Does Summer Training Really Make Winners in the Winter?

Written on June 24, 2011 by Anthony Flatt in Wrestling Resources

I took a much different approach to wrestling in high school then most high school kids. Since I hadn’t really started wrestling until end of my 8th grade year I knew I had a lot of catch up work to do. My way of playing catch up was to wrestle year round.

Now many people may be surprised that in my first 4 years of wrestling I became a 3 x high school Florida state finalist, a 2 x Florida State champion, a 2 x Florida Outstanding wrestler, as well as become a runner-up in Freestyle Nationals my senior year but I owe my success to Summer wrestling.
You see everyone who wants to become a successful wrestler, wrestles the grueling season and gets between 30-50 matches on average but you could double those amount of matches by wrestling Greco and Freestyle as well as getting matches in many of the major summer and spring national competitions.
It isn’t hard to make progress getting 8 years of wrestling in just 4 years plus mixing things up between folk style and freestyle/greco also helps kids overcome burnout because it is almost like having a new sport to train for every six months.
However, their are 2 very important additions to just wrestling year round. First, a solid year round lifting schedule and regular conditioning is very important to becoming a successful wrestler.  You can change this up every six months just like switching from folkstyle to freesyle/greco. During the summer months lift for strength and size and take nice long runs to stay lean. During the season lift for endurance and core strength and condition fast and short to get your lungs ready for those hard fought overtime battles.
Lastly and most importantly, always keep improving yourself on the mats. If you drill the same moves every day you may get better but if you want to improve fast and steady you must attend camps and clinics. I made all of my progress every season by learning the new techniques and improving my old ones.
Now you can pick up a lot of great wrestling during the season but you need a productive summer to incorporate your new techniques that you learn from summer camps and clincis so that you can use it at the highest level by the end of each season. So summer training does make winners in the winter but it is what you do over those summer months that separate the goods from the greats!
As a division I college coach for the past 11 season at The Citadel I know I always look for year round wrestlers in my future recruits because I know they will make the best college wrestlers some day. I wasn’t the greatest wrestler to ever walk into the Oklahoma State Wrestling room my freshman year but when I graduated in 2000 with over 100 wins as an All-American, Big XII Champion, Freestyle National Champion,  and FILA World Team Member I was proud to call my self a Cowboy and I owe it all to my year round wrestling regiment.
Since graduating in 2000 and becoming a Division I college coach at The Citadel I have tried to help thousands of wrestlers become champions through my many camps and clinics that I put on around the country and my many summer camps at The Citadel every July.
If you would like to attend a great camp this summer check out our camp dates at www.bulldogwrestle.com we still have some openings at our 7 different great camps.
Best of luck with your summer training and hope it all pays off for you next season.

Coach Ragan

 Mike Kallai Sr. left a major footprint on Ohio wrestling

Filed by Brad Bournival May 25th, 2011 in Sports.
  

The late Mike Kallai Sr. will receive the Al Thomas Award at the Medina County Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony on June 16 at The Galaxy Restaurant in Wadsworth. (GAZETTE PHOTO BY RON SCHWANE)

All questions have been answered, and Mike Kallai Sr. is undeniably this year’s Al Thomas Award winner.

A member of the 26th Medina County Sports Hall of Fame class, some were confused as to what the award meant when asked for tidbits for this story.

When told the winner was selected for his tireless behind-the-scenes contributions to high school sports without expecting anything in return, the praise poured out.

“Yep, that’s him.”

“Without a doubt, it’s Mike.”

“Well, it’s about time.”

“That describes Mike perfectly.”

Those were just some of the responses.

Perhaps no man was as revered in wrestling as the late Kallai, who was seen by many as an ambassador for the sport. That belief doesn’t just resonate in Medina County, it is shared across the state.

“There are a lot of things that typify him. He didn’t just start getting compliments after he died (last summer),” Wadsworth wrestling coach John Gramuglia said of his former assistant, who will be honored at The Galaxy Restaurant during a June 16 banquet sponsored by The Gazette and the Medina Breakfast Kiwanis Club.

“He loved wrestling so much that he made you love it. It was hard not to get into it because of the way he treated it, talked about it and put back into it. It was natural for him to do it. He was always involved.”

Kallai’s locker still sits untouched in the coaches office. The “M.K.” with the Wadsworth logo underneath rests on every headgear worn by a Grizzly.

Because if you knew Kallai, you knew how much the former Barberton police chief loved the mats.

