I Want to Get into Wrestling

Training
1

What should i look for when i’m looking at a club or otherwise?
Is there a website which allows you to find clubs in your area.
Yes, i’ve used google. I’m checking out my local universities.
I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. If anyone knows any good wrestling clubs there or a website where i could find some that would be great.

What can i expect from the lessons? Like in karate you have katas and such, what are the lessons like? Are there lessons or just someone watches you and explains technique.

Thanks

2

http://www.wrestling.ca/about/links.php

Wrestling Clubs

C.L.I.C., Montreal
Blue Moose Wrestling Club
McGill University Womens Wrestling Team
Lakehead University Women’s Wrestling Team
London-Western Wrestling Club
Kempenfelt Bay Wrestling Club
Metro Amateur Wrestling Club
Brock University Wrestling Team
University of Western Ontario Wrestling Team
Essex County Wrestling Club
Renfrew Amateur Wrestling Club
E.C. Drury Wrestling Team
Thunder Olympic Wrestling
Coral Harbour Wrestling Club - Nunavut
Central Okanagan Wrestling Association
Lakehead University Men’s Wrestling Team
McGill University Mens Wrestling Team
Metro Toronto Wrestling Association
National Capital W.C.
Simon Fraser University Wrestling Team
Team Impact
University of Saskatchewan Huskies Wrestling Team

What can i expect from the lessons? Like in karate you have katas and such, what are the lessons like? Are there lessons or just someone watches you and explains technique.

It’s not like that at all… more than likely if you’re starting from scratch I reccomend you get a few videos and youtube some stuff…snag a book or two from barnes and nobles and learn to drill some shit on your own so you know what you’re getting into.

What they’ll basically do is break down a technique and have you drill it almost fucking 1000 times then you do live wrestling where you basically get your ass kicked and try to figure out what this really good guy just did to you.

3

[quote]Xen Nova wrote:
What they’ll basically do is break down a technique and have you drill it almost fucking 1000 times then you do live wrestling where you basically get your ass kicked and try to figure out what this really good guy just did to you.

[/quote]

Ahh, that brings back memories!

I only wrestled for 1 1/2 school years (read a total of about 14 months combined) since that was the only time it was offered in the schools I went too.

We had a Polish coach that could barely speak English so he figured it was just easier to toss us around. Nothing like being brand new to a sport at 14 years old and about 140lbs and being thrown around by a 220+ lbs Polish guy.

I tell ya, you learn quick!

4

[quote]Xen Nova wrote:

What they’ll basically do is break down a technique and have you drill it almost fucking 1000 times then you do live wrestling where you basically get your ass kicked and try to figure out what this really good guy just did to you.

[/quote]

1000 times might be good enough for third place. When I was wrestling I probably hit a granby or switch close to 2000 times a month.

5

Alright, thanks alot.

6

[quote]threewhitelights wrote:
Xen Nova wrote:

What they’ll basically do is break down a technique and have you drill it almost fucking 1000 times then you do live wrestling where you basically get your ass kicked and try to figure out what this really good guy just did to you.

1000 times might be good enough for third place. When I was wrestling I probably hit a granby or switch close to 2000 times a month.

[/quote]

Yep you wrestled. LOL thats exactly the mindset.

7

Threelights and Xen
gave some pretty truthful examples.

Its structured different from martial arts,
There is no Kata. Or anything resembling it
Its hands on.

Kata always reminds me of rythmic gymnastics.

there are no belts, no rankings, no
paches, no pads. no striking. you dont make a belt each time you go to a tournament. so it might be difficult for you to gauge progress. You kind of are going to go full speed fairly quickly.

If you do it through school, its every day.

If your already in university , and you cant do it with school, a club is OK.
Playing Judo or juijitsu post wrestling
is better. ( and visa/versa)

Some expectations go watch a HS match.
Or one at your college, if you can.

Its going to be faster than a submission grappling class, and more explosive .
and its should be that pace the entire practice.
its safe to say there will be a shit load of conditioning.

