The Conditioning Phase

by Mike DeRoehn, Head Coach - University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Each coach should have a plan in place, spanning at least the entire season, if not the whole year, to try and get their athletes ready to peak at the right time. This plan is also referred to as a "periodization schedule". Throughout the season, teams should go through three phases including conditioning, preparation, and competition. For the college teams, we are already well into our initial phase. If they haven't already, the high school teams will be starting soon. I'm talking about the first piece of the periodization puzzle, the conditioning phase.

The conditioning phase is specific to early season training. The goal is to build a strong cardiovascular base, begin to trim some weight off, continue to build strength, and get back in the wrestling room. Similar to other articles that I've written, this phase includes running, weight training, and of course wrestling! For most wrestlers, the difference between "off season" training and the conditioning phase is that now their coach is able to be involved.

During the conditioning phase, wrestling practices tend to be a bit longer, lasting about 2 hours. Practice should include a good warm up and stretch each day, especially if you've been idle for a while. Coaches will spend time drilling the basic skills and focusing on position. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT! Your position is the foundation for everything else in the sport. Shadow drill stance, motion, level change, penetration step, etc everyday. As a wrestler, you need to be able to control your own body before you can expect to control somebody else.

Early on, your coach will probably be showing technique that you have learned before. Nonetheless, keep an open mind, pay attention, and drill hard! You may pick up on something that you hadn't used before or forgot about. Drill from a quality stance, making good contact each and every time. Too many wrestlers talk and screw off when they're drilling. You're only in the room for two hours, so stay focused and drill intensely. Wrestling is one of those sports with so many intricacies, that you can always learn more and improve, even with the most basic of techniques. It's also a great opportunity to work on your position again. When drilling leg attacks, focus on keeping your face up, back straight, and hips in. Drive across hard and chop at the knee or below as your drive. It's all about repetition, repetition, repetition! I know I mentioned this earlier, but you need to drill a move thousands of times before it becomes second nature.

The live wrestling can also be longer goes during the early part of the season. I have become a big fan of using "Grind Matches" with my team. A grind match should last between 1-2 hours, all with the same opponent. High school coaches may want to work in "mini grinds" which can be more around 30 minutes. The focus of the "grind match" is to completely wear your opponent out both physically and mentally. There is absolutely no stopping and the walls are in bounds! (Gotta love that) This is a great way to build a strong cardiovascular base, work on breaking your opponent, and learn to recover (explode then relax) in a match situation.

Live situations are another key aspect to early season wrestling, although they're terrific for use year round. From a coaching standpoint, I recommend mixing in live situations in all phases of practice. After their warm up drill, run them through a series of "bread and butter" takedown situations. During the technique portion of practice, after they've drilled the move for a while put them in the situation and let 'em rip. Live situations are also excellent for working into conditioning. I like to run them through 20 or more situations with the loser doing 10 push-ups each time. It's amazing how hard a kid who's "too tired" will fight after he loses the first few situations and has to keep cranking out push ups!

You should still be running 4-6 times per week. Since you are working towards getting your lungs back and trimming fat, the focus should be on more distance. Runs should last between 20-60 minutes. At least once each week, get out and run a solid 5-7 miles. I like to do this on a Sunday or active rest day, when I don't have to wrestle and/or lift afterwards. It's also a nice way to get some of that lactic acid out of your system without having to bang around in the room. Lifting workouts should remain heavy. You still want to build muscle and strengthen your core during the conditioning phase. Some will have a hard time staying motivated to get into the weight room once the season begins. This is a huge mistake. Wrestling season is brutal on the body. Therefore, you must stay dedicated to lifting at least twice each week, covering all of the major muscle groups. I recommend use of the lifting plan that I included in Training Tips #3.

I will be continuing to expand on the periodization schedule throughout the season. I hope these will be helpful and allow you or your team to peak when February/March rolls around. If things are going slow, keep the end result in mind, as that's what you're really training for. As you progress through the conditioning phase of your periodization schedule, I would like to wish you all luck on the emerging season. Isn't it great now that we don't have to ask, " Is it wrestling season yet"? See you on the mats!