A wrestler for Coventry High School, Kallai began his assistant coaching career at Barberton before coming to Wadsworth in 1991.

It was there that “Chief” made his mark.

A catalyst for the sport, he dipped his toes into every aspect of wrestling to see how things could be improved on all levels.

Not just from a competitive standpoint, but issues involving safety and friendliness. There wasn’t an avenue Kallai didn’t walk to bring awareness to wrestling.

“Mike was a giver,” said Bob Pruesse, a longtime writer for Amateur Wrestling News. “He was the guy that shunned any personal recognition, but he was a bedrock guy in Ohio wrestling.

“He was doing the dirty work, the details that most people don’t want to be involved in. He was low key, but you could always count on him.”

Ohio surely did, as Kallai ran the Division I State Duals for 14 years. He also was the glue that held the Grizzly Invitational Tournament together, letting Gramuglia coach while he did the “little things.”

Kallai was also the president of the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association and Greater Cleveland Coaches and Officials Association.

“Mike not only came to Wadsworth, but to the Northeast Ohio Coaches Association, the state board and the district board and gave them his hours for the betterment of the sport,” state rules interpreter Ray Anthony said. “What he did for us was tremendous. I’m not sure one guy can fill his shoes. It’ll take awhile to get back to that position.”

Kallai leaves behind an undeniable footprint, as he was the catalyst for the new format for the state duals starting in 2012-13.

A complex formula used to determine the top eight teams from each division in the duals. Now, every school will be eligible to participate in a tournament format that will conclude weeks before the individual state tournament is to take place.

That typified Kallai. When it came to wrestling, he wanted everyone involved.

“You knew you could count on Mike,” Wadsworth assistant coach Larry Kaufman said. “He was always ready to go, always under control. He had that levity to take a tense situation and make it easy.

“He is a good example of what it means to sacrifice for a sport and to make it a priority, to get involved and not be afraid to make changes that needed to be made.”

Winner of the Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award by the OHSWCA in 2009, Kallai embodied everything the honor bestowed.

Kallai was also the rock everyone turned to when things got tough. Medina coach Chad Gilmore wrestled for his former assistant coach, but also turned to him in tough times.

That’s possibly where he’ll be missed the most.

“He meant a lot to me and still does,” Gilmore said. “The character he had as a dad, police chief and coach showed wherever he went. When he talked, people listened. He was a true leader no matter what he did. People need that in their lives.”

Added Anthony: “Our sport is a fraternity. Without him here, we’re missing a key part of the puzzle. Whether it is something to talk about or someone to bounce something off of, he’s a big part of the family that is missing.”

Mental Preparedness for Training and Sport

Written on March 1, 2011 by admin in Mind Training

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INTRODUCTION
Recently, I wrote an article pertaining to the theoretical Training Hierarchy Pyramid (THP) that provides a conceptual model for the development of an athlete.  Similar to Maslow’s psychological hierarchy of needs model, the THP suggests that certain athletic capacities need to be attained prior to others being addressed.

In reality, some or all levels of preparedness in this pyramid will be trained or practiced congruently during certain times throughout the year.  So, I prefer to think of this model as an interconnected, 3-dimensional pyramid, where deficiencies in lower levels will have an adverse affect on performance in the upper levels.
The last article focused on defining and establishing the importance for athletes of all sports to build big athletic foundations or “bases” through GPP and SPP training.  This article will focus on mental and emotional preparedness or “mind training”.  Mind training can and should play a vital role before, during and after all training or competition.  Assuming same or similar base physical and sport preparedness, mind training IS what separates the best from the rest.  More importantly, it is the developmental ingredient that will determine if an athlete realizes his or her own potential.
It is well documented that most athletes who have made the Olympic team in their sport practiced some form of mind training, while those athletes that failed to make the team did not.  Mind training is now a part of nearly every successful program because of its documented success and impact on athletic performance.  However, chances are still good that your next opponent is less than optimally prepared mentally and emotionally.  This presents an opportunity for you to gain a competitive advantage!
There are many forms of mind training.  What works best is largely dependant on the individual.  My recommendation is to try all of them before deciding which methods/tools you will regularly practice and eventually master.  These are presented in no particular order of importance of effectiveness.  The method or methods that work best are the ones that you put into practice!
#1  SELF TALK
I feel comfortable saying that every athlete ALREADY uses self talk as a method of mental preparedness, but self talk can either be extremely beneficial or extremely detrimental to performance.  Becoming aware that self talk can be used as a tool to improve confidence and performance is a positive step in itself.  Self talk is that little voice inside your head that is you coaching yourself.  The internal dialogue of thoughts directly affect feelings and emotions, and ultimately, athletic movement and performance.  Negative thoughts lead to negative feelings and poor performance, while positive thoughts lead to feelings of confidence and high performance.
It is not uncommon for many athletes to engage in negative self talk.  Negative self talk often times creates feelings of nervousness, anxiety, fear of success and fear of failure.  These feelings will most certainly have an adverse affect on athletic performance.  This can be easily remedied by first becoming conscious of it, then replacing the negative self talk with positive affirmations.  Every athlete is capable of doing this, but it takes practice to master.
SELF TALK BEST PRACTICE:

