TEAM IMPACT
Preparing for a Tournament

By Coach Tzogas (Revised January 2007)

The night before:

Make your day relaxing and enjoyable
Eat what you usually eat; but try to eat a good meal with plenty of carbohydrates (i.e. pasta, rice, baked potato, bread, fruit, vegetables etc.). Avoid salty, spicy or fried foods. Also do not eat a lot of meat or dairy products.
Pack a lunch, the lunch should be mostly carbohydrates, include a drink. Gatorade is good only after a match. Drink only water, 20 minutes before a match. Pop is not recommended. Powerbars, rice cakes, or granola bars instead of chocolate bars or cakes. Too much sugar is not ideal for achieving a top performance. Nutritional meal supplement drinks like Boost or Ensure are better for quicker digestion and energy.
Pack your gym bag before you go to bed, include a towel, combination lock, anti-fungal soap, clean shirt, socks, underwear, singlet, wrestling shoes, a real cloth handkerchief (not toilet paper etc.), and whatever else you will need.
Bring an alarm clock and set your alarm. Have a back-up plan in case it does not go off, like ordering a wake-up call from the hotel. Bring earplugs to help you sleep if the hotel is noisy. You can purchase them at a drug store or at a construction warehouse store.
Lights out and in bed sleeping at 10 pm.

The day of:

Dress in the your tournament warm-up sweats
Have a good breakfast (i.e. cereal, toast, juice, etc), 2 to 3 hours before competition
Know where to meet and get there on time. On time means being there 10 minutes early.
Locate a common team area, put all your gear together in a big bunch with everyone else's and never leave the gear unattended, things get stolen at tournaments. It is a good idea to carry a combination lock and use it if a locker is available.
When you get to the tournament, check to make sure that you are in the correct weight category draw sheet, if your name is not on any draw sheet, see a coach immediately.
Have a hard warm-up 1/2-hour before wrestling starts.
Be aware of when your matches are and make sure you properly warmed-up and ready to go.
You can be called to wrestle 15 minutes after your last match, but be ready to wrestle at any time.
Warm-up before every match, make sure you break a sweat
Cool down after each match.
Avoid having one big meal. Drink and eat a little bit at a time after each match.
Listening to music can help to relax you, if you bring an ipod guard it at all times.
Laughing is good, so try to enjoy yourself and have fun
Always try to have a teammate in your corner; the coach might not be able to be at all your matches, but make one aware when you are wrestling.
Take a shower after your matches using strong soaps (i.e. coal tar soap from the Bulk Barn; or any anti-fungal/ antibacterial soap). This will help to prevent any possible skin infections.
Never leave the tournament venue without informing a coach
You are expected to follow the rules of society and/ or the host club. Remember you represent “Team Impact” and exercise the highest standard of behavior.
Try to note what techniques worked and what techniques need to be improved- learn from your experiences. This will help to improve your performance with each match.
Remember to be a good sport. Team Impact dose not condone illegal behavior or behavior contrary to fair play.

Wrestling Strategies and Tactics

By Coach Tzogas (Revised January 2007)

Match Philosophy:

Expect to Win! Come to the fight with an aggressive, relentless and tenacious offensive strategy. Anticipate the whistle and force your opponent from the start of the match, to wrestle our style by initiating first. Keep him off balance by continuously attacking using combinations of head snap downs, faking attacks and half shots. Set a pace he cannot stand by applying offensive pressure throughout the match. Score the first point!

1. Before the tournament starts get your first match in.
1.1. Get a good warm-up
1.2. Wrestle a match or do some very hard drilling followed by some full-out sprints.

2. Before your first match:
2.1.         Four matches before your match, warm-up (drill the techniques you plan to use at high speed) and be sweaty before the match.
2.2.         Visualize yourself executing your takedowns. Have a plan work the plan. Know what will be your first moves on your opponent for (a) a right leg lead stance, (b) a left leg lead stance, (c) a square stance and (d) a low stance. Stay loose use movement to attack the heavy and close leg.
2.3.          Think about how much fun you are going to have, what you are going to execute (your plan of attack), reasons why you will perform well and focus only on that, nothing else is important. Wrestle smart and be 100% sure of all your moves. Wrestle every match like it is a final and every opponent is doing to be a tough one.
1.4.          Be ready to wrestle, out of your sweats, in the right color singlet, well before your start time and be the first at the center of the mat, with a cloth handkerchief in hand.
1.5.         Do not scout matches, coach, or get caught up in other matches if you are on deck or in the hole. Be selfish and focus only on achieving your optimum performance. Focus on the task at hand, winning your matches. Nothing else is important!

