While we are dispatching two teams to Renfrew and the Quebec Open for Saturday November 24, Clint and I (and potentially other coaches) will be holding practice...a good opportunity for wrestlers who are left in Ottawa to get in some good technique.

Here are my notes from November 6-November 22...

Wednesday, November 7, 2008

We had 15 attending and participating…

Clint Kingsbury
Dean Sherratt

Matt Lessard
John Goodyear
Nigel Sayah
Ben Sayah
Sarah Stringer
Emily Bekolay
Mathieu Deschatelets
Nick Ghaeni (Montreal WC)
Mariano Santo
Youssef
Michio Clark
Brian Cohen, new, Greenbank PS
Nils Rohde
Jared Semenchuk

Clint demonstrated the “gut wrench with leg ride” and front headlock variations.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Practice last night:

Clint Kingsbury
Ilya Abelev
Joe Greer
Jared Semenchuk
Phil Staniewski
Nick Sutherland
Michio Clark
Chris (Colonel By)

Small numbers, so we did experimentation technique. Just review all your moves but, try different transitions and look for other finishes and openings.
30min

We then moved in to drilling:
Making a clean leg attack, once in live - so the defensive person lets the offensive person in and then they go live wrestling until a point is scored (about 10 seconds each)
We did 10 high crotches
We did 10 singles
We did 10 doubles.

During the drilling I would intervene and make sure wrestlers were trying to change things and mix it up, not continuously trying failed attempts with out change.

We then did parterre wrestling
5 goes each.

Finally followed by 1 five minute match.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

We had 18 wrestlers and coaches, including a large number of younger wrestlers from Chelsea:

Clint Kingsbury
Dean Sherratt

Sean Ryan (Canterbury)
Nils Rohde
Ilya Abelev
Josh Wilson, new
Mathieu Deschatelets
Emily Bekolay
Eamonn Stinson O'Gorman
Conor Stinson O'Gorman
Matthew Tattersall
Xavier Ouellet
Alex Pepin, new PET PS
Brian Cohen
Mark Cohen
Ben Sayah
Amy Laidlaw
Jon Kazub

We divided into two groups...I coached the little kids with basic standing techniques and then had a session of "King of the Mat", followed by "British Bull Dog"

Monday, November 12, 2007

We had another good turnout with 19 wrestlers and coaches present and participating.

Mike Smith
Dean Sherratt
Chris Schrauwen

Marc Griplas
Geoff Griplas
Ben Sayah
Nigel Sayah
Phil Staniewski
Conor Assaly (Kemptville)
Josh Wilson
Sarah Stringer
Jairus Bali
Nils Rohde
John Goodyear
Haven Halter

Mike Smith worked mostly on ground moves…he argued (as I do) in favour of an active defense, even staying on base rather than being allowed to be broken down to your stomach. In the former case, your opponent can only gut wrench while in the latter he has many more moves that he can execute.

Mike then demonstrated his famous “Smith Half”, developed when he wrestled Greco-Roman and needed to develop stronger moves that attacked his opponent’s torso. To start, you want to have your weight on your opponent, typically your outside leg will straddle your opponent’s, knee on the inside and foot outside.

The move concentrates two arms against one of your opponent’s as you typically will move your left arm to the right side, pressing into the side of your opponent’s head while your left hand grasps it, underneath your opponent’s left arm. Keeping weight on your opponent, you pressure up at the elbow and drive with your inside leg that has moved from the other side…Once you bring the caught arm above your opponent’s head, you transition to an ordinary half nelson, now swinging your outside leg over as you “t-off”, lift your opponent’s head and post with your free arm. The move is stronger the nearer you can work your opponent’s arm to his head…his counter is to plant his far ear to his far shoulder and increase the space between his head and your half…

Mike also demonstrated good use of “Zone” wrestling…how to use your attack leg and opposite attack hand to work your opponent into the zone and once there, attack since a leg attack that drives him out gains you a point even if you can’t complete the move to a takedown. Your opponent will want to circle out and you must block these attempts to keep him pressed into the zone.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

