Which enhances football performance more and why? Especially defensive and offensive lineman.
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Compare wrestling and basketball for helping kids for football
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wrestling; performance and toughness physical and mental
Wrestling. The footwork, hip level, and explosiveness of wrestling are uncompareable to bball. Mentally wrestling allows a kid to find an aggressive mind set that isnt found on the bball court. Conditioning are the only things close in bball and wrestling out does them there too.
Couldn't have said it better. For offensive/defensive linemen, wrestling is a fantastic winter sport. Not only does it keep them in shape, it does all the things CFHWHS mentioned as well.
It doesn't really matter to me. It's best that they're doing one or the other. I would prefer that coverage players be playing basketball. Both are good exercise. Beyond that, who cares?
Wrestling is about the best complimentary sport for football you can have. Balance, strength, competition, decision making, conditioning, mental toughness......really wrestlers are the men amongst boys.
Ray Lewis, Logan Mankins are a few that come to mind.....
Ray Lewis, Logan Mankins are a few that come to mind.....
Keep in mind not all wrestlers turn out to be good football players. Brock Lesnar anyone.....
Of 85 players listed on Alabama's current roster, 36 played HS basketball and three wrestled according to www.trackingfootball.com. Not sure what that says about which "enhances" players more.
I would assume Alabamas roster comes from the SEC region. Wrestling is not popular in that region.
Last number I saw was that 65% of NFL offensive lineman were wrestlers.
Couple things that weren't mentioned above that are important skills in wrestling: handfighting, learning to use leverage and the ability to move an opponent against his will. Those transfer directly to football.
Basketball has footwork but wrestling has footwork while a guy is in front of you attacking you physically. Direct transfer.
Couple things that weren't mentioned above that are important skills in wrestling: handfighting, learning to use leverage and the ability to move an opponent against his will. Those transfer directly to football.
Basketball has footwork but wrestling has footwork while a guy is in front of you attacking you physically. Direct transfer.
There wasnt a question made about which sport would send you to a D1 college in Football. The question was which was better to enhance your Football play. Considering teams like WEBB have what 95 on their Varsity Football roster and there is like what 25-30 in wrestling its not suprising the great Alabama isnt loaded with ex high school wrestlers. There isnt a huge spotlight on wrestling in most schools. Its usually a different kind of bird that wants to work their butt off till they are puking, cut 10 lbs even though they are chiseled like a rock already and desire rolling around on a mat with another guy wanting to make you cry as much as you want him to. Without question most pretty boys go basketball. Also without question most lineman dont do either. With only a few kids over 200 ever seeing a mat per team it doesnt make alot of sense for your 40 or so lineman to go out for wrestling. But as stated as far as explosiveness, balance, overall conditioning and cojones wrestling is far and above the best training regimen atleast as far as from another sport.
37 FB players of 65 on Central Michigan roster played either basketball or wrestling. 33:4 is the ratio of BBall:Wresting according to www.trackingfootball.com.
There are only 14 spots to fill on a wrestling team and those weights range from 106 to 285. Only half of the weights really work on the d1 football field and thats 145-285. Many lineman are over 285 and most players are over 145. Hence why the numbers are lower for wrestlers playing college ball. Also just about every school in America has a BBall program and that is not the case for wrestling, Michigan included. Bottom line is you have a small fraction of wrestlers in the pool when comparing to the number of basketball players. The question was not which sport produces more D1 college football players it was which would improve a players performance in football. Wrestling by far in LB, DL, OL, FB positions and really close in WR, DB, and TB. Regardless a smart coach will tell them if they get cut from bball they better get their butts to the wrestling room.
All of the answers above are good. I would think off season weight competition would have to be in the mix as well if possible.
Kearney has used that formula for years due to not always having the numbers to have the largest, strongest kids .
We love the "soccer" kids as well...
Yes, that was a 53 yard field goal... : )
Kearney has used that formula for years due to not always having the numbers to have the largest, strongest kids .
We love the "soccer" kids as well...
Yes, that was a 53 yard field goal... : )
It is hard to beat wrestling as the ultimate "other" sports. Most of the reasons are listed above. As long as they are participating in either wrestling or basketball, most coaches would be happy. Someone above mentioned "off season" and I believe that is a must IF you are not taking part in one of the other sports but its a distant third on the list I would think.
I know a lot don't like it but I'm a believer in crossfit as well. Carrying weight, running rowing jumping and a lot of it using your own weight like pull ups burpees etc is great for balance and explosion let alone endurance and strength. Before Veer or somebody comes on and trashes this post I'm not saying work out to be considered the "fittest man alive" I'm saying good coaches can build a regimen to fit players needs.
Cross fit is only good if a person knows what the hell they are doing. Most gyms rarely properly train people.
I always reference the early Platte County teams they dominated wrestling and football. And the kids that contributed on the mat did so on the football field as well.
I always reference the early Platte County teams they dominated wrestling and football. And the kids that contributed on the mat did so on the football field as well.
