Looking 4 Greco Coach

[deekay64]

Hi, I am looking for a Greco coach around Columbia City, I wrestled for columbia city's club for one year my freshman. After that year our only coach who has every wrestled greco left to move out west and I decided just to do normal wrestling through highschool. I ended up not wrestling this year due to I had a kid and work after school in the morning till 3:30 and could not make it to practices. I have decided I want to not look back and say i wished I would have wrestled one last time in club. The first and only year I tried greco i placed 4th in state the 3rd place kid and 2nd place I beat 2 or 3 times that year but due to the way the brackets were set up I had to wrestle the #1 Jake Massengal twice out of 3 matches, He never pinned me but he won by decision and i was knocked out. I have time to go to club after 4or 5 pm but our club doesnt have a greco coach to really teach or work with me. If someone is interested please feel free to comment and ask questions or message me an email for me to reply to.

[Fabio Jr.]

Just go to your local club (i assume CC) and work your freestyle turns guts, high gut etc that you can run in grecco and you should be fine in any local tournaments even the ISWA State Series. Focusing on grecco will only hurt you in freestyle or folkstyle which are far more popular and usually have much better turnouts/competition than that of Grecco tournaments

[Y2CJ41]

Can you explain how learning: hand fighting, setups, upper body moves, a backstep, learning about position, etc will hurt you in other forms of wrestling?

[Fabio Jr.]

you can do all those in freestyle /folkstyle

 

can you explain how not learning/practicing  leg attacks and leg defenses,  will help you in other forms of wrestling?

[MattM]

If they shorten the USA season in IN much more or modify the rules farther away from the basic ideas of the sport much more it's going to end up causing some issues with keeping people interested in the cross-connection of all these styles.  I say if you get chances to get on the mat and doing anything that mostly connects with wrestling style it's going to help.  Now if we just get those opportunities it will help.

[Y2CJ41]

you can do all those in freestyle /folkstyle

 

can you explain how not learning/practicing  leg attacks and leg defenses,  will help you in other forms of wrestling?

Learning how to handfight when that is the ONLY way to score is much different in Greco than any other style

Learning how to utilize upper body moves is much different in Greco than any other style

Learning proper setups to takedowns is much different in Greco than any other style

Learning how to be properly positioned to not give up points is a main factor in having success in Greco.

 

Learning how to hit moves like a duckunder, slideby or headlock and being able to use them in Greco will make it a ton easier to do when you can mix in leg attacks in other styles.

 

Greco has many great benefits to wrestlers.

[GrecoISU]

Greco has many great benefits to wrestlers.

 

Completely agree.  But I think you could have guessed that from my username.

[Fabio Jr.]

Its great for kids to get mat time if they want it. But my goal is to get kids to win a High School State Championship and hopefully wrestle in college. Focusing on Greco will hinder that ability. Now the kids who are successful at those levels will be able to do all of that.

 

Learning how to handfight when that is the ONLY way to score is much different in Greco than any other style

 

Handfighting is a basic skill of wrestling, Hand fighting in one style while maybe slightly different still has the same goal "Create an opening while staying safe"

A good hand fighter in freestyle will be able to hand fight just fine in grecco

 

Learning how to utilize upper body moves is much different in Greco than any other style

 

I'm assuming you mean mostly throws as you mention ducks and such below

Upper Body moves are high risk, high reward. A smart wrestler will know how to feel his body and how to keep thier hips away to avoid giving up the big throws. I know in any style I get stuck in a tieup I dont like I get my hips back and put space between us.

 

Learning proper setups to takedowns is much different in Greco than any other style

 

Its different because you dont have to worry about protecting your legs. You still head snap, drag, fight wrists. basic setups to any take down in any style

 

Learning how to be properly positioned to not give up points is a main factor in having success in Greco.

 

Positioning is a big deal in all of wrestling not just Greco, It is more so in Greco and Freestyle because of the pushout rule (which encourgaes sumo like matches)and allowing stupid points. A well coached wrestler will understand that backing up out of bounds will result in Stalling in High School/College and points in fresstyle you dont have to wrestle Greco to understand that your positining is important.

