Building Blocks

Roman Hazell from McDonough, Georgia, is a 9-year-old who wrestles and also plays baseball. After baseball practice, team members are required to run laps around the field, during which, Hazell conspicuously laps all his teammates. Eventually, his performance prompted the other parents to ask Roman's parents where he got such stamina. Roman's mom replied: "Oh, that's nothing, his wrestling coach works all of the kids into tip-top shape."

"Wrestling provides building blocks for just about every sport," says Antoine Glasgow, Hazell’s wrestling coach at the Glasgow Wrestling Academy, which serves youth wrestlers in the Greater Atlanta area. "Unlike most other sports that primarily concentrate on specific movements and muscle groups, wrestling works on just about every motion, movement, and muscle group simultaneously."

During practice, wrestlers typically perform a wide variety of exercises, stretches and drills, Glasgow points out. This training improves everything from core strength and flexibility, to range of motion, to balance and speed.

Daniel Lovell, head coach at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, agrees. "In wrestling you have to strengthen the core, learn balance and coordination, as well as body awareness, meaning you know how you and your opponent will usually react to certain situations," says Lovell. "These skills are easily transferred into any other sport, and make it easier to adapt to that sport’s skill." He notes that two of his best wrestlers—Marcus Riggles, a NJCAA 149 pound All-American, and Kyle Chromy, a Minnesota Collegiate Athletic Conference state champ at 285—were both standout members of the Itasca football team last fall.

Shannyn Gillespie, former United States Olympic Education Center women's wrestling coach, says wrestling provides physical and psychological benefits that also transfer to other sports, like learning how to deal with and cope with a bad call or a tough loss. "Overcoming adversity can be transferred to all sports and all parts of life," says Gillespie.

Wrestling’s benefits aren’t confined to just sports, notes Steve Costanzo, head coach of the 2015 NCAA Division II national champion St. Cloud State wrestling team. He points out that one of his wrestlers this year was a volunteer firefighter with a rural St. Cloud fire department. The nature of wrestling, he explains, provides an outstanding opportunity for young athletes to develop a sense of responsibility, self-esteem and accountability while learning the relationship between effort and achievement.

"The commitment to the sport eventually correlates to all other aspects of a wrestler’s life, such as academics, athletics, jobs and relationships,” Costanzo says. The building blocks to do that are there through the sport of wrestling.

So which of the various training elements learned in wrestling can be cross-applied to other sports? Here’s a quick breakdown:

Sprinting (Football, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, track and many more)
Although wrestlers don’t sprint in matches, they routinely sprint in practice. Sprinting is an essential part of a wrestler’s workout regimen. It provides wrestlers those short bursts of acceleration needed in moves like a blast double leg takedown.

Jumping (Basketball, volleyball, track and field)
Although there’s no spiking or slam-dunking a ball in wrestling matches, jumping is another essential skill set performed in a wrestler's daily practice routine. For example, leapfrogs help wrestlers spring up from the bottom position with an opponent of equal weight on their back.

Throwing (Baseball, softball, football, swimming, water polo, shot put)
Wrestlers don’t throw balls in matches, but they do throw bodies. Coordinating the movement of arms, shoulders, hands, and hips all at once—like in a hip toss—means wrestlers improve their range of motion as well as strengthen muscle groups in those specific body parts.

Swinging (Baseball, Golf, fencing, tennis, lacrosse, softball)
Wrestlers constantly drill moves that require swinging motion. As a result, muscles in the arms, shoulders, and torso are strengthened. Example: A wrestler with a half nelson and a secured wrist will grip the half tightly to swing his/her opponent inwardtowards him/her, then outward towards the opponent’s back to earn a near-fall.  

Pushing (football, rugby, rowing, other contact sports)
Daily push-ups, bench-presses, tire flips, and, of course, wrestling holds help young athletes build total body strength. Wrestlers get a daily dose of pushing skills by pairing up and pushing one another to try to gain a point for a push out in Greco-Roman or freestyle wrestling.

Pulling (football, tug-of-war, rowing)
Wrestlers need a strong grip and must be able to pull. Wrestlers who want to perform an arm drag in neutral, or a 2-on-1 from the top position to flatten his/her opponent must practice by pulling and climbing ropes.

Rotating (Golf, baseball, basketball, football, diving, gymnastics)
Wrestlers must be able to rotate their body from just about every position on the mat. Daily stretches and mat drills aid in performing this skill set. Just about every move a wrestler can do involves rotation.

Reaching and Extending (just about every sport)
Wrestlers are constantly reaching and extending to grab and pull their opponent in matches. Example: A takedown on the out-of-bounds line where a wrestler reaches and extends his/her arms to secure the ankles of an opponent.

Balance (football, rugby, soccer, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, water polo, gymnastics)
From squats in the weight room, to lunges in the practice room, to carrying your teammate on your back, developing stances and maintaining balance are another key exercise set that wrestlers work on daily. As with numerous other sports, wrestlers have to maintain strong, balanced body position throughout competition.

Holding (Football, rugby, rock climbing, rowing, gymnastics)
Wrestlers focus on strengthening grip control, climbing, and pull-ups every day in practice. They hand fight in pairs to perfect arm strength and gaining wrist control. Whether from neutral, top or bottom positions, this technique is key to winning a wrestling match.