#GrecoMonday: Top Greco-Roman athletes train together at Big Ten Championships
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by JD Rader, USA Wrestling
Top photo: USA Wrestling Manager of Greco-Roman programs Gary Mayabb coaching some Greco-Roman at Minnesota.
Bottom photo: Among the Greco-Roman greats helping coach were Andy Bisek, Brandon Paulson and Dan Chandler.
Photos by Joe Russell.
The Big Ten Championships weren’t the only thing going on in Minneapolis this past weekend. Also taking place Friday and Saturday in the Bierman Field Athletic Building was a Greco-Roman workshop hosted by USA Wrestling.
Senior Greco-Roman athletes, along with some top Cadet and Junior age level athletes, got a chance to train together in addition to watching the Big Ten Championships Friday and Saturday at the University of Minnesota.
“It went great,” coach Brandon Paulson said. “We had guys from the different schools in the Big Ten, some other guys that came to train, and some Cadets and Juniors their trying to develop some skills.”
USA Wrestling’s Manager of Greco-Roman Programs Gary Mayabb was there to work with the Greco-Roman athletes. Paulson, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist and a past USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the Year, was working with athletes. Legendary Greco-Roman coach Dan Chandler, an Olympian and multiple winner of the Greco-Roman Coach of the Year, was coaching, along with Andy Bisek, a two-time World medalist and the Assistant Coach for the Northern Michigan University – Olympic Training Site.
While it’s not unusual for wrestlers to get together with partners from different clubs and RTCs, this past weekend’s Greco-Roman workshop was set up in advance in an effort to help athletes from all over the country get a chance to improve while watching or coaching at the Big Ten Championships.
“In the past, it’s been some guys will travel to watch the Big Tens and why not get some different partners,” Paulson said. “But this was a little bit more of a concerted effort to get some senior level guys different partners centered around the Big Ten where you have guys training at different places and to also get some of the Juniors and have them improve their skills.”
USA Wrestling’s coaches and athletes are aware as anyone that diversifying one’s training can be very beneficial.
“You get different looks from different partners and different coaching,” Paulson said. “Technique is a little different and feel is a little different, so it’s important to get that. In the U.S., we have to work together to beat the international wrestlers. Anyway we can get better, we’re going to try and do that.”
Wrestlers and coaches worked on a variety of techniques and wrestled hard in the two practice sessions that took place.
“For the Juniors and Cadets, Gary Mayabb went through a bunch of drills they could work on for body positioning and chain wrestling and stuff like that,” Paulson said. "For the Senior level guys, we did a lot of motion on our feet stuff including getting to different ties, moving your opponent, moving your hands, moving your feet, and getting to some scoring opportunities. So, we did do quite a bit of drilling and technique, but we also got some live in, which was great too.”
It was very appropriate that there was some high level Greco-Roman going on in Minnesota, which has been one of the top Greco-Roman hotbeds in the entire world for many years. But doing Greco-Roman alongside one of the major college events during the season was a unique way to build the sport.
The Greco guys weren’t the only top athletes training alongside the Big Tens. National Freestyle Coach Bill Zadick and Manager of Freestyle Programs Joe Russell also helped with some freestyle training sessions. It was a big weekend for wrestling, with all three styles going on at the same place.
Bottom photo: Among the Greco-Roman greats helping coach were Andy Bisek, Brandon Paulson and Dan Chandler.
Photos by Joe Russell.
The Big Ten Championships weren’t the only thing going on in Minneapolis this past weekend. Also taking place Friday and Saturday in the Bierman Field Athletic Building was a Greco-Roman workshop hosted by USA Wrestling.
Senior Greco-Roman athletes, along with some top Cadet and Junior age level athletes, got a chance to train together in addition to watching the Big Ten Championships Friday and Saturday at the University of Minnesota.
“It went great,” coach Brandon Paulson said. “We had guys from the different schools in the Big Ten, some other guys that came to train, and some Cadets and Juniors their trying to develop some skills.”
USA Wrestling’s Manager of Greco-Roman Programs Gary Mayabb was there to work with the Greco-Roman athletes. Paulson, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist and a past USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the Year, was working with athletes. Legendary Greco-Roman coach Dan Chandler, an Olympian and multiple winner of the Greco-Roman Coach of the Year, was coaching, along with Andy Bisek, a two-time World medalist and the Assistant Coach for the Northern Michigan University – Olympic Training Site.
While it’s not unusual for wrestlers to get together with partners from different clubs and RTCs, this past weekend’s Greco-Roman workshop was set up in advance in an effort to help athletes from all over the country get a chance to improve while watching or coaching at the Big Ten Championships.
“In the past, it’s been some guys will travel to watch the Big Tens and why not get some different partners,” Paulson said. “But this was a little bit more of a concerted effort to get some senior level guys different partners centered around the Big Ten where you have guys training at different places and to also get some of the Juniors and have them improve their skills.”
USA Wrestling’s coaches and athletes are aware as anyone that diversifying one’s training can be very beneficial.
“You get different looks from different partners and different coaching,” Paulson said. “Technique is a little different and feel is a little different, so it’s important to get that. In the U.S., we have to work together to beat the international wrestlers. Anyway we can get better, we’re going to try and do that.”
Wrestlers and coaches worked on a variety of techniques and wrestled hard in the two practice sessions that took place.
“For the Juniors and Cadets, Gary Mayabb went through a bunch of drills they could work on for body positioning and chain wrestling and stuff like that,” Paulson said. "For the Senior level guys, we did a lot of motion on our feet stuff including getting to different ties, moving your opponent, moving your hands, moving your feet, and getting to some scoring opportunities. So, we did do quite a bit of drilling and technique, but we also got some live in, which was great too.”
It was very appropriate that there was some high level Greco-Roman going on in Minnesota, which has been one of the top Greco-Roman hotbeds in the entire world for many years. But doing Greco-Roman alongside one of the major college events during the season was a unique way to build the sport.
The Greco guys weren’t the only top athletes training alongside the Big Tens. National Freestyle Coach Bill Zadick and Manager of Freestyle Programs Joe Russell also helped with some freestyle training sessions. It was a big weekend for wrestling, with all three styles going on at the same place.
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