I've heard coaches urge linemen to wrestle. In addition to the above items, they say it also helps with the hands.. learning proper technique to rip and shuck hands during blocks. However, Chillicothe's best lineman of the last 20 years, Justin Bland who was 3 year starter for Mizzou at OT, played basketball, which helped tremendously with his footwork. But he was likely an exception to the rule.
I've coached some great lineman, linebacker types that wrestled or played BB. The "difference makers" have typically been the athlete's, and they tend to be basketball players or wanabee basketball players that could just as easily hit a baseball, pitch and run fast. This is not limited to any of the positions on the football team. IMO- the NBA players are the greatest athlete's in the world.
You can lift run and jump until the cows come home, but if don't have the athletic DNA? Weight training can make poor average, average good, good great. Depends on work ethic, system, coaching etc...etc...and DNA
The best thing is to encourage football players to participate in three sports, not the least of which, so you don't look like a tool to the rest of the athletic department.
Coaches typically fear that a good athlete will specialize in a sport other than football / or great basketball player will be told by a their coach or parent not to participate in football. If a great athlete wants to forgo other sports and play football only, most programs are equipped to develop the kid to their full potential.
I've worked for some really smart successful coaches that are extremely flexible with basketball / baseball players schedules even though the seasons over-lap into summer participation. This policy is not only the best for the athlete, but more importantly the best for the football team and success of the program.
Some of my favorite track coaches allow athlete's compete the day of the meet without much formal practice time. This is smart. Those coaches understand that the "difference makers" are the athletes.
The real challenge is.....If you're looking to develop a football program, is to use either sport to your advantage, and encourage at your discression to attain the ultimate goal which is to have the difference makers on the team and not just playing BB or wrestling.
The best football players are those that "see themselves" or "identify themselves" as football players regardless if they Wrestle or play BB.
Just for fun........I had a first team all conf defensive back that played soccer his junior season, had the best feet I've ever seen in 33 years.
I once coached a basketball player that never practiced, his ankle was always injured ( it really was a bad ankle), in the biggest game of the season, he guarded a kid that started for NWMSU this year, the entire game he shut him down, he had never played a down of football until his senior year, he was a point guard on our BB team.
I had a nose guard that blew up Evan Boehm over and over, he was 5'9" and 240, he would back him up so fast that it looked on film as if Boehm was giving birth to a red helmet. He never played a down of college football and works at a Sunglass Hut, but he loved the weight room.
Aldon Smith was talked into playing HS football, he saw himself as a basketball player until his senior year when a Missouri coach noticed him. He was a freak when you saw him play DL/TE at Raytown.
The best mike lber I ever had was a wrestler. He ate beer cans and would fart glitter, an absolute tackling machine, he smoked cigarettes and lost in the semis at the state wrestling tournament.
The best athlete I ever coached, could have won 100m dash in MO, he batted 700 in baseball, avg 15 points a BB game and was the best safety I ever coached, my problem was keeping him interested. Every time he touched the ball he was a threat to score, and he had the worst line in front of him, and some of best runs were for 3 yards.
The best football player I ever was around showed up at practice in June, literally looked homeless, when he touched the ball first several times in summer practice, we couldn't even tag him, let alone tackle him. I'm the defensive coordinator, I'm mumbling under my breath, "God we suck". He ended up rushing for 2,346 yards. I would have to tell him to not run so hard in pre-game, every time he touched the ball he ran his guts out. I asked him on several occasions not hit too hard, he might kill someone. In a game he would run full speed all the way to the back of endzone and there wouldn't be a soul within 20 yards of him. He would do the same thing in practice over and over. I would plead with him to conserve his energy for Friday night. He would single handedly wear out the entire opponents defense, and he actually was better when you didn't block for him. He lost yardage only one time all season. He made linebackers look like frankenstein trying to stomp on strobe light. You've never heard of him, because sadly he.... could barely read. He was the most pure football player I ever saw, we started him at linebacker in our biggest game that season and nearly made every tackle. He could throw a ball end zone to end zone, catch a pass with effortless grace. He played basketball too, was awesome.
Our TE/DL this past season is 6'8" 280 Ibs, made several key plays to help us beat two state championship teams. He had never played in a varsity game. He is a DI BB player. I simply think it doesn't matter.
You can lift run and jump until the cows come home, but if don't have the athletic DNA? Weight training can make poor average, average good, good great. Depends on work ethic, system, coaching etc...etc...and DNA
The best thing is to encourage football players to participate in three sports, not the least of which, so you don't look like a tool to the rest of the athletic department.
Coaches typically fear that a good athlete will specialize in a sport other than football / or great basketball player will be told by a their coach or parent not to participate in football. If a great athlete wants to forgo other sports and play football only, most programs are equipped to develop the kid to their full potential.
I've worked for some really smart successful coaches that are extremely flexible with basketball / baseball players schedules even though the seasons over-lap into summer participation. This policy is not only the best for the athlete, but more importantly the best for the football team and success of the program.