There is a ton more about take downs,set ups,
clinch work, hand fighting
and positioning than you will find with jujitsu, grappling etc.

You can do some basic drills on your own-
but its better with a partner.

brush up on some terms to help your vocabulary and help you wrap your head around it.

change a level
hip up
post
hip heist
head postion
inside near
elbow to elbow
two on one

this one is because your might speak french
tombe

kmc

pm if you want

8

Ya basically there’s a reason why Navy SEAL’s recruit heavily from guys who do triathalons, or wrestled. The mindset needed is crazy to just get through practice. You will constantly push yourself to that edge of your sanity and then jump. After you’ve wrestled, everything else in life seems easier.

Start doing a lot of research now, you can get quite a few free resources… don’t underestimate what you can pick up by yourself. If you can understand what you’re doing through visualization when you put together the body awareness you’ll have some damn good technique.

Technique Analysis:

http://www.themat.com/ncep.php?page=ta

Developmental tools:

http://www.themat.com/ncep.php?page=dt

KMC seems to know his shit so I’d drop him a PM

9

Dude, there’s a wrestling club in my city. I’m gonna be kicking Xen Nova’s ass in no time. I’m coming for you, Nova! There can be only one.

10

[quote]Xen Nova wrote:
Ya basically there’s a reason why Navy SEAL’s recruit heavily from guys who do triathalons, or wrestled. The mindset needed is crazy to just get through practice. You will constantly push yourself to that edge of your sanity and then jump. After you’ve wrestled, everything else in life seems easier.

Start doing a lot of research now, you can get quite a few free resources… don’t underestimate what you can pick up by yourself. If you can understand what you’re doing through visualization when you put together the body awareness you’ll have some damn good technique.

Technique Analysis:

http://www.themat.com/ncep.php?page=ta

Developmental tools:

http://www.themat.com/ncep.php?page=dt

KMC seems to know his shit so I’d drop him a PM[/quote]

Awesome thanks. And i have the right mindset, no problem.

11

[quote]WolBarret wrote:
Dude, there’s a wrestling club in my city. I’m gonna be kicking Xen Nova’s ass in no time. I’m coming for you, Nova! There can be only one.[/quote]

Your wrestling is no match for my Rex Kwan Do

12

[quote]blazindave wrote:
Xen Nova wrote:
Ya basically there’s a reason why Navy SEAL’s recruit heavily from guys who do triathalons, or wrestled. The mindset needed is crazy to just get through practice. You will constantly push yourself to that edge of your sanity and then jump. After you’ve wrestled, everything else in life seems easier.

Start doing a lot of research now, you can get quite a few free resources… don’t underestimate what you can pick up by yourself. If you can understand what you’re doing through visualization when you put together the body awareness you’ll have some damn good technique.

Technique Analysis:

http://www.themat.com/ncep.php?page=ta

Developmental tools:

http://www.themat.com/ncep.php?page=dt

KMC seems to know his shit so I’d drop him a PM
Awesome thanks. And i have the right mindset, no problem.

[/quote]

Everyone THINKS they have the mindset for wrestling, until, well, they wrestle. In Montreal, there is the Montreal wrestling club, david zilberman (world 5th 2006 @ 211 lbs), gia sissaouri (2001 world champ @ 127 pounds, olympic silver medalist in 1996), martine dugrenier (3 straight world silvers @ 147 lbs) all to this one super dominant chinese girl), many national team members all train there. oh yeah, some guy named georges st pierre works out there too. apparently he’s famous. but, it is a very intense club, not focussed on learning basics per se, and they treat specially their top wrestlers more than that st pierre fellow per se. the coach is very serious, but a top guy, victor zilberman. pretty sure they train at @ jewish centre (ymha?) there. Other than that, I think there are a few odd clubs, but MTL wrestling is the A1-best (quite possibly in the country). Given how hard it is to learn, and also ,that a lot of wrestling is fairly irrelevant for MMA (body lock rolls, gutwrenches, ankle laces), you might be better off picking up your game elsewhere. As a college wrestler who has zero interest in ever competing in mma, I would say that as a youngster starting fresh, wrestle all the way through college, make it your base, background, etc. But starting later it life, it might prove better to pick up your takedowns in BJJ/Judo/MMA type environment, as opposed to the wrestling room. I don’t really know, not being a mixed martial artist at all, that’s just the sense of it I get from wrestling and when MMA guys come train with us, and their thoughts.