 

Learning how to hit moves like a duckunder, slideby or headlock and being able to use them in Greco will make it a ton easier to do when you can mix in leg attacks in other styles.

 

Its not like you cant hit a slide by any easier or harder in greco its gonna be a factor of if the opponent is pressuring in to you.

 

Now to finish it up, yes greco does have some benefits for wrestlers, and if they want to wrestle in some greco tournies great on em. I still feeel that A good wrestler will be a good wrestler regardless and just focusing on greco would hinder you in other styles, while focusing on freestyle and folkstyle will be able to be successful at greco. Now if your goal is to strictly wrestle greco then you might as well focus on that if you have no desire to wrestle at freestyle or folkstyle.

 

[deekay64]

Well I wasn't looking to start anything. My favorite style of wrestling is greco i loved it and still do. I dont like free style because of the rolls the only reason i did it was to work on my technique for folk style scoring moves and to grapple for greco practice. I already know i am not going anywhere in hs since this is my senior year and did not wrestle or college to wrestle. I have many friends in MMA and one who i grew up with thats training in Thailand right now. I have been thinking about doing that after school with him but I want to do greco this year and wrestle in free style to work on greco. To me greco means alot more then folkstyle or free style. I was asking for a coach because I was going to dedicate everything I had left to it. And ftw just wrestling greco is a whole different wrestling you have to always keep your body weight down and never shift forward unless u want thrown the only person to ever catch me and throw me in folk style or free style was conner lefever if someone has never wrestled greco i have learned that they dont no how many lock up situations they could have won but couldnt take advantage of it and wasted time and energy opening up a shot when they could have put them straight to there back. But again i am only looking for a coach because i no of none at cc club that has ever wrestled greco out of club or done more than every other meet. I wanted someone who loves greco as much as i do and would help me.

[Y2CJ41]

Nick,

You sure seem to have it figured out. I will expect about 10 state champions at Brownsburg in the next two years. 

 

I once remember this one website that wasn't big on change and kept doing things the same way they did it forever. One day someone else did it a bit differently and adapted to the times and ended up doing quite well.  The same goes for coaching, remember what worked for you won't necessarily work for everyone.  Greco has some great qualities about it and as a coach I love the areas it forces a kid to concentrate on. I NEVER wrestled one Greco match in my life and when I was competing thought it was stupid.

 

Wrestling Greco, whether it be some live goes in the practice room or going all the way to Fargo is beneficial to a wrestler. You do not get the level of hand fighting in any other form of wrestling. Trying to hit a headlock or duck under on someone in Greco is 100X harder than in freestyle or folkstyle. If I can hit a duck under on someone in Greco, it will be a lot easier if I can mix in a leg attack or fake. Learning how to control ties and utilizing setups is of utmost importance in Greco.

 

Good luck and I surely hope some day you will look for ways to adapt and not be so stuck in your ways three months into your coaching career.

[2016GrecoGold]

Just go to your local club (i assume CC) and work your freestyle turns guts, high gut etc that you can run in grecco and you should be fine in any local tournaments even the ISWA State Series. Focusing on grecco will only hurt you in freestyle or folkstyle which are far more popular and usually have much better turnouts/competition than that of Grecco tournaments

 

No i'm pretty sure that Greco won't hurt your freestyle/folkstyle. It helped me all throughout growing up. Being able to throw and hand fighting that you learn among many other things help out tremendously. Especially the hand fighting, which I don't care what anyone says the hand fighting in Greco is so much more physical than that of freestyle/folkstyle. And from previous comments i've read in the past, who is to say that freestyle or folkstyle are more important than Greco. I mean it is an Olympic sport, folkstyle isn't.....

[Darrick Snyder]

Joe,

 

If Nick can promise 10 State Champions at Brownsburg the next couple of years, we may need to figure out a way to give him a raise! haha...

 

My opinion is any type of wrestling is better than nothing...but I think what Nick is getting at is we will never train for Greco...Sure at the end of practice before a Greco Tournament we would show an arm spin to some guys, etc...but we will and I have never come in and said today we are working on Greco...It just doesn't not fit into my philosophy, which Nick is loyal to...

