Category: Uncategorized
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Motivation for Wrestling and Life
“Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy.” “The first period is won by the best technician. The second period is won by the kid in the best shape. The third period is won by the kid with the biggest heart.” “My advice to young wrestlers is that your surroundings really make a difference.…
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Happy International Women’s Day 2023!!!
And a huge shout-out to all the women wrestlers–like Sara Hildebrandt–who continue to break down barriers for the next generation! Over the last several decades, the growth of wrestling for girls and young women has made it one of the fastest growing sports, especially among high school athletes. In 1990 there were fewer than 150…
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Low Single from Cross Wrist Drag!
As the folkstyle season shifts to this spring and summer’s opportunities with freestyle and submission grappling competitions, we’ve been working with our athletes here at Horsetooth on takedowns that can be applied and provide a relatively easy transition among all three disciplines. On Sunday (3/5), we spent some time drilling the ankle pick, which certainly…
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Dreams Before Waking
At Horsetooth, it’s our deepest conviction that wrestling can change people—and the world—for the better. This may seem like a vast overstatement when considering how deeply flawed our lives and our societies might feel, particularly when we’re at our individual and collective low points. But think about how long wrestling has been around—it is literally…
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Wabi Sabi and the Beauty of Imperfect Things
On Sunday, we introduced the Japanese term ‘Wabi Sabi’ to our athletes and invited a brief discussion on its meaning and application to grappling. Unfamiliar with ‘wabi sabi’? In a few words, one could say that wabi sabi is the beauty of imperfect things. Of course, that would be overly simplistic explanation for such a…
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THE NUMBER 9 AND WRESTLING
OK, name one thing that might be (almost) as awesome as wrestling??? How about math!!! More importantly, consider the importance of the number 9… The reverence for this number is near universal and almost mystical. In Hinduism ‘9’ is considered a complete, perfected and divine number because it represents the end of a cycle in…
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MORE ON COACHING PHILOSOPHIES
Having a philosophy gives a coach clear guidance on the objectives that should be pursued and how to achieve them. While adhering to values, a coach can make consistent decisions and broader life coaching questions by sticking with his or her philosophy. If you’re a coach and/or martial arts instructor, consider articulating your philosophy and…
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Takedown – Breakdown – Turn
With folkstyle season winding down, we wanted to share this video mash-up as a reminder of why we at Horsetooth believe that this style of wrestling–along with its predecessor, catch-as-catch-can (think collegiate wrestling with submissions)–is the most effective martial art. No doubt the initial video shows our biases–we are indeed huge fans of John Smith,…
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Try Making Practice Cooperatively Competitive
A cooperative approach to practice within combat sports is a significant departure from what you’ll find in most academies. Traditionally, martial arts and wrestling routines usually involves drilling a technique against an unresisting opponent…or in some cases, no opponent at all. You’ve probably drilled this way before and have discovered the frustration of nailing a…
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Just Stand Up!
Following up from last week’s inaugural #legwrestlingwednesday post, I wanted to share this video mash-up of how to escape the leg ride + power half. Let me first say that I’ve been watching with deep interest as several prominent BJJ competitors have been promulgating the idea of ‘just stand up!’, versus staying pinned to the…
Horsetooth Hybrid Grappling Club 