3. During the match:

Be whistle ready and start 5 seconds before the whistle blows. Start immediately on the whistle and make contact first.
Always stay in your stance and protect your legs
Start in the center of the center of the mat, as close to your opponent as possible. If at any time your opponent is not at the center, go get in his face ready to start where he is. Always keep him in your attacking range (arm’s distance). Do not start at the center and have to go to him.
Stick with the basics and always go for the easier points (take 1 point if it is there, do not go for two points).
The best time to score on the ground is right after your takedown.
Shift stances, change levels and fake attacks to prevent being predictable. Keep your hands in front of your knees for hand defense reactions.
Shoot only if you are close in attacking range (You must be able to touch your opponent’s knees or elbows). Drop your level, this allows you to attack with much more power as you explode up into him penetrating through. Keep your elbows in as you penetrate on your attack and cut the angle. Shooting a leg attack off the whistle is effective when your opponent is not prepared to wrestle before the start whistle. Be tenacious to the finish, in all attempts.
If in doubt, do not try the technique, change levels, fake attacks and/ or take half shoots to look active and force a passivity or caution. Beat your opponent on the ground or with caution points. Remember a good fake leg attack making your opponent retreat, equals a quarter point
Do not use a technique if it fails once and only use techniques used effectively in practice. If a move works continue to use it.
Always show that you have plenty of energy and are anxious to fight. Fake it if you have to, but never show you are tired.
Always keep your back to the center of the mat and face the zone throughout the match. This is called “mat position”. If you are on your knees, have your back to the zone and are attacking your opponent do not stand up to your feet
Force your opponent’s back into the zone and use it to your advantage, shoot a standing leg attack and take him out of bounds (i.e. the zone drill). Never back up and allow the match to continue at the center. Circle or move forward, no retreat - just constant pressure to break your opponent’s will to fight.
Stay on offense, work our set-ups, always be and look aggressive, especially when you are protecting a lead.
When the whistle blows to stop the action, run to the center and wait to start. Never be slow to get to the starting circle after a whistle.
Wrestle after the whistle blows - to show dominance, anticipate the whistle starting action. Be ready for the whistle 5 seconds before, 1 second before and stop 5 seconds after the whistle.
Always hand fight to control your opponent. Never give-up control, not even for a second.
Fight to the end no matter the score and always give the full-out effort. The only loser is a quitter, if you give your all, things will always work out in the end and you will always be a winner.
Use your attacking distance, when out of attacking range you can be more relaxed; when in range be on guard.
If you are wining by a 6-point margin and your opponent is attempting a re-roll or reversal, release the hold, abort the pin and neutralize. Do not allow your opponent to score.
Maintain your composure throughout the match; wrestle the match and not the opposing coach or the official. Focus on the task at hand, winning your matches. Nothing else is important!

4. Defense:
4.1      The best defense is an aggressive and relentless offense.
4.2      Stay in your stance, stay a little lower, use your hands to block then counter attack immediately,                   use your hands for the pancake counter or the arm-drag – reaction wrestling.
4.3     If your opponent gets by your hands- sprawl (hip-in, legs back, square off, extend him (i.e. block                     opponent’s knees or jam opponent’s head into the mat and underneath you), shoe laces on the mat,             head up, move in the direction of his head was, placing weight on the opponent’s arm, and go         behind             to get your point. A 1-point move is safer than a 2-point move; therefore, always take     1.

5. Par-terre: Bottom Position

Stay flat to the mat, head up, chest down, armpits into the mats, hands out front at 45 degrees, elbows off the mat, dig your palms into the mat, split your legs (to avoid x-ankles) and look to control wrists. Do not allow your opponent to lock their hands for a gutwrench. Stay tough and wait for the whistle, usually 10-20 seconds. Be prepared to exercise pain tolerance to the extreme.
Do not wrestle for a reversal if you are winning, or the score is close, or your opponent is behind you and out of reach. Never reach behind! The only exception is when using the ankle pick reversal, if it is reachable. Only go for an escape if there is 20 seconds remaining and you are losing in the score.
If you are being turned, go hand to hand and give up 1 point not 2. Do not let your elbow touch (this includes gutwrenches and x-ankles).

5. Par-Terre: Top Position

Stay behind; work your techniques from behind your opponent.
Work your techniques in series; if one move does not work immediately go into the next.
Make your opponent work. Tire and wear them down. Make them always carry your weight.
The most effective and most commonly used technique in this position is the gutwrench, followed by the x-ankles. Be able to use both, as well as, defend them.
If you are winning and there is less than 25 seconds remaining, look busy but do not attempt to score more points.

6. After the match:

Cool-down with light exercise, evaluate your performance, and look for lessons to improve with each match.
Get a massage if possible to alleviate tight muscles.
Get some fresh air, relax, laugh, have some fun.
Drink some Gatorade or have a Boost drink
Scout your opponents to see what works for others then use those techniques. You must have proven prior proficiency with those techniques before you plan to use them.
It is not important what your next opponent does as much as it is important what you do, he cannot stop.

7. “The Leg Clinch- offence”

When going into this position place your feet first. Step in parallel to your opponent’s feet. Keep your hips in, and your head as high as the official will allow. Grasp your wrist and take a high crotch. Reach as fast as possible anticipating the whistle for a sweep double.
Never step out of bounds. You will lose the round or the match
Never stop wrestling when the grip is broken. The wrestler who locked first has 30 seconds from the whistle to score.
If you feel you are going to get countered, break your grip, to scramble to score or not get scored on.

Leg-clinch Defence

Push down and away on the neck and the back anticipating the whistle. Attack the head with a cross face.
Go in with slightly wider than usual stance and do not present your leg too forward.

Know that;

When the score is zero to zero, you are winning, do not panic.
You win in every stalemate situation.
You never lose a match; you might run out of time.
There is more to a match than the score, always win the fight.

“If it is to be, it’s up to me”
Make it happen
Know you can do it, know you are the best.
Expect to win
Refuse to lose!
Be relentless

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