Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Matt & Matt talk Wrestling

Today 174lber Matt Fullowan and the ever so colorful Coach Greenberg went on the air with Steve Peed to talk about the importance of summer training, the difference between high school and college wrestling, and of course, the build up to the 11/6 Pentagon Duals.  Listen to the interview here.



Today we finished our last morning workout for a good while.  It was a perfect time to walk away from these early am jaunts because of how the guys finished up.  Not more than a month ago these same wrestlers couldn't make it 2x around an indoor track (1/8 mile) without throwing up, cramping, or just not being tough.  Every Tuesday & Thursday we would meet at 7am and put them through another track workout and every time they would make it a bit longer before they hit the wall.  Today we were outside on a normal track (1/4 mile) and we made them run more than they had in the past and wouldn't ya know it, nobody threw up, nobody got cramps, and if you looked hard enough you might have even seen some competition in them.  They were jockeying for the win which in turn pushes the others around them to work harder.  It was a great sight to start your day to as a coach and as I prepare for practice this afternoon I am excited to see them push each other even more and continue to improve their skills.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

"To Scrap" or "Not to Scrap" & Coming Up Next Week...

The guys have been working hard (yes I know it's a cliche) but there were not too many people who stayed up over fall break to train here in Lancaster so they deserve the credit.  Today I had a long conversation with somebody close to the program who had been sitting in our workouts over the last few weeks.  After having this talk I can finally say that what we are trying to do with the guys seems to be working.  This person said that the guys look like they are finally starting to "scrap" in the room.

Scrap is a little word that couldn't mean more to a wrestling coach.  Webster's defines scrap as the following:


verb ( scrapped scrapping ) [ intrans. ]

engage in such a fight or quarrel.
• compete fiercely 
This means our guys are starting to realize that nothing is given away in wrestling and that we must fight for each and every position and point.  Last season we were lacking in the ability "to scrap".  We would get taken down or ridden out without as much as a fight or scramble to show for it.  We cannot show respect to our opponents (respect in terms of thinking they should beat us or that they are better than us) and that just because we end up in bad or compromising position it doesn't mean that we give up "scrapping" for our own better positions and/or scoring opportunities.  The skill of scrapping is going to play a key role in how we do Nov. 6th at the Pentagon Duals and throughout our season as we push towards EIWA's and NCAA's.  
Next week we will have another audio interview to post, this time with Junior Captain Matt Fullowan, and all around great guy Assistant Coach Matt Greenberg.  I am sure most of you will be looking forward to the interview, I know I would be if it meant hearing me talk!
Come back often to learn more "words & terms" and to get more insight into the journey of F&M Wrestling...

A Little F&M Wrestling Halloween Humor...

Q: What Happens When You Don't Pay Your Exorcist?


















A: You get Repossessed!




Q: Who won the Skeleton Beauty Contest?

















A: No Body!





Thursday, October 14, 2010

Bucha & Rogers Talk Wrasslin' & Other Thoughts From Yours Truly

Steve Peed has given us another great interview with senior captain Jake Bucha and coach Mike Rogers.  You can get the newest chat here and make sure to check back with "Matt"Burn often for all the latest Diplomat Wrestling news.

We are almost done with our second week of official practice and things have been progressing at a good pace.  As a coach you tend to always see the things that need to be improved on, but when I force myself to step back and look at the program from a macro view it is clear things have really started to change.  The overall intensity in the room is getting higher every day and the guys have been showing signs of a game plan and premeditated attacks.  We have been really focusing on set-ups and hand fighting and I think the wrestlers are starting to see why they are a necessary piece of the takedown puzzle.  The second area we have been working on is our mat wrestling.  Getting the guys to believe they can ride anybody and that they MUST get out from bottom.  Mat wrestling is not the most fun thing to practice (until we get good at it) but it is also the great equalizer in competition.  When I was wrestling at Cornell I was a decent wrestler my first two years but was mostly a take'm down let'm up kind of guy.  I was able to do well but never could get over the hump at NCAA's or against the best in the country.  My junior year I committed to working on top and becoming mean and dominant in the top position and it opened up my entire style.  Going into matches knowing you can and will ride your opponents not only gives you confidence but to quote the immortal Rob Koll "You go into each match knowing you are up 2-0 (riding time + escape point)."  This has a ripple effect on your entire wrestling style allowing you to take more risks on your feet and giving you the confidence to believe you have more than takedowns to score points.  My last two years I developed a simple yet effective ride and turn that transformed me from a one-dimensional neutral wrestler to multi-dimensional scoring threat from all three positions.  I was able to go into my matches more relaxed and most importantly convert my takedowns into backpoints and riding time.  Mat wrestling also has a major effect on your opponents and their strategy stepping onto the mat.  Anyone who has wrestled knows the stress of being in match against a good mat wrestler.  You cannot help but over compensate for his ability to ride and/or turn you which will also cause you to hesitate on your shots in fear of him scoring off of your attempt and putting himself into a position to ride you out and wear you down.  Nobody feels good going into a match against a strong mat wrestler and a strong mat wrestler is always one or two moves away from scoring major points and ultimately a fall. 

