Realwrestling wrote:I say technique over strength any day!
Look at the late Dave Schultz, he hardly ever lifted but he had the most amazing skill set.
I understand spend some time in the gym will help but I would say 80-20!
Meaning 80% on the mat and 20% in the weight room or doing some other form of cardio
Just got back from the Nationals and all of the big muscle bound boys got whooped by a more technique wrestler
There are exceptions to all rules in all things. In conversations like this, the exception is almost always brought up and used as the rule of thumb. I saw Dave Shultz wrestle live at the World Cup in Toledo in 1983. He got second place to a Russian. The Russian definitely was the faster and stronger of the two. Dave went on and won a Gold Medal. I am not sure if all countries attended the Olympics that year. Dave then failed to make the Olympic team a second time in losing out to Kenny Monday. Kenny was also a stronger and faster wrestler.
Strength is a foundation for everything. If you’re not strong enough to maintain a position, you won’t, which means you won’t have optimal technique. You need optimal mobility to attain a position, and you have to have optimal strength to maintain it.
Weight training also prevents injuries. All the technique in the world will do you no good if you are on the sidelines with a blown out knee.
We (coaches, dads, moms and fans) can all decide what to focus on. We live and die, win and lose, by our decisions.
As a fan, my strong opinions are reinforced each year by my observations of watching many wrestlers, from many schools, that I have zero affiliation with. The next biggest influence in my opinions are my own mistakes made when I wrestled. I hate to see kids make the same mistakes.
Good luck. Plenty of time before wrestling season begins. A wrestler will be better prepared if he can squat his body weight 10+ times and be able to do 10+ chinups, rather than working on a lateral drop and a spladle.