I had the opportunity and pleasure at one time to coach with someone I would consider a close friend. His name was Darrell Keller and he was during his wrestling career a two-time NCAA Champion and Outstanding Wrestler for Oklahoma State. One of the things I admired about him was the simplistic way he would express things. We were sitting together a few years back at the NCAA Championships, he had not been back to them in over 20 years and I asked him, “What do you think?” His answer was “ Not much has changed, two or three of these guys came to win it and the rest are just kind of participating.”
If you think about it this, it speaks volumes regards the attitude you must have as you enter tournament competition at any level. You not only need to be physically and mentally Read More

As the rules have changed over the years with the myriad of choices offered to the wrestlers as they begin the second period, I regularly watch both wrestlers and coaches make choices that really don't make any sense. If I've taken you down say a couple of times and riddin the garbage out of you in the first period, why would I give you the choice to take your favorite position and maybe begin catching up. If I've proven myself superior in two of the three positions, (takedowns and top position)
why wouldn't I continue to expand my lead in the proven rather than take a chance in the unproven position,(down position) and find out that you're a cradle maniac and suffer a humiliating loss after having been in control of the match. I've seen it happen waaaay too often. My philosophy is: Read More

To be a complete wrestler you must be able to wrestle in all positions. This means on your feet as well as on the mat, both top and bottom positions. Defense and counter offense are a critical part of all positions. In addition you must know where you are strongest and where you are weakest. You have to spend enough time on the skills and techniques that you are good at to hone them to perfection, but you must also find the time to develop the essential skill and technique in your weak areas. Repetition is the key to all of this. You do not truly own a technique until it has become a part of your muscle memory. It must be instinctive. When you have been in a given position enough times you begin to recognize it as it develops rather than as it happens.

Wrestlers who are g Read More

To win you have to believe you can win. A lot of people say “I will believe it when I see it”, but in wrestling you have to believe first. You have to have self-confidence in yourself and your technique. It isn’t how much technique you know, it is being able to execute the techniques you do know better than your opponent. You have to control the action and pace of the match to fit your game plan. I believe “a champion has the ability to impose his will upon his opponent at his discretion”.

Saying all of this is fine but how do we implement it? The best place to start is in the practice room. Learn to stay focused on the tasks at hand. Fully concentrate on skills and drills of the day. Pay attention to detail as you execute technique. If you drill imperfect Read More

1- The National coaches put together a staff, a pool of work out partners and support personnel i.e. establish good communication with the staff, wrestler and administration; training plan to fit the Olympic schedule, researching, evaluating the athlete and the plan. Media as a tool to promote and motivate the wrestler, staff;
Seek advice from resource people, study the logistics, environment, opponents etc. Create a positive working relationship that would carry over to the athletes and coaches. Study the rules with FILA. Officials have some training sessions with an official present to evaluate special situations. I would tape some of our training sessions, edge of the mat tactics, special holds, etc. Assist with coaches meetings to evaluate the work outs and individuals. Read More

I was just at the NCAA Championships and had a chance to visit with Dave Bennett. He had just returned from India and I had just recently returned from an international event held in Cuba. We couldn’t help but begin to compare our collegiate wrestling rules with the current international rules for freestyle wrestling. Because of the differences, it is a huge task for our athletes to make the adjustment between the styles after four to five years of competing in the collegiate arena. We believe there are a few changes we could make that would not only make competition more exciting at the college level, but would also make the transition easier and make us more competitive internationally than we currently are.
The first is to institute an out of bounds rule. College wrestlers tod Read More

Evaluation of Results


Wrestling is in transition. We need to adjust a technical and tactical plan to suit the new rules. The fact still remains that our takedowns are way down. Our set-ups are non existent. In the last five Worlds we have less than a dozen set-ups.
You can't win matches with out takedowns and you can't get takedowns with out set-ups.