Find a verbal cue that turns your attention away from negative thoughts and feelings to the task at hand.  The verbal cue or reminder can be one word or a phrase that helps you focus on the present moment, encourages focused relaxation or acts as a self pep talk.  You may have one or more verbal cues for different situations, but this should be decided and practiced before competition, so that it becomes automatic.  Examples of verbal cues include:

“Focus”
“Breathe”
“Stay present”
“Be ready!”
“Let go”
“I’m exceeding my own expectations”
“I feel good”

The list could go on and on.  The verbal cue or cues that you choose should be very personal and address those specific situations that have led to negative feelings, emotions and poor performance in real or imagined events.

#2  BREATHING/MEDITATION
Deep breathing and meditation (relax the mind) is a skill that is mostly practiced before competing or anytime anxiety or nerves have taken over.  Proper breathing relaxes the mind and the body.  It oxygenates the blood and energizes the brain, nerves, and muscles, allowing for optimal performance.  Proper breathing could easily be the most important aspect of staying focused during sports or any athletic activity. Inefficient breathing consists of short, shallow breaths that never reach below the upper chest.  Proper breathing consists of large breaths that are pulled deep into the lungs using the diaphragm.  Think of filling up your lungs with air from the bottom up.  Breathing this way will help to reduce anxiety, improve focus or encourage relaxation, whether you are training, competing, or lying in bed having trouble falling asleep.
BREATHING/MEDITATION BEST PRACTICE:


The best way to practice and master deep breathing is through meditation, which is performed separately from any physical activity (preferably in solitude).  Meditation is a self-directed process for calming the mind and body using deep breathing.  Meditation should be practiced in a quiet room or setting, with your body situated in a comfortable position.  Your job during meditation is to calm the mind through deep breathing:

• Start by closing your eyes and taking in a deep breathe, filling your lungs from the bottom up.
• Hold your breath for a period of 10-30 seconds.
• Release the breath, releasing all feelings of anxiety and muscle tension.
• Repeat this procedure, focusing all of your attention on your breathing, until your mind chatter slows down or stops or until you feel calm and relaxed.

With practice, you will reach a state of relaxation quicker and quicker.  There is no time limit for meditation.  Meditation sessions can last from 10 minutes to 1 hour or longer.  You meditate and breathe UNTIL.  Once you have trained your body and mind to relax through meditation, you can use self talk (“Breathe” or “Deep Breath”) to calm yourself down before or during stressful competitive events.

#3  MENTAL REHEARSAL/VISUALIZATION
Visual motor behavior rehearsal (VMBR) is a process of creating a mental video of a particular event, before training or competition.  Athletes can use this mental video to:

• Analyze and correct errors that have occurred in real or imagined situations.
• Imagine turning individually specific fears or anxieties into positive situations and improved performance.
• “Experience” the event before it happens.
• Desensitize athletes from stressful situations or environments.
• Imagine perfect sport skill and technique
• Prepare positive reactions to unforeseen situations that “go wrong”.

The main objective of VMBR is to remove unwanted and undesirable movements or situations that could adversely affect performance.  This is time set aside before training, an event or a competition that allows an athlete to overcome fears and anxieties prior to the situation.  This is a critical component of mental preparedness!
MENTAL REHEARSAL/VISUALIZATION BEST PRACTICE:


Step 1:  Pick a quiet, comfortable and tranquil place to sit, in a chair or on the floor.  Practice some deep breathing to get focused and relaxed (see “Deep Breathing/Meditation”).

