part one of two Why Russians are better than Americans at wrestling

of course russians approach wrestling differently in the practice room than americans do, evidenced by their different wrestling on the mat. Russians tend to spend more time wrestling than we do, practicing multiples times a day. this does not mean they do not go hard. russians also are focused on wrestling much longer than the average american, where most high school coaches have strategies geared towards kids that wont wrestle in college, towards winning the next match and not wrestling in the offseason. it is also ingrained in the russian culture that wrestling is admirable, therefore they have more participation. we must examine the differences between our culture and theirs. we do not have our best athletes as wrestlers. they are spread throughout sports. also, we do not pay our wrestlers as much as russia does, taking away incentive. thirdly, OUR MODERN MATERIAL SOCIETY HAS PLACED ACHIEVEMENT IN THE BACKSEAT. many americans waste their life away. america is the land of opportunity but it is not a coincidence that the people who take advantage of that opportunity the most come from other countries. children are concerned with making money and getting nice things, thanks to the idols we have from media, rather than fulfilling their potential as human beings. we as americans are not as motivated as the rest of the world, and this does not simply apply to wrestling. maybe its because things are too easy, and since we dont have to dedicate our life to a sport or science or any other passion just to survive, we are never exposed to how those dedications and passions can shape us into better human beings. plain and simply, we dont care as much.

Sorry, Ken. You are right off topic. Anyway, since I was never taught the pure science of wrestling as a youth, I use the theory from Judo and Sambo when I teach wrestling. This has invited more adults who feared wrestling.

The five minute rounds are a lot better for the BJJ fighter who is missing the toughness and conditioning, also. People get extremely confused when they compare the original Gracie fighters and their challenges to fighters of today.Pride had longer time limits and there was no domination by fighters of Brazil.I'm just saying there is a price. Too much focus on just technique and too much focus on conditioning and toughness. Something usually gives.I actually like the UFC rules, even though my base is wrestling, Judo, catch and BJJ, for it is called ultimate FIGHTING...and all fights start on the feet and in a real fight you have very little time on the ground before it's broken up or his buddies clobber you.I agree 100% about teaching wrestling to be more technical. That's my life's goal. To spread the word that wrestling is technical...wrestling is an art and a science.When I've approached youth coaches about this their response is there is only so much time. It takes less knowledge and time to get your kids in condition and tough than to get them technically proficient.

the post below was mine, i just forgot to sign in:)

At the same time, this is the very reason wrestlers do so well in MMA. A wrestling practice looks like a fight. An MMA match is as close to a real fight you can get legally. A BJJ practice doesn't look like a fight. The "flo with the go" doesn't always work when the pressure is up.The same with Muay Thai, it's tough to just survive a practice. When the pressure is turned up in an MMA fight, the wrestler will usually out tough the BJJ guy. This is where the Brazilians are weak. We need a combo of toughness, skill, and conditioning.

Sp,I am not saying I have the answer per se, I just believe this thoery has some validity. I understand the Russians may also practice hard at times but ultimately they approach wrestling differently and this can be viewed in their matches. What seems to be most important is their technique and positioning. And to make your technique better you have to have great sensitivity and usually that comes by doing things softly (opposite of us) and sparring and practicing as we do but also slowly analyzing technique through positions and/or situations, i.e., breaking it downI theorized this from doing jiu jitsu for 11 years and re-learning wrestling and studying some of their practices (limited on youtube) and listening to interviews. It seems we want to now their secret, there is no secret, they just have a different mind-set and approach. From living in Brazil I found this evident in jiu jitsu. It was impossible to go hard for a long duration if someone was stronger or "tougher" than you so they solely used technique and their technique level rose considerably, and they continue to dominate.Basically, to get better technique you need to take a step back and understand what you are doing. And then long-term you should be more aware of what's going on. But who can afford to take a step back and who wants to look in the mirror to do so.Again, I'm just a messenger from my own experience and it's just food for thought:)k. p.

Agree to a point.But you have to take into consideration the culture and the fact Russians don't spend years wrestling folkstyle.I've meet so many ex-wrestlers who have wrestled years in H.S. and college, yet don't know the fundamentals of wrestling.Why did they succeed? Conditioning, toughness and "one good move".Often wrestling is not taught in the US, but they are coached for the next match.The ones that rise to the very top are the ones who go to summer camps year after year to learn the art and science of the greatest sport in the world.

yeah yeah... etc.

American wrestling is perfect for MMA, their work ethic and pace are great for the UFC rounds and scoring system. It works out great today but old school UFC was no time limits and no scoring so things were a bit different. regardless, American wrestlers work very hard and they adapt quicker than most other mixed martial artists. I'd like to hear Askrens take now that he has moved into grappling/bjj.

get USA wrestlers out of MMA and into the olympics!!

Sounds logical but what about all of the other countries that offer wrestling in the world? Do the Iranians focus more on conditioning than Russia? Does Korea not focus on technique? I'd venture to guess they spend even more time on technique given their martial art culture.The clear answer why the Russians are better is that it is in their nature and culture. The have a perfect combo of wrestling nature and nurture.The reason they are much better right now than the US is because of their nature and culture and a combination of things we do that hinders our ability to have success...primarily our folkstyle focus.I do think using BJJ to highlight the importance of focusing on technique is smart and interesting. Russian wrestlers certainly have that more laid back approach that you see in BJJ fighters in MMA. BJJ and Russian wrestling is much more passive aggressive while USA thinks it is all about aggressive.

Where is part two? Also Ken don't participate with the negative people on the forum. You just give them fuel to talk more trash. The two styles, meaning collegiate and international vary greatly. One thing I don't beleive people take into consideration enough is the lifestyle difference between USA wrestlers compared to International wrestlers. Our guys try and scrape a living while they train. I'm sure this has an affect on how many quality wrestlers stick with it after college and for how long. You mention the 4 olympic cycles of the russian, I ask what do you think his lifestyle was during those 16 years? How many Titles could Cael have won? We will never know but we do know his half million dollar coaching salary is unprecidented.

thats why your behind a keyboard. wish flo would only allow comments with names attached, lol, but then cowards like you wouldnt be here

you can work hard and work smart at the same time anonymous coward. your ignorance is Russias bliss.

wrestling in america is ready for a revolution... our techniical skills need to go to a new level. Yes its technique but its also how we train those techniques. the understanding of strengths and weakness in positions. A mind that sees the potential as we flow.. an ability to overview the match seeing the end from the begining. the understanding of how to change tempo and rythem to our advantage. We have much to do.. thanks Ken

I watched some of the the Slay videos. When asked about his improvements he clearly states he watched video and practiced pure technique on why he was failing. It worked. I mean he is diesel as anyone, but it came down to pure technique.

yeah, thats why we still suck, your attitudeswhy dont you give your answers rather than be negativevvvvvvv