The “What it Takes” Series

By Katie Downing

What it takes to excel in wrestling is a love of work, the will to expect more of oneself, and the drive to seek out new ways to push oneself above and beyond the workload that only gets a wrestler through the day.  This series is designed for wrestlers who desire a little extra training to reach that next level.  Some of these workouts are meant to be supplements to practices or team lifts.  They can be done by a group of wrestlers during the season.  Some of these stand on their own as workouts, and are meant to be almost the equal of team practices.  Wrestlers can use these as a way to keep up their training over the summer when practice schedules are relaxed, or when they are traveling.  All of these workouts are designed to require little or no equipment.

Workout #7

Jumping Drills

This workout is a plyometric workout, designed to develop speed (how long it takes to finish an exercise/pace), agility (how long it takes to change from one exercise or direction to another), and quickness (how long it takes to go from stationary position to motion).  This is a good drill to add as a part of your regular routine a few times a week before a wrestling practice or lift, or before runs or cardio workouts.

-tuck jumps-jump up and bring your knees to your chest, straighten your legs to land

    -do 3 sets of 5 jumps each

-squat jumps-squat down until knees form a 90 degree angle, and jump up as high as possible

    -do 3 sets of 5 jumps each

-triple broad jump-jump forward three times in a row as far as possible-squat butt down  almost to the ground in between each jump, and use your arms to propel you as  far as possible

    -triple jump 3 times

-forward bounds-this is a cross between skipping and running-try to make each step as big as you can, swinging your arms-you are hopping forward off of each foot, but you aren’t stopping between each step-thrust your knees up and forward as far as possible to help propel you forward

-bound forward for 50 feet, 3 times

-zig zag bounds-this is just like forward bounding, but you hop to the right to land on  your right foot, then hop to the left to land on your left foot-your body faces  forward the whole time, and your path is forward, but you’ll cover about 5 feet  from side to side

    -bound zig zags for 50 feet, 3 times

-1 leg broad jumps-jump as far as you can on one leg-if you are jumping with your right leg, your left leg never touches the ground, but you thrust your left knee forward to try to propel you forward

    -jump with your left leg 5 times, then your right leg 5 times, do 3 sets