Step 2:  Once you are relaxed, turn your attention to your upcoming event or competition.  Picture yourself as the participant, not the observer.  Visualize and take in all of your surroundings (internal and external); the sights, the sounds, the smells, the temperature, the feelings and the emotions.  Create a mental video, from start to finish, of the entire event or competition.  See yourself arriving to the venue, getting dressed, warming up, starting the event or competition, executing perfect technique and staying present in the moment.  Imagine everything going exactly as planned, ending with the outcome you desire.

Step 3:  Repeat step 2, only this time, imagine every possible situation that could go wrong.  This is the time to experience the worst case scenario, and control your reactions to it, before you are placed in that situation.  See yourself addressing all obstacles with calm and ease, turning negative situations into positive outcomes.  Visualize yourself using the other mind training tools (self talk, verbal cues, deep breathing) to stay calm, focused and positive during adverse conditions.  DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!!

Step 4:  Repeat step 1 to complete your VMBR session.

#4  RITUALS
Many successful athletes incorporate pre-competition rituals or idiosyncrasies that get themselves into a full state of readiness.  Rituals allow athletes to take control of their environments and filter out distractions.  Rituals are very specific to the individual and may include:

• Any of the mind training tools mentioned in this article (self talk, deep breathing, mental rehearsal)
• A specific song or playlist of songs that amps up an athlete’s energy level (be careful not to wear yourself out or get amped too early!)
• A specific warm-up routine
• A specific dressing routine or clothing item
• Performing a specific movement or getting into a specific position before certain situations (think of a basketball player’s rituals at the foul line)
• Any thought, gesture or activity that an athlete does every time he or she is getting ready to perform an athletic movement or compete in a sport event

RITUALS BEST PRACTICE:


Depending on the sport or nature of the activity, some of the mentioned rituals may get interrupted by external situations that are outside of an athlete’s control.  So, the best ritual is to regularly practice and master the mind training tools mentioned in this article, so that you are prepared to handle anything that might interfere with your other rituals and knock you off course.  “Ritualize” self talk, deep breathing/meditation and mental rehearsal/visualization, so that you are mentally and emotionally prepared for circumstances that are confined only by your imagination.

CONCLUSIONS
Mental/emotional preparedness plays an important role in all training and competition.  The most successful athletes regularly practice one or more of the mind training tools mentioned in this article.  If you want to separate yourself from your competition, and more importantly, KNOW your potential as an athlete, you will begin to consciously practice and master the mind training tools that best prepare you mentally and emotionally to perform at your best.  Through trial and error, you will develop rituals that will allow you perform or compete with a healthy level of “focused relaxation”.  Winning and losing or succeeding and failing will become side effects of your level of physical, mental and emotional preparedness instead of what defines you as an athlete.  If you have any thoughts or questions about mind training or mental/emotional preparedness, please post to comments

“Breaking Down” Mental Breakdowns – Sports Leadership for Success

“Breaking Down” Mental Breakdowns – Sports Leadership for Success

by Dr. Chris Stankovich

 

Every athlete knows the importance of mental toughness, but many struggle with understanding the skills, and to what degree to use the skills, apply to maximizing athletic potential for their specific sport (Sport Success 360).

Mental toughness skills can be loosely defined in sport psychology as an athlete’s cognitive and emotional abilities relationship to behavioral movement (sport skills). Mental skills are “thinking and feeling” experiences athletes have while simultaneously attempting to successfully execute sport skills.

Examples of Mental Breakdowns

When athletes over-think sport situations to the point where fear and anxiety disrupts the natural execution of sport skills, the problem is a mental breakdown.  For example, when you see an athlete become upset after a bad play and loses focus in the plays that immediately follow, the athlete is suffering from poor emotional coping skills – or a mental breakdown.

Unlike machines, humans do not simply follow algorithms that lead to perfect solutions.  When a basketball player steps to the free throw line, she clearly wants to make the shot – and has made free throws hundreds of times before in practice.  As she takes her warm-up dribbles, she even reminds herself that nobody can disrupt her shot – after all, it’s a free throw.  Still, she misses the shot.

Coaches generally do a good job of teaching sport skills (like making free throws), but when athletes are called to execute the skills in they have learned in game situations they often fall to pressure – and end up choking as a result.  Making things worse, most athletes go back to only practicing the physical elements of a sport skill, and often disregard the importance of being able to control nerves and emotions (mental skills) the next time they feel pressure in a game situation.

Only when athletes are able to focus their thinking and control their emotions can they maximize their abilities to successfully master their sport.