 

I did do Greco...I actually placed higher at Fargo in Greco and not in freestyle, which is what I was training for...but I never practiced it other than the Fargo Camp...just was in good shape and had an arm spin...I didn't want to train in running a throw that I would never run during the high school season.  It is not a matter of right or wrong, but a philosophy.  We will not work on or encourage throws here next year...at a Greco tournament I would want my guys running ducks, slide bys, front heads, etc...something that fits into our style for the high school season. 

 

We never worked on throws at Mishawaka - ever...but for example Pat Day won in the semis at State and set a record for the fastest fall with a headlock...he had mat time and the kid came charging in and it was there...Once guys get the mat time, they know when there is an obvious opening...but we won't teach it.

 

Again, it is just your philosophy. If I start hearing brackets are full of 20 guys at Greco Tournaments, we would probably start going just for the competition...but I would want them running our style.  Until then we will always focus on leg attacks, etc...during practice and at competitions.  Don't beat Nick up too bad...he is just being loyal to the old guy!

 

Snyder

[Fabio Jr.]

If  produce ten state champions in the next 2 years someone may be out looking for a new job....

 

I never said you shouldnt do it in fact I said the opposite...I said its great for kids to be able to get the extra mat time.

 

I know I would never have them FOCUS on Greco exsclusively. go ahead and go to a tournement and heck wrestle it at Fargo (I did both years I went) But I would FOCUS on styles that help my kids reach my goals for them as a coach which I stated above(State contender/Wrestle in college).

 

I will never tell a kid he cant go to a greco tournament, any competition is good competition. I was merely giving my thought on what deekay asked, I didnt think he needed a specific Greco Coach. I think he can get what he wants from just working at a club. It is pretty clear that the olympics are the farthest thing from his mind. He just wants to work on some greco for local tournaments, and from what it seems freestyle and folkstyle are also out, so i would say most of my post is moot.

 

He can take that advice as he likes and there is plenty of information on here for him to make a decision.

 

 

Joe,

I hope that your website comment is just a metaphor, I have nothing but respect for what you have done here. I know you are always looking for ways to improve the quality of Indianamat.com (heck I've even pitched you some ideas ) and do what is best to promote the sport. Even though we differ philisophically what you have done for Indiana wrestling cannot be ignored and for that you must be praised.   

[BBW2009]

jarred brooks dad will be having freestyle and greco practices starting in january in columbia city 2 nights a week at Hills fighting academy and has open gym in warsaw on sundays at 2pm  contact him !    robert.ford@zimmer.com  anyone who has seen either brooks wrestle greco or freestyle they both have the best gut wrenches  and throws in the country!  bring ur pilots liscense when you come!!!

[ccbig]

Just go to your local club (i assume CC) and work your freestyle turns guts, high gut etc that you can run in grecco and you should be fine in any local tournaments even the ISWA State Series. Focusing on grecco will only hurt you in freestyle or folkstyle which are far more popular and usually have much better turnouts/competition than that of Grecco tournaments

 

Wow, couldn't disagree more with almost every statement made here...

 

Greco wrestling skills absolutely DO NOT hurt you in folkstyle. Yes, guts and high gut turns work in greco, so do arm drags, duck unders and many other moves that are very useful in all 3 styles of wrestling.

 

Greco has the least participation of the 3 styles because of 2 reasons IMO...

1) Many wrestlers and parents are afraid of the throws seen in greco.

2) Many wrestlers cannot adapt to wrestling while not being able to attack the legs.

 

Why any coach would recommend against learning greco and remove a whole range of potential useful wrestling tools from a wrestler's arsenal I will never understand.

 

Take a look at high school and college level folkstyle national champions. 99% of those wrestlers wrestle all 3 styles (yes, including greco).

[Fabio Jr.]

