Other Sports and how they can help with Wrestling

[JohnnyThompsonnum1 97]

Which other sports do you feel can help an athlete with their wrestling skills?

 

I would have to think that Gymnastics would be the most helpful. You are constantly pulling and pushing in gymnastics, strengthening and conditioning your bicep and back muscles, which are used continuously in wrestling. On top of that, you are gripping and squeezing a lot in gymnastics as well, continuously improving your overall grip. All of the jumping and flipping consistently improves ones balance, explosive power and quickness. I'd have to think Gymnastics would be a great help to your wrestling.

 

Other sports I don't think are quite as relative and obvious. The training for football, especially the weight lifting regiments, I think would really help to develop explosive hips. A football tackle is different from a double leg takedown, but not so different to where the adjustments couldn't be made to execute the proper technique.

 

I'm really going to stretch the imagination here, but could baseball possibly help? In baseball it seems that there are many situations where one is changing levels. Not near as much as you would in a wrestling match, but fielding the ball consistently causes you to have to be able to change levels quickly. A batter hits a ground ball, you quickly have to change levels to field it and then quickly change back to throw the ball wherever it needs to go.

 

Boxing? Very important to keep your elbows in as it is in wrestling. Could possibly also help with muscle memory as well. Many boxers learn to throw both left and right handed. Could possibly help to develop ones ability to be able to shoot to both sides better.

 

Swimming? If nothing else wrestling is a sport that wears out your entire body, and frankly so does swimming.

 

 

Other sports? Thoughts?

 

Any that would actually be detrimental to wrestling? Basketball seems like it might, since a basketball stance is polar opposite of a wrestling stance.

[Guest]

Cross Country certainly helps with the gas tank.

[grapplefan 2]

Basketball can help by going away.

[RichB 189]

Kayaking and Canoeing, both Whitewater and Flatwater have been connected closely for decades.

[olddirty 272]

Jiujitsu. LOL at baseball having positive crossover to wrestling.

[MadMardigain 1,242]

Judo has some related skills.

[gimpeltf 1,476]

Kayaking and Canoeing, both Whitewater and Flatwater have been connected closely for decades.

Or did McEwan use his wrestling skills to help his whitewater?

[TheOhioState 417]

Chess. The great ones can think many moves ahead.

 

I like running, so I'd add it in there, too. Gable ran a lot. Worked for him pretty well.

 

JT1, it's actually an interesting question. It's mentioned in the article below that Kyle's mother was a gymnast at Kent State:

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/colleg ... -the-year/

[DF 181]

I like running, so I'd add it in there, too.

I like running too. Especially in the last minute of the match when I have the lead.

 

Dem stall calls.

Dat booing getting louder the faster your opponent chases you around the mat.

[Stove_Pipe 14]

^^Physiological bit of a problem with cross country is that long distance aerobic training will condition fast-twitch muscle fiber (necessary for explosive movement) to act more like slow-twitch fiber. I wouldn't have wrestlers running for more than say 25 maybe 30 minutes at a time.

[eamuscatuli 0]

I like soccer for young kids because it has them running and develops footwork and coordination

[JohnnyThompsonnum1 97]

Jiujitsu. LOL at baseball having positive crossover to wrestling.

Jiu Jitsu in the opinion of many people IS a style of wrestling. so yes captain obvious, it would help to translate well into wrestling. what are you going to say next? that pool would help with pocket billiards ?

[armspin 257]

Jiujitsu. LOL at baseball having positive crossover to wrestling.[/quoted depends on the jujitsu guy, I think... some of them (Jacare and Maia, for example) could wrestle at a pretty high level IMO but there are some guys whose takedowns and td defense is so aggressively bad it boggles the mind.

 

Judo guys are interesting to wrestle against. Usually pretty easy to take down, but if youre not careful you can get thrown and pinned right quick.

[TheOhioState 417]

^^Physiological bit of a problem with cross country is that long distance aerobic training will condition fast-twitch muscle fiber (necessary for explosive movement) to act more like slow-twitch fiber. I wouldn't have wrestlers running for more than say 25 maybe 30 minutes at a time.

 

Not buying this one, Stove- sorry. The younger Jack Cuvo would disagree with you, too.

[olddirty 272]

Jiujitsu. LOL at baseball having positive crossover to wrestling.

Jiu Jitsu in the opinion of many people IS a style of wrestling. so yes captain obvious, it would help to translate well into wrestling. what are you going to say next? that pool would help with pocket billiards ?

 

Jiujitsu is nothing like American folkstyle in terms of wrestling. Each have goals that are literally the exact opposite. One is to get top, hold your opponent on the back, and pin them. The other is to pull yourself to your back, pin yourself, and either break the guys arm or choke him to death.

 

What are you going to tell me next? That baseball would help with wrestling......