Some of my favorite track coaches allow athlete's compete the day of the meet without much formal practice time. This is smart. Those coaches understand that the "difference makers" are the athletes.
The real challenge is.....If you're looking to develop a football program, is to use either sport to your advantage, and encourage at your discression to attain the ultimate goal which is to have the difference makers on the team and not just playing BB or wrestling.
The best football players are those that "see themselves" or "identify themselves" as football players regardless if they Wrestle or play BB.
Just for fun........I had a first team all conf defensive back that played soccer his junior season, had the best feet I've ever seen in 33 years.
I once coached a basketball player that never practiced, his ankle was always injured ( it really was a bad ankle), in the biggest game of the season, he guarded a kid that started for NWMSU this year, the entire game he shut him down, he had never played a down of football until his senior year, he was a point guard on our BB team.
I had a nose guard that blew up Evan Boehm over and over, he was 5'9" and 240, he would back him up so fast that it looked on film as if Boehm was giving birth to a red helmet. He never played a down of college football and works at a Sunglass Hut, but he loved the weight room.
Aldon Smith was talked into playing HS football, he saw himself as a basketball player until his senior year when a Missouri coach noticed him. He was a freak when you saw him play DL/TE at Raytown.
The best mike lber I ever had was a wrestler. He ate beer cans and would fart glitter, an absolute tackling machine, he smoked cigarettes and lost in the semis at the state wrestling tournament.
The best athlete I ever coached, could have won 100m dash in MO, he batted 700 in baseball, avg 15 points a BB game and was the best safety I ever coached, my problem was keeping him interested. Every time he touched the ball he was a threat to score, and he had the worst line in front of him, and some of best runs were for 3 yards.
The best football player I ever was around showed up at practice in June, literally looked homeless, when he touched the ball first several times in summer practice, we couldn't even tag him, let alone tackle him. I'm the defensive coordinator, I'm mumbling under my breath, "God we suck". He ended up rushing for 2,346 yards. I would have to tell him to not run so hard in pre-game, every time he touched the ball he ran his guts out. I asked him on several occasions not hit too hard, he might kill someone. In a game he would run full speed all the way to the back of endzone and there wouldn't be a soul within 20 yards of him. He would do the same thing in practice over and over. I would plead with him to conserve his energy for Friday night. He would single handedly wear out the entire opponents defense, and he actually was better when you didn't block for him. He lost yardage only one time all season. He made linebackers look like frankenstein trying to stomp on strobe light. You've never heard of him, because sadly he.... could barely read. He was the most pure football player I ever saw, we started him at linebacker in our biggest game that season and nearly made every tackle. He could throw a ball end zone to end zone, catch a pass with effortless grace. He played basketball too, was awesome.
Our TE/DL this past season is 6'8" 280 Ibs, made several key plays to help us beat two state championship teams. He had never played in a varsity game. He is a DI BB player. I simply think it doesn't matter.
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I played for the school with the most wins in Florida history (at the time I was in high school), and my Head Coach was there for 30 years. We wrestled every Wednesday during 1st period football in the off season. None of us were on the wrestling team (Coach would only let us play football), but it sure made us better. We would start back to back on our butts, and anything goes when Coach said go, except hitting in the face and groin. We would have battles. I can only think of 2 times it got out of hand, and Coach had to bust out the boxing gloves. It's a different time, and that was a different world.
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I like to think wrestling has a slight advantage because of the mental toughness. You can learn a lot about yourself in a one on one battle and how to "own" what you do. It may good or bad, win or lose but it's all on you. Just like blocking or defeating a block, it's all on you.
Yeah, agreed. No doubt that you want WR/RB to be running, jumping, and catching. Linemen, whatever. Just don't sit around and get fat.
hard to get past having to wear the required uniform, i.e. Tights.
that and the cauliflower ear and staf infection
that and the cauliflower ear and staf infection
If the choices are losing 15-20 pounds to wrestle at the weight class coach needs me at or playing basketball or pumping iron and doing agilities two days a week all winter, I'll take either of the last two.
If you're not cheating your certification and it says you're able to lose 20 pounds, you were soft and fat anyway.
First, I didn't say it wasn't important in wrestling. Are you trying to tell me that wrestlers have better footwork than basketball players? Sure there may be exceptions but on the whole it's not close when you ask the question "who has better footwork"?
If you read my post with any objectivity you would have seen that I agreed wrestling is good for some guys. I personally would rather see skill guys that play basketball. If a guy isn't going to be a basketball player and doesn't have to go from 185 to 160 to wrestle, I think it has several benefits.
Pass blocking is nothing other than a combination of playing basketball defense and boxing. I loved having offensive tackles who were athletic enough to play basketball.
I will add this to the mix.... The best "form tacklers" on our team are the wrestlers. Great at tracking hips, shooting with the head up while driving feet/engaging hips, and wrapping and squeezing legs. It really is a thing of beauty to watch...
dragblue51, those are some very interesting observations. After following wrestling this season, I can see the possible carryover in tackling.