Just go to your local club (i assume CC) and work your freestyle turns guts, high gut etc that you can run in grecco and you should be fine in any local tournaments even the ISWA State Series. Focusing on grecco will only hurt you in freestyle or folkstyle which are far more popular and usually have much better turnouts/competition than that of Grecco tournaments

 

I didnt say wrestling greco was bad and never do it....if all you do though is greco, in an offseason lets say, I will argue that an equally talented kid who was working on folkstyle/freestyle and not greco will gain more that offseason and make bigger leaps as a wrestler. Both may go to all three styles state tournament, i would guess we may lose at grecco state but we would perform better at the other 2. Now as a college coach who would you rather have a Kid who did well at grecco or a kid who did well in freestyle and folkstyle?     

[sportsfangms]

Fabio,

 

Understand that this entire topic was started by someone who wanted to find a place to improve as a Greco wrestler.  Your troubles again started when you gave your opinion about Greco, and while you didn't call it "stupid", you had to discuss how Greco would hurt this kid in other forms of wrestling, when he clearly stated all he wanted to do was GRECO.  I've been saying it for weeks, respect the views of others and understand that at 24 you don't know it all.  Y2 tried relaying the same message to you, which seemed to slightly break through.  It's a discussion board, so let's discuss and respect the opinions of others, it may be hard to believe, but you are not always right and not everyone will agree with you.  I too realize the same about myself, I'm probably wrong more than I'm right!  Have a wonderful holiday and I look forward to future debates. 

[jchas]

If you think Greco does not help you in freestyle you are so wrong.

There are so many good guys that are very good in space but as soon as

you get a hold of them.  They have no idea what to do.

A guy that is good in the clinch has a plan B.  If you are not good in the clinch and plan A

in not working.  You have no where to go.

[PanteraNegro]

Either I or My training partner(who qualified for  the 2004 olympic trials in Greco could coach it. I am certified thru USA Wrestling and AAU. I also have a Hyway Club Big Katz Elite starting up in January ..Let me know if you are interested.

[PanteraNegro]

Who ever says Greco doesn't help you in folkstyle is like saying being a better athlete doesn't help you. If you learn how to handfight and control ties how is that not beneficial? How is learning how to keep pressure and balance not beneficial. I tell you what; if more kids in Indiana learned Greco they wouldn't be getting tossed when they wrestle higher competition during folkstyle season or to Illinois in National Duals. The lifts and throws I learned in Greco helped me simply overwhelm my opponents in Freestyle. If I hold good position in folkstyle I can make it a match that is simply a Greco Match but you keep sliding on your knees. Hip pop, head snap, shuck,drag, score and I never took a shot. To me a shot is an attempt at a takedown. I prefer the direst approach.To me Greco teaches you pressure and domination and if you can apply those and incorporate it into your folkstyle or freestyle you can be dominant.

[jsabik]

Focusing on greco will only hurt your freestyle and folkstyle. Crazy! Telling someone to not focus on greco is terrible advice. Freestyle and folkstyle both have the style of greco within it so you must be proficient at the style. You don't have to know how to be a scoring machine but you must be able to control ties and defend ties. Telling someone to not work on greco is some of the worst advice I've heard in a long time. I can give you example after example of kids that won or placed in big tournaments (high school state, cadet & junior nationals, fila, NCAA's, etc)  that spent a lot of time working greco. The problem today is kids don't spend enough time with it and you can see it in the inability to control ties, defend ties, and score from in close. I know we all wish we could be John Smith but that just isn't the case. If you can't score from the outside then you better learn how to score from the inside. Train all style and specific techniques that go along with the style. If you really get down to it wrestling is wrestling. Knowing and having the ability to gut is important in all three style because of the movement. I can take greco and freestyle techniques and apply them to folkstyle. I can take greco techniques and apply them in all styles. True you cannot just walk in but you can do things to put yourself in the situations you want. You must be good in all areas if you want to win at the highest levels.

[Fabio Jr.]

Fabio,

 

Understand that this entire topic was started by someone who wanted to find a place to improve as a Greco wrestler.  Your troubles again started when you gave your opinion about Greco, and while you didn't call it "stupid", you had to discuss how Greco would hurt this kid in other forms of wrestling, when he clearly stated all he wanted to do was GRECO.  I've been saying it for weeks, respect the views of others and understand that at 24 you don't know it all.  Y2 tried relaying the same message to you, which seemed to slightly break through.  It's a discussion board, so let's discuss and respect the opinions of others, it may be hard to believe, but you are not always right and not everyone will agree with you.  I too realize the same about myself, I'm probably wrong more than I'm right!  Have a wonderful holiday and I look forward to future debates. 

