gotta try something else.

Such as developing an offense...

[jackwebster 137]

He needs to get away from the old man shaking his fist at the officials and his cadre of sycophants.(case in point:  Perry cost Ferrari his best chance to win the match against Mach by throwing that challenge brick)

He also needs to get a new therapist.

13 minutes ago, AHamilton said:

Such as developing an offense...

 

Edited April 3 by jackwebster

[AHamilton 673]

How is it possible to spend years working with John Smith and not develop a "go-to leg attack?"

How much does daddy's special sippy cup play a role in all of this?

[AHamilton 673]

I haven't watched a huge amount of "age group" stuff, but did Fix mature early?  This almost seems like a case where he hit puberty before all the other kids, bullied them on the mat, and now they have caught up to him and Daton lacks confidence in his offense.

[jackwebster 137]

11 minutes ago, AHamilton said:

 Daton lacks confidence in his offense.

That and -- as you said -- he does't have a reliable leg attack. His neutral game relies on action created off the other guy's pressure. . . And the far ankle scramble.

He has no short offense. That is incredible considering that he can snap dudes through the mat. 

Edited April 3 by jackwebster

[gimpeltf 1,643]

He's Fixed (somebody had to say it!)

[The Take Out 6]

He's off the juice, plain and simple

[jackwebster 137]

27 minutes ago, The Take Out said:

He's off the juice, plain and simple

Maybe, but that wouldn't prevent him from learning a leg attack. Further, his matches weren't that different when he was on the juice. Consider the previous Vito match: Fix gets down big early and mounts a successful comeback. Last night sorta the same story, but comes up short. (Edit: for reference compare Fix then and now, to Bolt vs Synder at Yarygin to Bolt at the Olympics)

His big wins (the old skool one vs Lee, two years ago vs Suriano, and Gilman at the WTT's) all had a weird "luck" element. I know you make your own luck, but ... an inside trip for four against a Godcalf like dude in Spencer Lee? An abuse of a new eye poke rule vs Suriano? A Kendall Cross quadpod exposure vs Gilman? 

Edited April 3 by jackwebster

[Drake_Mallard 214]

If you are a short, stout wrestler like Fiix, is John Smith the best mentor to have to develop offense? Nothing against John, I have just always wondered how Fix fits in that Okie St. style. I feel like Ohio St. or Iowa was a better fit stylistically.

[uncle bernard 622]

2 hours ago, AHamilton said:

I haven't watched a huge amount of "age group" stuff, but did Fix mature early?  This almost seems like a case where he hit puberty before all the other kids, bullied them on the mat, and now they have caught up to him and Daton lacks confidence in his offense.

Yes, I think this is very possible. He was old for his grade if I remember. You'd have a hard time finding a more physically mature high schooler.

On a technical level, he's always been pretty one-dimensional. Over reliant on his over collar shrug, scrambling, and his trap arm in freestyle. After he was scouted after a year or two, his offense just totally disappeared. He hasn't added the necessary variety and hasn't continued to develop physically to offset the scouting. 

I also think he might be a little too big for 57. He went from looking like a gigantic 133 to a small 57 in two weeks. He was so sucked out.

[Cowboy08 5]

he doesn't wrestle the same way in big matches as he does all year long.  If you watch all of his matches his offense is awesome, when he has a big match like against Suriano or RBY he just freezes and is afraid to make a mistake.  His offense and skillset isn't the problem, it's a problem mentally that he wrestles not to lose when it counts instead of how he does 99% of the time

[Drake_Mallard 214]

12 minutes ago, Cowboy08 said:

he doesn't wrestle the same way in big matches as he does all year long.  If you watch all of his matches his offense is awesome, when he has a big match like against Suriano or RBY he just freezes and is afraid to make a mistake.  His offense and skillset isn't the problem, it's a problem mentally that he wrestles not to lose when it counts instead of how he does 99% of the time

I just think he doesnt have elite level offense, can score at will against those beneath him, but doesnt have the ability to do it to those with elite defense. Then he is forced to rely on his own defense which is elite.

Edited April 3 by Drake_Mallard

[wrestlingnerd 2,779]

2 hours ago, jackwebster said:

Maybe, but that wouldn't prevent him from learning a leg attack. Further, his matches weren't that different when he was on the juice. Consider the previous Vito match: Fix gets down big early and mounts a successful comeback. Last night sorta the same story, but comes up short. (Edit: for reference compare Fix then and now, to Bolt vs Synder at Yarygin to Bolt at the Olympics)

His big wins (the old skool one vs Lee, two years ago vs Suriano, and Gilman at the WTT's) all had a weird "luck" element. I know you make your own luck, but ... an inside trip for four against a Godcalf like dude in Spencer Lee? An abuse of a new eye poke rule vs Suriano? A Kendall Cross quadpod exposure vs Gilman? 

Jamil Kelly, also of OSU, made a very astute observation: If  you watch a guy and wonder, how the hell does he get that move to work, it's usually inhuman strength. In other words, I don't think it was "luck."  Fix was never an offensive powerhouse. He was and is more of a counterwrestler with excellent scrambling and very, very strong. When you make him just strong, he's not the same guy.

