As the school year is wrapped up many wrestlers have been going strong for several months at this time. My team just finished our Freestyle/Greco season with the Clash at the Capital outdoor Freestyle dual tournament in Omaha this past weekend. Now we have a select few wrestlers who will continue to train throughout the summer, compete in Regional and National Freestyle/Greco tournaments, culminating at the biggest and baddest of them all in Fargo ND in July.

For most wrestlers the summer is an important part of skill development. Wrestling is a very skill oriented sport and along with strength and conditioning no area should be left untouched in a well rounded training regimen. My advise is to utilize strength training year round and lift at least 3 times a week if the facilities are available. Summer time is not a time to worry about conditioning, as Freestyle/Greco matches typically end quicker and have a 30 second break between periods. For that reason the summer should be focused on learning new skills and drilling techniques that wrestlers are already good at. This will give them their go to moves that they can fall back on and also new ones to keep opponents who are seen regularly guessing what they will do next.

A big part of learning new skills is to get instruction from as many different coaches as possible in the off season. This allows wrestlers to continue to learn new techniques and keep adding them to their arsenal. I encourage wrestlers to seek out camps and clinics that meet their needs and never stop learning!