Make the Most of the Offseason

For many youth and high school wrestlers, the summer months are a good time to take a mental and physical break from the grind of a wrestling season. While many wrestlers will continue to attend practices, workouts and camps, others may not have access to practice or a wrestling room or simply want to find alternative ways to stay connected to wrestling, while improving skills.

Below, we provide a list of ways wrestlers can use the offseason to improve wrestling skills, while also taking a break from the daily grind of wrestling practice, workouts, or camps:

1. Watch wrestling videos: Watching videos of senior-level wrestlers, top college or high school wrestlers, and international standouts, is a great way to stay connected, learn, get inspired, and stay involved. USA Wrestling has several video resources, including a comprehensive video library and its own YouTube channel. In addition, there are many videos, such as technique videos, available, put together by some of the best coaches and competitors in the sport of wrestling.

There are also more popular wrestling movies than ever. Among them, Win-Win, Foxcatcher, and The American Wrestler. Watch other motivational and inspirational movies, such as classics like Rudy, Hoosiers, and Vision Quest.

2. Read wrestling books. There are educational books, such as Steve Fraser’s Victory! Being Mentally Tough On & Off the Mat, and inspirational books, such as A Wrestling Life 2: More Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable. Other good books include Perfected By Girls and Overtime: To be the Best. There are also other inspirational books, such as No Excuses, by Kyle Maynard, or Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion, by Anthony Robles.

3. Listen to wrestling podcasts/talk shows: Richard Immel’s Bonus Points, Scott Casber's Takedown Radio, or Jason Bryant’s Mat Talk Online podcasts cover wrestling news, hot topics, and feature interviews with the best of the best. In addition, USA Wrestling has an extensive library of informative and educational wrestling podcasts.

4. Focus on nutrition and hydration: Scroll down to the nutrition and hydration section on this page for valuable resources. This page also provides resources on the mental/psychological aspect of athletics and wrestling, strength and conditioning, and technique. Learn more here.

5. Play another sport and be active: Coaches make it clear they wish athletes would play multiple sports. So if one is involved in baseball, soccer, football, lacrosse, or just playing pickup sports with friends, this is still developing athletic ability. In fact, being active in the summer and enjoying the outdoors is a great way to improve wrestling skills, says Steve Fraser, former USA Wrestling National Greco-Roman Coach and current Chief of Donor and Alumni Relations at USA Wrestling.

“If you are using the offseason to take a break from traditional wrestling activities, consider cross training,” Fraser says. “Climb hills or mountains. Hike the back country, canoe down a river, bike across the land. These are all great ways to condition your body and give your mind a break from wrestling.”

6. Focus on non-wrestling specific workouts: Scott Green, head wrestling coach at Wyoming Seminary (Kingston, PA), encourages his wrestlers to participate in yoga and tumbling. Yoga “has had an impact on injury prevention for our team,” says Green, the USA Wrestling FILA Junior/University 2009 Person of the Year. “It's very non-competitive so guys can really focus on improving their flexibility without it being a contest. We use it during the season for recovery as well. Guys who invest in its practice see results.”

Green also encourages athletes to participate in tumbling activities as another way to improve flexibility. Many other wrestling coaches, such as PINnacle Wrestling School and Minnesota Storm coach Brandon Paulson, highly encourage tumbling. “When someone tells you that you can’t improve your athleticism, they are wrong,” Green says. “We have several skills and even some routines that our guys are expected to master. We have athletes from other sports that like to tumble with us. Wrestling is about stringing body movements together. Tumbling helps improve that."

7. Focus on the mental aspect of sports/athletics: Read books or videos on mental preparation. Research ways to mentally improve as an athlete. Consider reaching out to a wrestling-specific coach or trainer who focuses on how to improve as a wrestler through improved mental and mindset training.

There are many other unique ways to improve athletic skills in the offseason, including:

1. Working on a farm or doing yard work
2. Riding bikes with friends around the neighborhood
3. Playing games while swimming with friends, in a pool or lake
4. Waterskiing/wake boarding
5. Playing volleyball at the beach or park
6. Pickup basketball games
7. Playing tennis
8. Playing dodge ball
9. Skateboarding
10. Running/jogging

These are just a few of the many unique, inexpensive and fun ways to improve wrestling skills in the offseason. What are some other ideas and suggestions that work for you? Please share and comment below!