The Degree of Training Athletes Need

Most sport psychology mental training skills center around confidence development, improving focus, controlling anxiety, and rebounding from adversity.  All of the skills, like imagery, breathing, and using cue words, can be tweaked and modified to help athletes of all ages and skill levels.  The question is not whether these skills “work” or not (they do), but rather the extent and degree specific athletes should use them.

One simple way for athletes to break down mental skills is to begin by thinking about the type of sport the athlete plays.  The following breakdown is designed to be thought of with respect to intensity, and not to be implied that there are some sports that require no mental training skills.

Gross Motor Sports – Less Thinking, Less Mental Training

Sports that rely on big muscle groups and relatively simple behaviors usually need less focus on mental training skills.   Some examples of these sports include linemen on a football team, track sprinters, and rebounders on a basketball team.  Of course, these athletes still benefit from mental training, but not generally to the degree that athletes who are required to use more fine motor skill movement and precision thinking (see below).

Fine Motor Skills – More Thinking, More Mental Training

Sports that rely on precision movement and a high degree of stress control usually need more attention on mental training skills than the gross motor skill group described above.  Some examples include putting in golf, shooting free throws, and making shots in pool.  Again, this does not suggest that only mentally tough athletes can do these things, but it does mean that mental toughness may have a greater impact on athletic success than most people think.

The reasons why precision sport movements require superior mental toughness include the following:

1.     There is more time to think. In sports, the ideal situation is when an athlete engages in “muscle memory” movement, the kind of action that happens automatically.  In precision sports, the time to think can often interfere with this biorhythm and cause the athlete to fail.

2.     There are more things to control. When athletes are given autonomy to perform a skill (like a free throw), the experience is very different than automatically defending an opponent.  Instead of reacting, when athletes control a situation they must regulate all thinking and feeling and synchronize these experiences with their body in order to execute the skill.

3.     More time to rebound and process from failure. Unlike a lineman in football who misses an assignment and quickly moves on to the next play, a golfer might agonize much longer after missing a 2-foot putt.  It is for this reason that the athlete must work diligently to improve in the emotional skill of becoming more resilient.

Since mental toughness programs are not one-size-fits-all, it is important to understand your sport and then determine the degree and extent to incorporate mental training skills.  Physical, technical, and mental skills are all important as they apply to sport success, but the percentage of training will depend on man of the factors outlined in this article.

Weight classes modified for high school wrestling

 by Brad Bournival April 28th, 2011 in Sports.

The National Federation of State High School Associations announced sweeping changes to wrestling beginning in the 2011-12 season, as 10 of the 14 weight classes have been modified.
Starting in the fall, the new classes will be 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220 and 285.
The NFHS left 145, 152 and 160 alone and kept heavyweight at 285.
The most recent wholesale change came in 1988 when the lowest weight class, 98 pounds, was moved up to 103.
“They should have given coaches a vote,” Wadsworth coach John Gramuglia said. “I really think it will weaken high school wrestling. They essentially took a middleweight (140) out and added a 182. You’ll have a lot of forfeits. I like the 106, but it’s not fair overall. It’s not good.”
Dan Thoburn, a 2004 Highland graduate who finished runner-up his senior season at 215, likes the change, but wasn’t sure exactly why the powers that be made such big adjustments.
“I don’t dislike it,” said Thoburn, a volunteer coach for the Hornets. “I think it will make it a learning curve for the kids and coaches the next couple years. I wish they had (another weight) in college instead of going from 197 to 285.
“They needed a middle ground somewhere. I think it’s good, but I can see where it can hurt and help kids. They made the change, so now you have to change. I’d like to know the reasoning, though.”
The issue that hits to the heart of most area coaches is the fact most high school athletes, in their opinion, weigh between 125 and 150 pounds.
Losing a weight class in the middle could create more holes because of it.
“I would have liked them to add a weight rather than adding an upper weight and getting rid of a lower one,” Medina coach Chad Gilmore said. “I don’t like seeing the kids lose a weight where the majority of them weigh.
“I would have liked to see more of a bell curve. You see forfeits at the low and high end. To take out middleweight, it hurts the sport a little bit.”
The changes were made following results from a three-to-four year process utilizing data from the National Wrestling Coaches Association Optimal Performance Calculator, according to a story on NFHS.org.
The rules committee analyzed more than 200,000 wrestlers across the country and tried to create an atmosphere where 7 percent of wrestlers fall in each weight class.
The only other changes since 1988 were in 2002, when the number of classes went from 13 to 14 and the 215-pound weight class became mandatory, and 2006, when the 275-pound class was increased to 285 pounds.
Brad Squire, who won two state titles at Wadsworth before graduating in 2010, sees it as just a formality.
“A weight class is a weight class,” said Squire, who wrestled at 140 as a junior. “You’ll just have to go two pounds lighter or five pounds heavier. To me, you adapt and adjust. Things will happen. Just like the real world, you adjust to it.”