13

He never mentioned wanting to do MMA just wrestle. That said, at the very least he can visit the club see what some real wrestling is and maybe they can point him in the right direction if we can’t.

That said GSP didnt start wrestling till, shit, a few years ago (?) and he picked it up, I’d say pretty well…he can apply it to MMA better than even Koscheck who has arguably the best wrestling pedigree in the UFC right now (next to Hendo)… I’m not sayin the kid is the next GSP but its not like you can’t acquire a high level of skill or at least competency.

If he wants to do MMA I’d go somewhere else of course… but if wrestling is all that is available it’s better to seize the moment and train SOMETHING than nothing.

And if he wants to wrestle… fuck it let him wrestle… I dont see the pt in discouraging someone.

14

Sorry, I didn’t really understand the message clearly.
Oh, if you just want to start wrestling, yeah absolutely, go nuts, it’s the best sport around. Might be late to become a world champ, might not. Mo Lawal, a guy who will hopefully medal in the olympics @ 84 kg, assuming he makes from this weekend (also watch for his name in a couple years, he is going to be a big star in MMA, with a personality to boot), didn’t start till he was 16 or 17, and he’s in his mid twenties making a SERIOUS olympic run. I didn’t start till I was 17, and I’m only 20 now.

It was more in reference to my impression of “BJJ/Striking masters” who come to wrestling practices and, for lack of a better term, are complete clowns. Again, assuming that since GSP trains with Montreal, a few weeks of ‘brushing up’ and they’ll be slamming Dan Henderson all over the octagon.

Montreal is kind of a tough club for a beginner, I know someone who trained there as a real novice, and you are kind of ‘meat for the wolves’ in that sense, but hey, train with the best, be the best. And there are probably some other clubs in Quebec you could brush up with before maybe heading over there in a few years. The guys that train there consistently have been wrestling for a long time, but they are ALL good, like every one of them.

15

^There’s an aussie dude who posts on the “underground” who didn’t start wrestling till he was around 17-18 and earned a scholarship to wrestle at a university in Japan.

Never underestimate what can get done with hard consistent work, so good luck.

and I agree with you quite a bit, its always funny to see someone say something like “Ya just go join your college wrestling team” like ANYONE can just walk on and do that shit. Nevermind that most of these guys have wrestled since they were four…

16

I like the “BJJ striking masters”
that was good.

there was a huge thread about this on the judo forum a year or more ago.
about “picking up” wrestling.
really it would be like me “picking up” striking-
and expeciting to have good kicks and fast accurate hands.
haha.

I think its about doing in school vs a club.
at least in the US.
in school- whether it be grade school, HS or
college you have little distractions- IE bills and work.
Practices are more consistant , daily or more.
and there is a lager pool of bodies to draw on.
and there is a much higher frequency of matches, bouts, etc like 2x a week is common.
Think of the monsters with 100 plus wins in HS.
how many people really can go to BJJ 5 or 7 days a week?

somone in that thread mentioned that
in the upper judo clubs, that the work ethic and talent are there.
I said that might be true, but there is virtually no one in college playing club judo or wrestling
(that is not at a college team)
that does not pay for shoes, gear, training,insurance, any medical, coaching or travel.
college sports are like semi pro-
somone gives you shit, (gear) take you physically where you have to go, helps you with the school work- guides you through most educational efforts and if your lucky mentors you as well.
and in teh big time does your school work/tests.