It was great last night. 11

We had:

Clint Kingsbury
Guest: Evan MacDonald
Joe Greer
Ben Sayah
Mathieu Deschatelets
John Goodyear
Phil Staniewski
Josh Clarke
Courtnay Lafond
Michio Clark
Ilya Abelev

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

We had a very heavy turnout of 23 coaches and wrestlers, including four girls and several younger wrestlers:

Clint Kingsbury
Joe Greer
Dean Sherratt

Justin Millar
Josh Wilson
Mathieu Deschatelets
Sarah Stringer
John Goodyear
Chris Schrauwen
Stacey Laviolette
Phil Staniewski
Christina Cain (came with Stacey)
Eamonn Stinson O’Gorman
Michio Clark
Nils Rohde
Ilya Abelev
Conor Stinson O’Gorman
Mariano Santo
Ben Sayah
Alex Pepin
Jared Semenchuk
Emily Bekolay

Clint introduced an interesting tie-up technique with a combination frontal wrist control/underhook move. This can be used as an alternative to other tie ups (e.g. two on one, arm drag). You grasp your opponent’s wrist with your outside hand, pulling it forward while underhooking the same arm with your inside arm. Your inside shoulder must pressure your opponent’s shoulder for this move to be effective.

This sets up a nice knee-tap finish, utilizing your outside hand which moves up from the wrist to the elbow and then to the knee.

If he tries to work behind you, that simply loads him on your hip and you can execute a perfect shoulder throw. If his leg is near, you can simply go for what is an “outside high crotch” with your outside arm.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Clint Kingsbury
Ben Sayah
Ilya Abelev
Ivan Toshev
Sarah Stringer.
Michio Clark
Connor SO
Eamonn SO
Mike Tremblay
Matt Lessard

+ 8 little kids from Chelsea - I can not remember names

We worked on entrances to the legs, different set ups, strong body position, tenacity, relentlessness wrestling
We then did 3 - 5min matches…
- followed by parterre - gut wrench defense
- followed by high speed techniques 15 min - high crotch, single double

10 min conditioning at the end.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Coaches: Dean SO
Wrestlers: Ben S, Mathieu D, John G, Ilya A, Scott from Brookfield, Mariano, Conor SO, Eamonn SO
Worked lots of situation drills, from various positions: body lock, clinch position, front head and arm, cross ankle, single leg.
Ground scrimmages, followed by cardio (burpees).

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

We had an excellent turnout with five wrestlers arriving from Saint Patrick’s HS.

This was a “singlet“ practice in preparation for Renfrew/Quebec Open/Ontario seniors.

Clint Kingsbury
Dean Stinson O’Gorman

Sarah Stringer
Phil Staniewski
Ben Sayah
Michio Clark
Emily Bekolay
Josh Wilson
Youssef
Mathieu Deschatelets
Nils Rohde
Daniel Hood, new, formerly from Hillcrest (Algonquin)
Janice Thibodeau (Saint Pats)
Joey Henderson (Saint Pats)
Mike Carrier (Saint Pats)
Sheldon Major (Saint Pats)
Dustin Biggs (Saint Pats)

We split the practice up between the new wrestlers (who I coached) and the remainder, who Clint coached. My efforts were based on improving single leg technique and finishes, as well as ground moves (half nelson and counters, head and arm plus counters, laced ankles plus counters, an introduction to tilts).

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Clint Kingsbury

Ben Sayah
Mathieu Deschatelets
Ilya Abelev
Michio Clark
Jairus Grant
Matt Lessard

Technique which turned into water wrestling - 50%

Very good small group - we worked a lot on situations:
-high crotch from feet and from knees (both sides - strong and weak sides)
-single from feet and from knees (both sides)

6 goes of each.

We did many front headlock situations - working on proper execution and defense too

Full speed technique - high crotches, singles, doubles - 5 times 30sec

1 match - 6 min (2x3min)

Followed by a little conditioning.