Athletic Talent vs. Hard Work

Athletic Talent vs. Hard Work

 What’s More Important for Sport Performance Success? 

What’s more important when it comes to sports performance and success – to have an athlete with tons of raw talent, or an athlete with average skills but an insatiable yearning to be the best? (AHPS) At every level of sports we see both if we look close enough – most teams have at least one athletically gifted player, and inevitably have at least one player with average skills but tons of “heart.” So, which player would you rather have on your team?

Before answering that question, I would like to bring up the even broader sports psychology question pertaining to the degree of athletic success that comes from sheer natural talent versus hard work and mental toughness? Ironically, this same question can be posed with academics as well – to what extent do “A” students get the grades due to genetics versus putting in the work? In both cases, people often make the fundamental attribution error where we overvalue dispositional (or genetic) traits while minimizing situational factors (the circumstances around the person/event).

The reality is that most successful people – be it athletes or students – achieve their success more from hard work than they do their natural talent. Of course, having good genes is never a bad thing in life, but what you do with your natural talents is the bigger question. In best-case scenarios, people use their natural abilities as a foundation for future success, and then put in the hard work in order to reach their full potential.

When it comes to sport philosophy, at the end of the day the athlete (or student) who is high in the “x” factors (i.e. confidence, motivation, resiliency, etc.) may just be the better long-term pick when deciding between the naturally gifted athlete versus the hard working athlete.

www.drstankovich.com

Developmental Hierarchy Wrestler’s Edition

Written on April 21, 2011 by admin in Training Philosophy, Wrestling

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INTRODUCTION
I’ve noticed a disturbing trend, particularly in the wrestling community, where coaches blend, blur or confuse sport and skill specific preparedness (SSP) with special physical preparedness (SPP).  This results in decisions to:

• Select movements to train based on how closely they “mimic” wrestling maneuvers (i.e., band resisted penetration shots)
• Eliminate otherwise beneficial movements because “there is no scientific evidence” that training said movement will have a positive impact on performance (i.e., the power clean)
• Eliminate otherwise beneficial movements because there is a belief that training said movement will have an ADVERSE effect on performance (i.e., the bench press)
• Eliminating special physical preparedness all together, because “the best way to get better at wrestling is to wrestle”

In my experience, these are all poor decisions.  After reading this article, you may not agree with me, but you should at least understand my supporting arguments and why I feel this way.  Here are my opening arguments, followed by a detailed discussion of the underlying principles and philosophies that support them:
1. The criteria for selecting movements for ANY sport should be based on the movement’s ability to cause physical adaptations in strength, speed, power, stamina, cardio-respiratory endurance, coordination, agility or whatever physical abilities are required by the sport.  The movements that are most effective at causing these adaptations will be DISSIMILAR from sport specific movements.  This is how we define “functional movement”.
2. Training is so specific, that adaptations earned in the weight room will not directly improve sport skills.  Practicing sport skills is the best way to improve sport skills.  However, all sport specific movements require certain fitness abilities in their execution.  Improvements in strength and fitness level will allow an athlete the opportunity to learn and execute sport specific movements better than through sports skill practice alone.
If you believe that a fitter athlete is a better athlete (hard to argue), then the BEST way to improve fitness is through strength and conditioning practices.  The BEST way for an athlete to know his or her potential in their sport, is to build a big base of general and special physical preparedness, COMBINED with hours upon hours of sport specific skills practice and mental preparedness techniques.  No high level athlete reaches his or her potential in their sport through sports practice alone.
3. Strong is strong.  There is no such thing as “strong for wrestling!”  Sport specific training programs are not what you think.  Sport specific training programs should be designed to improve the specific fitness abilities and energy system requirements of the sport.  They should not be designed to “mimic” or “closely resemble” sport specific movements.
You have already proven this to yourself by hanging climbing ropes in your wrestling room.  Not many coaches or wrestlers will argue that rope climbing is beneficial for a wrestler.  Why?  Because it improves a fitness ability that is specific to wrestling…grip strength!  In 20+ years of competing, coaching and spectating, I have yet to see a wrestling maneuver that looks anything like a rope climb!  So, put the bench press back in your training program.  It does a much better job at developing upper body pressing strength than rotating dumbbell presses on a swiss ball (these are fine too, but they should be considered as an assistance movement).