[Chasden 54]

I have a little boxing/wrestling gym and where my two sons train when they are not at a club. Sometimes I know the wrestling gets a little repetitive, so some days I put on the punch mitts and have my boys put on gloves and I have them alternate multiple rounds hitting the mitts. It is a very tiring routine and it also lets them blow off some steam. I also want them nice with their hands just in case... :D

[JohnnyThompsonnum1 97]

Jiujitsu. LOL at baseball having positive crossover to wrestling.

Jiu Jitsu in the opinion of many people IS a style of wrestling. so yes captain obvious, it would help to translate well into wrestling. what are you going to say next? that pool would help with pocket billiards ?

 

Jiujitsu is nothing like American folkstyle in terms of wrestling. Each have goals that are literally the exact opposite. One is to get top, hold your opponent on the back, and pin them. The other is to pull yourself to your back, pin yourself, and either break the guys arm or choke him to death.

 

What are you going to tell me next? That baseball would help with wrestling......

 

I didn't say that there weren't differences, but there are many similarities. The main difference being one is about scoring points and pins, whereas the other is about submission.

 

As far as baseball helping out wrestling, I said from the very get go that it was a stretch of the imagination. I still think it might be able to help one, especially in the case of a catcher, to work on changing levels.

[Wire 23]

X-Country ... The best for lung development. And legs as well. Great Fall sport prior to wresting season.

[Customfitch 2]

^^Physiological bit of a problem with cross country is that long distance aerobic training will condition fast-twitch muscle fiber (necessary for explosive movement) to act more like slow-twitch fiber. I wouldn't have wrestlers running for more than say 25 maybe 30 minutes at a time.

 

Not buying this one, Stove- sorry. The younger Jack Cuvo would disagree with you, too.

 

As would Nickerson. And countless others.

 

Long runs not only help with your lungs but also your mental strength. I ran XC in the fall and my cardio was unequaled on my wrestling team, especially after I got down to weight. I flew on runs like a little fly. I used to like to think that running 6 or 7 miles after practice in the winter made me tougher mentally. Also clears your head nicely.

 

But I would also change up my runs with intermittent sprints- sprint from one telephone pole to the next, recover to the next pole, then sprint again, etc. Or do pyramids- sprint through three telephone poles, recover through three, then sprint through two poles, recover through two, etc. Effective for those bursts you need on the mat.

[TLS62pa 46]

JT-you mentioned boxing, but neglected foot work. Foot work is an important part to the sport of boxing, and translates well to wrestling.

 

While cross country certainly helps with gas tanks, cross-country shape isn't wrestling shape. I'm with Stove Pipe on this one. While running is important to opening up the lungs and get the heart rate up, when I have my guys working on conditioning, I do it through wrestling. They don't need to be running for extended periods of time.

[TLS62pa 46]

JT-you mentioned boxing, but neglected foot work. Foot work is an important part to the sport of boxing, and translates well to wrestling.

 

While cross country certainly helps with gas tanks, cross-country shape isn't wrestling shape. I'm with Stove Pipe on this one. While running is important to opening up the lungs and get the heart rate up, when I have my guys working on conditioning, I do it through wrestling. They don't need to be running for extended periods of time.

[JohnnyThompsonnum1 97]

I have a good buddy of mine that is extensively into body building and as he is building muscle, he is informed not too run or do too much extensive cardio as it deteriorates muscle and doesn't allow the muscles to develop and grow if over done. I imagine that might be why Cross Country would potentially be detrimental to wrestling?

[TLS62pa 46]

Just some points to what Stove Pipe and I are saying

 

http://www.examiner.com/article/strengt ... -wrestlers

 

http://saptstrength.com/2012/09/11/runn ... and-water/

[IronChef 718]

Edit: looks like someone else beat me to posting the exact same article

 

Just because a successful wrestler ran cross country, that does not mean it was the best form of training for wrestling. If your goal is to be a great wrestler and focus all of your training on that, then you won't go on a bunch of six mile runs. Nothing about an hour road run has an analog to a six or seven minute wrestling match. You are simply training your muscles the wrong way. There are better ways to gain mental toughness with exercises that are better at training the muscles and energy systems required to win wrestling matches.

 

Here is some info that is from people far more qualified than I: http://saptstrength.com/2012/09/11/running-wrestling-like-oil-and-water/

[OldGrappler 45]

I agree with the footwork aspect of boxing. And I'll throw you a curve here.

 

I think that skateboarding, snowboarding and skiing have great body awareness and balance traits to them. I've known several very good wrestlers who were skateboarders, one from years ago who was a Pa runner-up from a school with a weak program, who took Don Rohn into overtime in the state finals.

 

The idea of keeping control of your "whole self" while being able to keep the right pressure where it needs to be (through your feet in the case of these other sports) is something that is very useful in the top position.