with Zac Dominguez,
President and Head Coach of MWC Wrestling Academy in Omaha (NE);
former University of Nebraska Omaha Assistant Coach;
President of USA Wrestling Coaching Council; Freestyle and Greco Director for Nebraska USA Wrestling;
2013 USA National Developmental Coach of the Year;
2007 USA Wrestling Coach of the Year.
and Dr. Grove Higgins,
Human Performance and Rehabilitation Clinic Director (CO);
In order to be an effective coach, you must know how to approach kids and develop a plan for their progression. Zac Dominguez understands what it takes to develop a top tier youth program. As a former college coach, he had to redevelop his coaching philosophy in order to meet the needs of wrestlers at different age and skill levels.
In his on-the-mat session, Dominguez provides the background information to create a successful youth program based on his experiences as a coach. You will learn the key fundamentals of program development and athlete development, along with how to teach kids to transition from one position to another in order to improve their ability to score.
Dr. Grove Higgins has a long history of working with elite athletes in a variety of sports. This has given him the opportunity to elevate athletes' performance through the use of mobility training. The key to elevating an individual's performance with mobility is by creating change in the human system. Dr. Higgins demonstrates a mobility system that increases performance and decreases injuries.
On the Mat: Building Good Habits in Young Wrestlers
The key to developing a top youth program is through creating a system that that allows for a wrestler to progress over time from the beginner level to the more advanced level. Coach Dominguez brings a wealth of knowledge gained from learning from the best coaches around the world and explains his philosophy in detail.
Techniques for Youth Wrestlers
Wrestlers must learn how to transition from one position to another in order to improve their ability to score. Dominguez shows you how to build these progressions with youth wrestlers. Learn how to implement three of the seven basic skills of wrestling to quickly develop an athlete into a high level wrestler. Dominguez demonstrates five drills that will help wrestlers develop position, motion, and level change.
- Stance and Motion: Teaches a wrestler to actively move his or her feet and stay low.
- Tough, Knife, Hook: Helps wrestlers score from one of the most common positions in wrestling by attacking the strong side.
- 2 and 2 Drills: Develops a wrestler's ability to transition from a 2 point takedown directly into a 2 point turn.
- Transition Drilling: Teaches how to progress from one position to another to get in a position to score.
Wrestling Games for Practice
Coach Dominguez covers how a coach can keep a practice structured and fun at the same time by using drill games. The games not only keep practice fun and exciting, but also develop skill. Games include:
- Quad Hand Fight: Teaches wrestlers how to keep the pressure off their hands and put the opponent's weight on their hands.
- Go to Back Drill: Teaches a wrestler how to back arch by falling backwards.
- Foot Tag: Develops level change and quickness.
- Double Reverse Lift: Emphasizes a wrestler getting their hips underneath them in order to lift their opponent off the mat before their opponent lifts them.
- Hand Fighting on the Knees: Teaches wrestlers to fight for position and move their opponent just by using their upper body.
Questions and Answers
/Coach Dominguez answers questions from other coaches who are in attendance. Topics covered include:
- How to open lines of communication for wrestlers of all ages.
- The biggest issues youth wrestlers face and how to overcome those issues.
- How to control parents and have them fit your system as opposed to having your system fit them. This includes dealing with other sports they may be playing.
- How to develop unorthodox techniques that kids may use that are not normally taught.
- His year round program development.
Lecture: Improving Mobility and Adaptation for Athletes through Repetition
Dr. Higgins provides the insight for any coach or athlete to unlock their potential to increase overall performance. This will also directly translate into wrestling by allowing an athlete to learn technique quicker due to having a greater ability to move, decrease injury potential, and increase overall performance.
Shin Box
Dr. Higgins introduces the 'Shin Box system' that coaches and athletes can use to assess and train mobility. He also covers the prescription, progressions, and instruction of the mobility drills within the system. This system is a game-changer in the world of sports performance because it can drastically increase performance in an athlete.
Questions and Answers
Higgins opens the floor for a variety of questions and answers. Some of the most common questions relate to pain management in the lower back and the wrist, were he addresses three specific drills:
- Squat and Twist: A simple and effective drill to eliminate back pain.
- Arm Bar: Utilizes a kettlebell to release tension around the spine.
- Wrist Rolls: Helps realign the bones in the wrist and hand in order to decrease pain.
Dr. Higgins breaks down performance to the most basic level so that you will understand how to improve mobility and maximize the performance of your athletes.
Produced at the 2017 USA Wrestling Silver Coaches Clinic in Lincoln (NE).
185 minutes (2 DVDs). 2018.<