SUPPORTING ARGUMENTS:  TRAINING HIERARCHY PYRAMID

“A pyramid can only grow as tall as its base.” Louie Simmons, World Renowned Strength Coach
The goal of any athlete is to know his or her potential in their chosen sport.  As a young athlete moves through the competition ranks, the type and organization of training he or she engages in becomes increasingly important.  At the highest levels of athletic competition (college level and beyond), the athletes that perform best have not only the genetic predisposition to do so, but they are also better prepared physically and mentally than their competition.  This sounds like common sense; but it leads to many questions.  What is general physical preparedness (GPP) and why is it important?  What is special physical preparedness (SPP) and how does it differ from sport specific preparedness (SSP)?  How and why should my training program change throughout the year?  Does any of this matter?  Can’t I just wrestle and be done with it?  Not if you care about knowing your potential…
Training Hierarchy Pyramid
Have you heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?  It is often portrayed as a pyramid, with the largest and most fundamental needs at the bottom and secondary or higher level needs at the top:
Maslow’s theory suggests that humans are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower level needs need to be fulfilled before higher level needs can be addressed.  It is a psychological model that many great companies and organizations use as a framework to help their employees or team members reach their performance potential.  Bear with me here, there is a point I’m getting to…
Failing to plan is the same as planning to fail.  How many athletes have a plan for improving, or more importantly, reaching their potential?  Wouldn’t it be great if there were a model similar to Maslow’s pyramid that would give purpose and direction to an athlete’s training?  Well, we’re in luck!  Coach Scott Sonnen (CST – Circular Strength Training) has created a theoretical training hierarchy pyramid (THP) that illustrates the developmental stages of athletic performance:

According to this model, any deficiencies in lower levels of the pyramid will adversely affect the ability to maximize potential in higher levels. But, before I dive into how wrestlers can use this framework to reach the highest levels of performance, allow me to define what constitutes each level:
1.  General Physical Preparedness (GPP):
“GPP is intended to provide balanced physical conditioning in endurance, strength, speed, flexibility and other basic factors in fitness.  GPP may include participation in a variety of different physical activities which provide low intensity, all-round conditioning, with little emphasis on specific sporting skills.”
Mel Siff, Supertraining
We cannot generalize which exercises or activities are considered GPP for all sports, since all sports are unique and require different physical skills and capacities.  GPP activities provide balance in fitness by filling in the gaps that are not trained through special physical training (see #2 below) or sport specific training (see #3 below).  There is no way to scientifically prove that training GPP works, but the best and most well-known strength coaches train their athletes this way.
Wrestling presents a unique sport.  To be a champion wrestler, you must be a fantastic general athlete.  Wrestling requires sufficient capacity in strength, speed, power, stamina, coordination, agility and flexibility, as well as, tremendous anaerobic and aerobic work capacity!  Because of these requirements, almost any training could be considered specific to wrestling.  However, in attempting to classify certain activities as “more general” and “more specific”, we can establish prioritization of training.  For example, consider the following running drills:

1. 100 meter sprint
2. 400 meter run
3. 1 mile run
4. 5k
5. 10k

An argument can be made that each of these drills has its place in the wrestler’s training program at some point in the year.  In consideration of the specific requirements of the sport, we find that the 100 meter sprint and the 400 meter run are more specific, the 5k and 10k runs are more general and the 1 mile run is somewhere in the middle.  We can apply the same thought process to other modes of training (strength training, etc.), and all of a sudden, a plan starts to unfold!
GPP exercises and activities for wrestling include, but are not limited to:

• Anything that provides low intensity, aerobic conditioning (jogging, hiking, biking, swimming, etc.) or

• Any other sport or activity that has a high skill component (tennis, golf, racquetball, basketball, etc.)

2.  Specific Physical Preparedness (SPP):

SPP concentrates on exercises and activities that train the fitness abilities and energy systems that are required by the sport.  SPP aims to improve special FITNESS, not “mimic” or “closely resemble” sport movements!  Together, GPP and SPP constitute “Base Level Physical Preparedness”.  It is extremely important to recognize the difference between base level preparedness and sport specific preparedness (see #3 below).
Although wrestling requires complete general athleticism, the most vital physical requirements are:

1. Maximal Strength, Maximal Power and their derivatives (explosive strength, strength endurance, power endurance, etc.) and
2. Immediate and Short-Term Anaerobic Work Capacity – capacity to perform work for periods of time lasting from a few seconds to 1-2 minutes.

