Brian Antonelli's Blair Academy Wrestling Series: Team Drills

with Brian Antonelli,
Blair Academy Head Wrestling Coach;
2019 NHSCA National High School Wrestling Coach of the Year;
since taking over as head coach in 2014, has led Blair Academy to National Prep Team Titles from 2015 through 2019;
#1 ranking in the USA for 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019

Blair Academy is one of the most celebrated high school programs in the country. One of the primary reasons that Blair has been so successful is that the wrestlers are well-prepared in the practice room to be match ready in the toughest of competitions.

In this video, head coach Brian Antonelli explains the importance of drilling at a match pace and demonstrates how to structure practice in order to ensure that your wrestlers' technique and conditioning is ready for competition. He also explains his philosophy on technique development and how to determine what types of drills to utilize to create a foundational practice.

From Start to Finish

Look into the Blair practice room and see how a practice is structured from the warm-up to the cool-down. Coach Antonelli shows how his team prepares to get the most out of their practice time through match pace drills, such as a stance-and-motion and down-block penetrate drill, that will not only help a wrestler warm-up and cool-down for practice, but also master fundamental skills.

Antonelli also demonstrates how he divides his team up into two groups for the live section of practice, so that one group is wrestling and the other group is conditioning off to the side. You will gain a better understanding of how to structure live wrestling to ensure both wrestlers are constantly working during the live reps.

Foundation Drills

Coach Antonelli understands there are a series of situations that a wrestler will often face during a match, which allows him to focus on these key areas during drill time. He places an emphasis on drilling at a match pace so that during a live situation they will be able to react quickly.

You'll learn the three main drills that Antonelli focuses on during practice, including:

• Snap, Spin, Score - Helps wrestlers understand how to react and score after stopping an opponent on their knees with a go-behind, high crotch, double leg or return.
• Sit, Drop, Reroute - Develops a wrestler's ability to control an opponent looking to score from the bottom by learning how to react and maintain constant control.
• Workhorse - A dual-purpose drill that will prepare a bottom wrestler to constantly work to come off the bottom and a top wrestler to continue to work to return their opponent to the mat.

Coach Antonelli has gained a reputation as one of the top high school coaches in the country by no accident; it's because he knows how to prepare his wrestlers for competition. This video will give you an understanding of how to maximize your team's practice time in order to elevate their technical skill, conditioning, and boost their confidence to perform on the mat.

52 minutes. 2020.