It might be rude but I said that if you are driving your self to a competition,your not really competing at as high a level as you think.

that made me pretty popular.

as for people who pick it up and excel
they exist -and I wish I was as talented as they were.

for the clubs that kick ass- its harder to
find until [i]after you have been exposed to the good coaches in college or hs
I went to an excllent club after my first year of college,
with my coach and half the room I trained with.

but really if dude wants to try it out
have fun, and good luck.
I only tried it when some goon in the HS hallways grabbed me and said something like
" dude your like tiny- every think of wrestling?"

kmc

17

[quote]Xen Nova wrote:
^There’s an aussie dude who posts on the “underground” who didn’t start wrestling till he was around 17-18 and earned a scholarship to wrestle at a university in Japan.

Never underestimate what can get done with hard consistent work, so good luck.

And I agree with you quite a bit, its always funny to see someone say something like “Ya just go join your college wrestling team” like ANYONE can just walk on and do that shit. Nevermind that most of these guys have wrestled since they were four…[/quote]

I checked out Zilberman before making this thread. He coaches my university’s wrestling team. I emailed this montreal wrestling place but they said they don’t take beginners at my level, which is completely understandable.

For now the only place i can check out is the CLIC. They already warned me it’s very physical.
I’m sure i’m somewhat “ready” for it because of my mental toughness, brought on by triathlons and kyokushin. I’ve almost killed myself just by trying to run further and ending up 20 km from anyone with no food or water and already dehydrated.

I don’t really fear pain but i’m still not sure what to expect. I understand that ill be thrown around alot but other than that…? Can someone fill me in on that?

I’m not doing this for mma. It’s for personal enjoyment, i have little to no grappling skills and it seems like a very fierce, intense and fun sport and i just thought i should pick it up.

18

Look for a club offering a variety of styles. The most common are collegiate, freestyle and grecco-roman.

The instructors should have a solid background. You don’t want some douchebag who knows a handful of moves charging you 20x’s the amount of the “wrestle tips 101” dvd he rented at blockbuster.

There should be plenty of members, especially in your weight class, to practice with. Preferrably the club competes in various tournaments as well so you can put your time and money to work.

They should supply exercise equipment as well, and should encourage full body lifts, multiple reps. You should want to throw up by the time you are done training. Or during, preferrably a few times.

19

[quote]blazindave wrote:
Xen Nova wrote:
^There’s an aussie dude who posts on the “underground” who didn’t start wrestling till he was around 17-18 and earned a scholarship to wrestle at a university in Japan.

Never underestimate what can get done with hard consistent work, so good luck.

And I agree with you quite a bit, its always funny to see someone say something like “Ya just go join your college wrestling team” like ANYONE can just walk on and do that shit. Nevermind that most of these guys have wrestled since they were four…

I checked out Zilberman before making this thread. He coaches my university’s wrestling team. I emailed this montreal wrestling place but they said they don’t take beginners at my level, which is completely understandable.

For now the only place i can check out is the CLIC. They already warned me it’s very physical.
I’m sure i’m somewhat “ready” for it because of my mental toughness, brought on by triathlons and kyokushin. I’ve almost killed myself just by trying to run further and ending up 20 km from anyone with no food or water and already dehydrated.

I don’t really fear pain but i’m still not sure what to expect. I understand that ill be thrown around alot but other than that…? Can someone fill me in on that?

I’m not doing this for mma. It’s for personal enjoyment, i have little to no grappling skills and it seems like a very fierce, intense and fun sport and i just thought i should pick it up.[/quote]

Other than being tossed around?

Expect to be tired in more ways than running or lifting has ever made you, regardless of intensity and duration.

Expect jitters and insane adrenaline headaches.

Expect pressure and twisted limbs like you havn’t before.

Expect to realize what true flexibility is, while learning you don’t have it.

Expect a huge sense of pride when you win. Competition doesn’t get much more raw or intense.

Expect an equally shitty feeling when you lose.

Expect cauliflower ear!

20

[quote]kmcnyc wrote:

Its structured different from martial arts,
There is no Kata.

[/quote]

Whatever! There are about 1000 katas in wrestling!

.

[quote]kmcnyc wrote:

there are no belts, no rankings…

[/quote]

BULLSHIT! I am a 2nd degree black belt in wrestling. That’s how come I know about the katas.