SPP training and activities for wrestling include, but are not limited to:

• Strength Training – aimed to improve maximal strength, dynamic or speed strength and repetition strength mainly through training barbell core movements (squats, presses, deadlifts, cleans, snatches, etc.)
• Anaerobic Conditioning – aimed to improve work capacity in the immediate and short term energy systems (providing energy for activities lasting from a few seconds up to 1-2 minutes).  This may include barbell, dumbbell or kettlebell complex training or short bouts of intense interval training using other implements (medicine balls, battle ropes, sandbags, tractor tires,  bodyweight calisthenics, stair sprints, etc.)

3.  Sport/Skill Specific Preparedness (SSP):

Sport/skill specific preparedness refers to movements or skills that are specific to a particular sport.  This is called practice! This level includes all skills and drills that are trained or practiced during sports practice.  This level focuses on the specific sporting activity, and it is where athletes have the opportunity to use the fitness gained through GPP and SPP to improve sports performance!  It is true that fitness can and will be improved through practice and competition (think live drilling).  However, and this is very important, FITNESS IMPROVEMENTS FROM WRESTLING PRACTICE AND COMPETITION ARE LIMITED BY THE SIZE AND DEPTH OF YOUR BASE LEVEL PREPAREDNESS!
SSP activities for wrestling include any drill or skill that is specific to wrestling (penetration shots, turns, escapes, throws, pummeling…if you do it in practice…it is a sport specific skill!)
4.  Mental/Emotional Preparedness:

Mental and emotional preparedness is the highest level of the pyramid, and this is where athletes of all sports distance themselves from the competition (assuming same physical preparedness).  Mental training exercises include visualization, mental rehearsal, self-talk, rituals, deep breathing, meditation, etc.  Many of these exercises and activities can be practiced or performed before, during and after training, practice or competition.  Although mental preparedness sits on top of the developmental pyramid, it can and should innervate all types of training.
Read More About Mental Preparedness
THE PLAN
The following are general recommendations for putting the information presented in this article to use:
Post-Season:
Starting in the post-season, training should be comprised mostly of GPP exercises and activities.  This period should last between 4 and 8 weeks, depending on the degree in which an athlete needs to physically and mentally recover from the competition season.  Remember, GPP exercises and activities are low intensity and provide balance in your program.  These exercises should train physical abilities or energy systems that are NOT specifically required by the sport.  Recall that GPP exercises or activities for wrestling include anything that provides low intensity or aerobic conditioning or that requires a high skill component.
Off-Season:

The off-season for wrestling starts in April or May and continues through August or September.  Off-season training should increasingly become more special (SPP) and less general.  During the off-season, intensity of training should slowly and progressively increase, so that there is enough stress present to cause the body to adapt and become fitter.  Remember that SPP refers to training the physical abilities and energy systems required by the sport.  SPP training for wrestling should focus on developing and improving maximal strength and power and their derivatives, and in careful doses, anaerobic conditioning.  Wrestling practice and competition can be present, but you need an off-season, so keep it under control.
Pre-season:

During the pre-season, general and low intensity training should all but disappear, while special training should be highlighted.  Sport specific skill training should begin to ramp up during the pre-season, with an emphasis placed on refreshing and improving upon sport specific movement techniques.  It’s important to enter the competition season fresh, so I recommend a transitional period of one to two weeks of tapering or “de-loading” before the commencement of the competition season.
Competition Season:
During the competition season, sport specific skills and drills take the stage and should constitute the majority of all training.  Fitness gains (general and special) from the off-season should be maintained during the competition season, but only to the extent where it does not interfere with practice and competition performance.  Toward the end of competition season (tournament time!), mental and emotional preparedness should increasingly become part of an athletes training, while the intensity of sports practice tapers down.  This is how athletes peak mentally and physically at the most opportune times!
CONCLUSIONS:  SAND OR STONE?
This article was not intended to “down-sell” sports practice, competitions or technique camps, but rather to “up-sell” the importance of following a framework of development built upon a rock solid base of physical fitness.  Is your athletic “house” built on a base of sand or stone?  How big is your current base, and how tall can you grow your athletic pyramid?  What is your weak link in the Training Hierarchy Pyramid, and what can you do to strengthen it?
Please post questions or discussion to comments.