I want to say this to the AD's that drop wrestling programs or de-emphasize their programs. You cheated a lot of kids like me out of an education and for that you should be ashamed. Dave Adams dropped the program at San Jose resulting in a spike in gang recruitment. The same thing happened in LA at UCLA, dropped, gang spike! Washington and UCSB, gang and crime spike. Drop out rates increased, kids health suffered. Discipline waned and we let the bullies run amuck. "Thats What the Caged Bird Sings" That's why I cry everytime a program is dropped. I am at the end of my fight, I am in no position to tell you what wrestling needs. You my fellow teammates, coaches, parents and families have to stand up for wrestling or we'll lose it at the university level. What can we do? We can d Read More

Dear Mr. Douglas:

My older brother was a competitor at the '68 Olympic Trials, I believe he took tenth ( in your weight class). Almost every time I see him I ask him to recount the events that took place during that match. He told me that during weigh-ins he was standing in line and he turned around for a minute and saw a man that he described as having a body like a "Greek God."
He said this man had arms twice the size of his and his hands were not only big but they seemed to hang down to his knees. The chest on this person he described as enormous. The only thing that ran through his mind was, Oh God please don't let me have to wrestle him. He told me that he actually wanted to wrestle Dan Gable, he thought he could beat him and still feels that way. You see m Read More

After spending three days in Colorad Springs exploring the best way forward for the American wrestling program, I find myself looking back at how we got to this point. At the same time I've been trying to figure out what is the best road map. I'm totally convinced that the Boris plan used by the Russians and the other top republics is the best model. The question is will it work for America? My answer is yes, it will work for America but it needs to be modified to compensate for American folk style wrestling. If we changed some of our folk style and collgiate rules we would have a much better chance of giving our wrestlers and equal chance for their Olympic dreams. I'm sorry that I am helpless to do more and I apologize for not being able to convince the rules committee that a chang Read More

The new regional Training Centers are a step in the right direction for USA Wrestling. The National Hall of Fames Ohio chapter addition brings much needed publicity to Ohio and wrestling. The USOC and USA Wrestlings aggressive pursuit of diversity paved the way in Ohio for one of the first women to receive the Toccara Montgomery Women of the Year award. With the induction of Harry Houska, Jim Humphries, Jim Jordan, Dustin Carter, Richard Bonacci, Doc Loffler, Chris Ford and George Kovalick, my coach, makes Ohio the most prestigious Hall of Fame in America.

Congratulations LeeRoy Smith, Rich Bender, the Diversity committee and the inductees.

The new date is September 19, 20010 in Columbus, Ohio.

Location to be announced at a later date.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.- USA Wrestling’s newly formed Diversity Committee hosted a historic in-person meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn – Airport on Thursday.

The committee, chaired by Olympic athlete and coach Bobby Douglas, worked on a number of projects concerning diversity initiatives within USA Wrestling and the sport of wrestling. It was the first in-person meeting of this committee, which has had previous conference calls in February and March.

“I am very excited to be part of this important committee. I am more excited about the work we will be doing,” said Douglas. “USA Wrestling, one of America’s best secrets, will lead the way to a more diverse wrestling community.”

Among the committee’s actions on Thursday was the crea Read More

I would like to congratulate the state of Ohio on creating the Ohio chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The initial induction will be July 11, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. Bill Lamb, former head coach of North Carolina University will organize the event. This is a big step toward further promotion and recognition for the sport of wrestling within Ohio which a rich tradition that all should take pride in. Nominations include, Lifetime Service to Wrestling, Outstanding American and Medal of Courage. It is great to see Ohio step up and become an active chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Question: Why were you so successful as a coach?

I started recruiting kids when they were in grade school. The number one reason for my success was the type of wrestlers I recruited and the drilling system I used. The technical component came from Oklahoma State; the mat technique came from George Kovalick, my high school coach, and Harold Nichols. The key component was the drill routine. I was taught to drill against pressure in order to get the real feel for the holds and to drill the hold until you could execute full speed with resistance. This meant repetitions and your coach has to make you correct mistakes as they happen. This type of drilling is tedious and requires many many reps. I used the edge of the mat to increase the pressure a Read More

More schools have to follow Iowa’s lead. They use Gable as a lightning rod for promotion, recruiting and club activities. The fact that he’s one of the announcers for Iowa Public TV wrestling show helps the Iowa wrestling program

The NWCA helps the Iowa program by using Gable as a spokesperson. All these things help the Iowa program. The rest of the nation needs to follow suit. The Iowa wrestling system helps also because it’s exciting. Their style of wrestling keeps their opponent in retreat making it difficult to attack when you’re being pushed backwards. Good system; its simple and easy to teach.