He has been training with NCAA champions and world level coaches for, what, a decade now? Maybe a change of scenery can help his mind, but I don't see how he magically grows an offense at this point in his career. He has another 3 years of NCAA eligibility but he's 23.

[ugarte 372]

maybe the other wrestlers at the top of 57 are also elite wrestlers and that's why they have mixed results against each other

[jackwebster 137]

1 hour ago, wrestlingnerd said:

Jamil Kelly, also of OSU, made a very astute observation: If  you watch a guy and wonder, how the hell does he get that move to work, it's usually inhuman strength. In other words, I don't think it was "luck."  Fix was never an offensive powerhouse. He was and is more of a counterwrestler with excellent scrambling and very, very strong. When you make him just strong, he's not the same guy.

He has been training with NCAA champions and world level coaches for, what, a decade now? Maybe a change of scenery can help his mind, but I don't see how he magically grows an offense at this point in his career. He has another 3 years of NCAA eligibility but he's 23.

Totally agree. I think the only way he gets better is a hard mental reboot. A change of scenery will not give him a new two-on-one series, but it might allow him to open up on the 1 leg attack that he does have against lesser opponents.

Re "luck": yeah, "luck" is not the right word. But, I can't dismiss the fact that he is still wrestling coinflip matches. There hasn't been a dramatic drop-off since the suspension.

[AHamilton 673]

36 minutes ago, jackwebster said:

Totally agree. I think the only way he gets better is a hard mental reboot. A change of scenery will not give him a new two-on-one series, but it might allow him to open up on the 1 leg attack that he does have against lesser opponents.

Re "luck": yeah, "luck" is not the right word. But, I can't dismiss the fact that he is still wrestling coinflip matches. There hasn't been a dramatic drop-off since the suspension.

Well, he has lost to two guys that he "should" beat, at least on paper.  RBY and Vito.

[The Take Out 6]

Ask the 2007 undefeated Patriots team that lost in the Superbowl about "on paper"

[jackwebster 137]

54 minutes ago, AHamilton said:

Well, he has lost to two guys that he "should" beat, at least on paper.  RBY and Vito

I see your point, but he should have beat "Phillipi" before the suspension. These are all coinflip matches. Same with Desanto both years. 

I think "coinflip" is who he is. If he tries another training situation, it might change.

[BAC 129]

Was anyone else put off by the fact that John Smith was busy announcing for NBCSN while Fix was out there wrestling in the semis?

As a fan I appreciate Smith’s announcing, but it seems to me that he should have been matside during his best wrestler’s biggest match of his life. I obviously know he has other coaches too, and Smith’s role is probably more administrative these days, but isn’t that one of the biggest reasons Fix went there — to have 2x Olympic Champ John Smith guide you to the Olympics? 

It was actually a bit weird to see Smith commenting on the match when they cut to the last 30 seconds of it, yelling what Fix should do (as though Fix could hear him), and then being forced to concede that Fix’s brick challenge at the end lacked merit. Smith was probably right but it left a sour taste in my mouth that Smith was earning a few bucks commentating when he ought to have been down there fighting for his guy, or at least supporting in a secondary role.

Edited April 3 by BAC

[ShakaAloha 210]

1 hour ago, BAC said:

Was anyone else put off by the fact that John Smith was busy announcing for NBCSN while Fix was out there wrestling in the semis?

As a fan I appreciate Smith’s announcing, but it seems to me that he should have been matside during his best wrestler’s biggest match of his life. I obviously know he has other coaches too, and Smith’s role is probably more administrative these days, but isn’t that one of the biggest reasons Fix went there — to have 2x Olympic Champ John Smith guide you to the Olympics? 

It was actually a bit weird to see Smith commenting on the match when they cut to the last 30 seconds of it, yelling what Fix should do (as though Fix could hear him), and then being forced to concede that Fix’s brick challenge at the end lacked merit. Smith was probably right but it left a sour taste in my mouth that Smith was earning a few bucks commentating when he ought to have been down there fighting for his guy, or at least supporting in a secondary role.

I was watching the broadcast and thinking the same thing.  Who did Fix have in his corner for the Vito match?

[shieldofpistis 154]

2 hours ago, The Take Out said:

Ask the 2007 undefeated Patriots team that lost in the Superbowl about "on paper"

On paper that giants team had more talent.  Not really good example.  Compare rosters.  If Brady and Eli switched teams; giants would still have won. .

Better example is LeBron wade and Bosch losing to Mavs 

[shieldofpistis 154]

maybe John Smith should be a coach to his wrestler instead of a broadcaster 

[ShakaAloha 210]

9 minutes ago, shieldofpistis said:

maybe John Smith should be a coach to his wrestler instead of a broadcaster 

Maybe he should transfer to Ohio State.  They need a 133 pounder and he could work with Steiber.

[shieldofpistis 154]

1 minute ago, ShakaAloha said:

Maybe he should transfer to Ohio State.  They need a 133 pounder and he could work with Steiber.

The buckeyes are my team. I would love that.  Decatur for some reason is not very good even though he seems to have all the tools.