 

So im not allowed to defend my views? I never once said i was always right but when I have an opinion I will defend it and explain my thought process behind said opinion. If you dont like it thats fine I wont cry about it. its your view

 

when it comes to having to respecting other peoples opinions I will leave you a quote from patton oswalt that I tend to follow...?You know, you gotta respect everybody?s beliefs!? NO YOU DON?T! That?s what gets us in trouble! Look, you have to ACKNOWLEDGE everyone?s beliefs, but you have to reserve the right to say ?That is stupid!?

 

Keep dropping down these life lessons random internet guy, maybe one day i will be a a good enough person for your approval

 

 

[sportsfangms]

I think I was polite and not attacking at all, but you don't respond to that.  Continue getting your bottom slapped and look like a fool when Y2 or others big brother you and put you in your place., I found it comical when you required the help of someone far more seasoned than you to run to your aide and defend the fact that you are a buffoon.  Carry on omniscient one.

[Fabio Jr.]

Sounds good man!  :

[wildcatcountry97]

Nick ? I do think your comment might have been misunderstood ? I gather you meant that if you are looking to be a well-rounded wrestler you shouldn?t focus exclusively on Greco full time.

However, I think there is plenty of room to have full practices dedicated to Greco from time to time as every single one of the Greco ? Roman skills are transferable to the other disciplines. Philosophies differ ? but I think you were misunderstood.

 

For example: Would running marathons be a detriment to a triathlete ?

 

Also ? as a side note:

Jeff Blatnick ? one of the first Olympic Gold medal winners in Greco Roman for America ? NCAA D2 National Champion (folkstyle), High School State Champion (folkstyle)  (Former commissioner of the UFC ? (MMA))

Matt Lindland ? World/Olympic Silver Medal in Greco ? NCAA Champion ? (folkstyle) (coach at Team Quest (MMA))

USA Senior Greco-Roman Championships 1995 163 lbs: 1st place / 1998 167.5 lbs: 1st place / 1999 167.5 lbs: 1st place / 2000 167.5 lbs: 1st place / 2001 187.2 lbs: 1st place      FILA World Championships / 1998 167 lbs: 6th place  /  2001 187 lbs: 2nd place 

US Olympics (greco)  / 2000 167.5 lbs: silver medal

USA University Freestyle Championships : 1992 163 lbs: 1st place /  1994 163 lbs: 1st place

 

Steve Fraser ? First Olympic Gold medalist in Greco from USA (1984)  - Michigan High School State Champion (Folk Style), All American at the University of Michigan (Folkstyle)

 

Dennis Koslowski -  First American with 2 Olympic medals in Greco-Roman Wrestling (1988-1992)  At Minnesota-Morris, he was a three-time All-American and a two-time NCAA Division III national champion (Folkstyle.)  He also was a three-time all-conference offensive lineman in football.

 

Dremiel Byers ? Most decorated Greco Roman wrestler in American History. After giving up his college scholarship for family reasons he joined the Army. Byers is a Sergeant First Class in the US Army.  Also: 1993 High School State Champion (folkstyle)

 

Rulon Gardner ? 2nd 2 time Greco Olympic Medalist ? High School State Champion (folkstyle), NJCAA National Champion ? (folkstyle),NCAA Wrestling National Championships 4th (folkstyle)

 

Dennis Hall ? (Greco)  - Hall made a total of 10 world level teams, including 3 Olympic teams over the course of 4 Olympic cycles (1992, 1996, 2004). Hall was a 1995 World champion, at the time just the 2nd American Greco wrestler to become a World champ. He won an Olympic silver medal in 1996 and also has a world bronze to his credit.

3 X High School State Champion (Folkstyle)

 

I could list 10-20 more including Mr. Hazewinkel, Houck, Dan Henderson.....