Mastering Transitions

with Dave Malecek,
UW-Lacrosse Head Coach;
7x WIAC Mertz Mortoreilli Coach of the Year; WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year (2018);
2015 NCAA III Midwest Region Coach of the Year; 2010 D3wrestle.com Coach of the Year;
2007 NCAA Rookie Coach of the Year; led UW-L to a top-four finish at the NCAA D-III National Championships in seven straight seasons (2007-2013)

In this video, UW-Lacrosse's Dave Malecek dives into an area of wrestling where you can rack up points: transitions. He demonstrates various drilling techniques that he uses within his own program to help his athletes take advantage of their natural areas of strength. You'll learn all about chain wrestling from your wrestlers' core positions and how to improve their overall transition skills.

Core Move

Developing a "core", or a 'go-to' move, is an essential aspect of Coach Malecek's approach to transition wrestling. Each sequence of moves always ends with the wrestler's chosen core move. This technique helps build muscle memory and allows athletes to complete a smoother transition from move to move.

Chain Wrestling

Coach Malecek focuses on chain wrestling for his athletes. He firmly believes that they can score more points if they begin with positions where they already feel comfortable and strong.

You'll see Malecek and his wrestlers begin with their final turns for points. From there, they move on to their breakdown and transitioning to those turns. Finally, they slowly progress to attacks on their feet and then ultimately transition to their turns.

Malecek shows the importance isn't just in the traditional approach to transitioning to a turn, but flipping that approach upside down and working backward. Sometimes, the best way to approach a challenging situation is to hit it from the complete opposite side. You'll get some ideas that buck traditional logic that have helped Coach Malecek's athletes win big matches.

If you want an insightful look into how to better drill transitions, this video from Coach Malecek is a great choice. Score more points and win more duals this season!

59 minutes. 2019.