Summer Wrestling

Summer wrestling is a double-edged sword for HS coaches. Especially coaches from the smaller or less established wrestling programs. If they do not run a freestyle program, they are deemed to be “not putting in the extra effort” and run down as being 2^nd tier coaches. If they do run a freestyle program they run into frustrations with available workout partners. Think about it – you start with whoever is still in the room at the end of the year; subtract those that play baseball, track, etc.; subtract the ones that choose to get a job and those that just will not wrestle freestyle – and what’s left is your program. Now pray that no one gets injured, sick, goes on vacation, ditches practice, etc.

Normally, this will not produce enough athletes to have a meaningful practice – at least not a practice that will prepare them to compete against national competition. So, I as a coach have a decision to make.

· 1. I know it is not optimum – but I will have my own program to take care of my wrestlers the best that I can. Anything to keep my kids from wrestling for and/or being recruited by school X.

· 2. I realize that I need more workout partners so I will try to “recruit”, persuade, and entice wrestlers from other programs to come to my school so that I can have better practices. I will get on Okwrestle.com and advertise.

· 3. I guess I’ll have to support another program and send my kids to them. I hate to, but then again my family could sure use the extra money I earn by picking up a summer job.

There is another option! It is VS training academy.

The Mission statement of VS training academy is as follows:

Promote participation for USA Oklahoma teams – across the board

Promote participation in Oklahoma FS / GR tournaments

Improve overall skill level of Wrestlers in Oklahoma

Provide an affordable non-school affiliated training facility

Provide excellent work out partners

Provide excellent training and instruction

Provide a place that HS coaches can bring or send their teams and still have a say

(Think of it as sub-contracting or “co-op’ing “)

· Team coaches can participate (team discounts for 10 or more)

· Oklahoma FS / GR coaches can participate

· Gives coaches flexibility to miss and not disrupt their teams training

· Minimizes the impact to training partners when a wrestler misses a day

· Allows for even the smallest of schools to participate in Summer (w/o promoting another school’s program)