35 Drills & Skills for Competitive Practice

with Duane Goldman,
former Indiana University Head Coach;
4x All-American at the University of Iowa, 1986 NCAA Champion;
4x NCAA finalist; 4x Big Ten Champ; Coach of three NCAA individual champions from Indiana University;
An alternate on the US Olympic team in 1988

Joe LeBlanc, Brown University Assistant Coach, former Indiana University Assistant Coach; 4x NCAA All-American at University of Wyoming

Nick Simmons, Indiana University Assistant Coach; 4x NCAA All-American at Michigan St. University;
4x Michigan High School State Champion compiling a career record of 211-0; Placed 5th at the 2011 Freestyle World Championships

Here is your chance to add a wide variety of competitive drills to your practice arsenal - the same drills that will play a key role as you develop a championship team. Duane Goldman and his staff at Indiana University offer a variety of drills, from all positions, to enhance practice, develop skills, and improve the conditioning of your team. Each coach on the Indiana was a four-time All American during his wrestling career.

In this wrestling drills video:

• Coach Goldman focuses on stance, leg attacks from a solid stance and getting off the bottom.
• Coach LeBlanc focuses on strength and agility.
• Coach Simmons focuses on drills that help counter leg attacks.

From the Feet
Coach Goldman teaches a fantastic hand-fighting drill that will train your athletes to clear ties and get to their attacks quickly. He emphasizes knee sliding, pressure and getting to your feet on leg attacks. Scrambling is an important part of wrestling that is hard to teach, and Goldman teaches a very simple scrambling drill that he has his wrestlers do for 30-40 second intervals completing a series of switches, stand-ups, and shoulder rolls.

Base and Bridge Drill
Assistant Coach Joe LeBlanc teaches fundamental drills to improve your athletes' flexibility and mat awareness. He emphasizes footwork, moving your feet and creating angles in the neutral position. LeBlanc shows basic drills for maintaining a solid base on the bottom and learning to escape. The Base and Bridge Drill is a drill that can be effective for the experienced middle school wrestler, the high school wrestling and the college wrestler.

Head Blocking
Assistant Coach and USA National Team member Nick Simmons reveals his favorite drills for developing head position and for hand fighting from the tie up. These drills are defensive in nature and often can lead to counter attacks. The head is the first line of defense before your opponent can get to your hips. Coach Simmon's Head Block Drill helps train wrestlers to prevent opponents from getting leg attacks. Often, wrestlers are only taught to block with their hands. Simmons emphasizes in this drill to block with your head first and then your hands. When your opponent changes levels, you change levels and head block. Simmons has excellent hip defense and shows an excellent "hip motion" drill to develop confidence when an opponent does get to your legs.

These competitive practice drills can be used at the grade school, middle school, high school, and college levels of wrestling and will create a new level of energy in your practice room. This video offers effective methods to improve your wrestlers' foot speed and flexibility. This is a must if you want to get to the next level of competition.

51 minutes. 2013.