It’s not hard to defeat if you’re in shape and have the right athletes.

Congratulations to the Brands brothers and their staff Read More

Leadership is the quality that is responsible for people following an individual, having faith in his judgment and abilities and being willing to work under his direction. A leader is someone who can accomplish something others would not attempt. Not everyone can hold an office such as President or Vice President, yet all can develop the qualities of good leadership.

Command the respect of others wherever you are, whatever you do.

Study yourself. Discover your strong points and your weak points. Study the personal qualities of effective coaching. Endeavor to develop the qualities that will win the confidence of others, such as sound judgment, open-mindedness, freedom from prejudice, coolness in trying situations, sincerity, and honesty.

When Read More

I would like to welcome you to The Wrestling Greats!! I am honored to be on this incredibly valuable and exciting site. This site provides an outstanding venue for the true student of the sport to immediately access great wrestling instruction as well as competitive action. I grew up in a small town in South Dakota, while there were a lot of benefits to living there, access to vast quantities of great wrestling instruction was not one of them. Anyone looking to improve their knowledge base and level of skill can now accomplish their goals with ease by using Thewrestlinggreats.com. The downloads are easy and the quality is outstanding. Let's use this learning platform to continue to take wrestling to new heights. The best way I know to build your legacy.
Thanks,
Lincoln

Article on John Havlicek and Bobby Douglas
By Dave Bloomquist.

Although they lived only a half-mile from each other, they lived their lives at different ends of the spectrum. Once grew up in a modest home and the other one grew up in a shanty with no modern conveniences. They were as different as night and day except for one common bond, a grass field with white lines and numbers.

When you think of Havlicek or “Hondo” basketball immediately come to m mind. He was all-state at Bridgeport High School. All-American at Ohio State, a 13 time all-star with the Boston Celtics and a member of the NBA Hall of Fame. What you may not know is how many colleges recruited him for skills on the football field, Pitt, WVU, Miami, Florida, Florida State, Purd Read More

Here is an exert from my autobiography that I think we can all relate to as wrestlers.

Excerpts from THE STRUGGLE IS THE GLORY the autobiography of Bobby Douglas

"The Brotherhood of Wrestling".

First, let me begin by relating what, for many wrestlers, is a common experience.

You enter a public place – say a mall, or a seven-eleven wearing something that identifies you as a wrestling partisan. Maybe it’s your letterman’s jacket or perhaps a souvenir t-shirt from some wrestling tourney. Soon, a complete stranger come up to you and asks the questions, “Hey did you wrestle?” When you reply, “Why yes,” this (up to now) stranger begins relating his own wrestling experiences. This man may have wrestled 30 or more years earl Read More

Happy New Year everyone!

This new website should revolutionize the opportunities people in our sport have to access vital information in most every area of wrestling.
Our desire is to not only provide top level techniques but also to provide guidance in nutrition, strategy, mentoring and a variety of areas that help comprise the total athlete.
We're excited to be here to help meet your needs.
Upcoming technique videos will cover (notso cheap)tilts and turns that help put a close match in your control!
Looking forward to serving you in the new year!
Mike McArthur

I want to welcome you all to our new website and hope that in time you will find that it is a useful resource in your development as either a coach or athlete or maybe even as an avid fan who wants to learn what skills different athletes possessed that made them great.

Wrestling has been my life since 1957 when I was first introduced to it and next to God and family has been the biggest passion of it. I have had the opportunity to coach at most levels from the grassroots clubs and High School to my final position as National Developmental Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling and I believe that two of the biggest contributors to my understanding of the sport was my being able to watch world class athletes compete at their highest level and then analyzing their actions on the mat Read More