Observations: 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships

As I sit here and watch the finals of the DI NCAA Wrestling Championships I thought it’d be fitting to revert back to the sport that started this blog.  I’ve been impressed with the level of entertainment that’s come back to the sport and maybe it’s only me, but I think it makes for some pretty good television.  Back when I was in high school, we lamented at how boring the college matches were with no scoring except an escape or two, but it seems that wrestling has taken a turn for the better with wrestlers reaching yet another level.  Here are a couple of my observations.

Underclassmen are making a difference:  It is incredible to me how these kids are coming in as Freshmen and Sophomores and competing for the National Championship.  It is really a testament to the level of  high school programs these days that kids are prepared for this level of competition.  In addition to the high school programs, these kids are now training year round, traveling the globe, weight training, and seeking out the top competition.  Most of these kids have probably even competed with college level athletes before entering college, and this is what it takes to be competitive at the HS level which is preparing them well for the next.

The other side is that more kids are staying back a year in school at different levels in order to more physically mature.  This happens at the middle school level in order to be more competitive in high school and often kids are taking a year off after high school to train in order to compete in college.  Combine this with red-shirting rules and increased weight training, and you’ve got Freshman and Sophomores competing at the age of 20 or 21 fully matured instead of 18 or 19 making a huge difference physically.

There’s a one-legged national champ:  Anthony Robles from Arizona state won a National Championship tonight.  As a senior 125 pounder, he dominated his competition and he only has one leg.  He was born this way, so it wasn’t something tragic, but rather an inspirational story of his dedication to the sport and overcoming great odds.  It was incredible to see how he’s adapted

Anthony Robles during the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships

to the mat and his style is impressive and tough to compete against.  Of course missing a leg takes about 20-30 pounds off what his weight would be if he had both legs, so he’s built more like a 150 or 160 pound wrestler giving him a distinct advantage in upper body strength which was obvious in his finals match.  In addition, it’s tough to generate a plan of attack because most instincts as a wrestler don’t apply when the leg you are counting on to secure a take down or reversal just isn’t there.  You can’t say that not having a leg is an advantage to Robles, but it does make it tough for his competition.  I must say it was truly impressive and inspirational to see him wrestle, win the Championship, and then act with such humility afterward…I’d say it was the highlight of the tournament.  He plans to be a motivational speaker post college and talk about overcoming adversity…to all wrestlers out there, I’d have to say this guy is someone you should be looking up to.

Where’s the funk?  A few years back, the “funk” style of wrestling dominated the finals.  It seemed everyone was rolling or flipping or scooting their way to a win led by the Askren brothers, but I didn’t see it much this year.  I believe it’s still important to learn a certain degree of funk to be effective, but perhaps the style initially caught the traditional wrestling style by surprise a few years back.  Now, wrestlers have figured out how to stop it and you don’t see it as much.  But it seems to have opened up the sport more, especially in neutral and there is a lot more scoring.

I was really happy to see a majority of the takedowns executed were with a simple double leg takedown…probably the FIRST move a wrestler learns on his feet in the 3rd grade.  It just goes to show that you don’t need to know a million moves to win or some special high profile throw, but the basics…executed perfectly with a lot of hard work and toughness will win you a national championship.

So in summary…To be a National Champion you should work hard, get strong, seek the best competition, be humble, and master the basics.  This is what I learned from this year’s finals