On the recruiting scene we have put together a strong pool of ED candidates that would all be impact members of our team.  We are bringing them in for visits and interviews with their deans and hopefully we will have good news over the next few months.  Coach Rogers and myself have been working hard to reach out locally to coaches, fans, alums, and anyone who will listen to spread the word about F&M Wrestling and our commitment to improving this program. 

As always I ask you all to call, write, fax, yell, or show up in our office to discuss any ideas, feedback, or critiques of the program and how we can make things even better.

Until next time...

MG

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

First official F&M Wrestling Interview

Lat week, Steve Peed sat down with F&M's Athletic Director Patty Epps, Its new Head Wrestling Coach Mike Rogers, and his feisty, fun-loving assistant coach - yours truly.  The focus of the talk was about the coaching transition (on Mike and on me), our plan for the program this year, and our vision for the program's future.  It is a very long interview (30+ min) but Steve Peed had a lot to cover and Rogers, Epps & Greenberg (now if that doesnt sound like a law firm I don't know what does!) had some well thought out ideas and discussions.  It is a must listen for anybody interested in the strategy of rebuilding a program.

Interview w/ Epps, Rogers & Greenberg:Attorneys at Law

I would also like to apologize for my spelling and grammar sometimes.  I get so caught up in what I am writing that I forget to go back and check.  I will work on it though extra hard....There! Ya happy now MOM....?

MG

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Jack Bauer...Eat your heart out...

In about a month's time, F&M Wrestling will be embarking on a trip that has never been attempted before.  Not by Jack Bauer, not by any of the Expendables, nor by John Rambo.  The Diplomat Wrestling Team will be heading to "Our Nation's Capital" to wrestle in the Pentagon.  Sure people have attempted to save the world while fighting off militant enemies with what seems like endless clips of ammunition and ninja kicks but lets face it folks that was Hollywood.  What is going to take place on Nov. 6th if real.  Not Jersey Shore real but "real" real.  We will be taking on Army and American University in the first ever Pentagon Duals.  Today our guys assembled at 6:45 at the Alumni Sports & Fitness Center for their twice weekly conditioning workout.  For an hour they ran up and down, left and right, and in some cases straight to the garbage cans to throw up.  In most professions working people until they "boot" would be considered inhumane, I believe it is one of Jack Bauers specialties while interrogating hostels, but in the world of wrestling it is a necessary evil when trying to get your team into shape.  We have less than 30 days to prepare for our first competition and this year we are going big.  Here is breakdown of how some of our guys are looking as we opened the season officially yesterday.

If you followed us last year you might remember our 125lber The Invisible Man.  While he was great on van rides, hardly making a peep and never complaining he was not the best on the mats.  This year, we regret to inform you he will not be coming back.  Matt Murray, a junior who wrestled 133/141 for us last season will be filling in for The Transparency Kid and we are expecting a great year from him.  Matt is very tall and lanky so he should give most 125lbers fits on the mat.

At 133 we have Jake Bucha.  Jake is one of our captains and is the vocal leader of our squad.  He is a fifth year senior and is poised to get over the hump this year and make it to Philly where he can showcase his incredible talents.  Jake is also a hip hop star and his goal is to star in the remake of 8 Mile one day.

At 141 we welcome back NJ prep superstar Kenny Knapp.  Kenny took last year off and has come back with a great attitude and a chip on his shoulder.  He is fast, mean on the mat, and also has red hair.  Kenny will be pushed by freshman Aaron Velasquez who so far this year is the undisputed sprint workout king.  Aaron can run fast, beat box faster, and also dabbles in independent films.  I know what you are thinking and yes it is true, Aaron and Jake are currently in negotiations to partner for the 8 Mile remake, however I have been told there have been some major creative issues over who is going to be featured on the soundtrack-Jakes rhymes or Aarons beats...More to come on this in the upcoming weeks

At 149 we have another great freshman Derek Zoolander Andrew Murano from New York.  Andrew is a ball of enthusiasm, well not really an actual ball but you get the point. Andrew has been working hard and has been picking up the techniques and looks to have a great freshman year.  The only major issue with Andrew is that his publicist and manager keep complaining that he is putting his modeling/acting career at risk by constantly wrestling too hard during live.  Due to some major backroom dealings we cannot speak on this any further...

At 157 Eric Norgard returns moving up from 149.  Eric is very hard to notice amongst the rest of the team as he tends to blend in with the crowd.  He in no way stands out and if you do not really look for him you most probably will not see him during team meetings or practices.  This year Eric has matured and gotten much stronger, most of which can be directly related to his new tattoo.  We are expecting big things from Eric, and judging from the way he mixed it up yesterday with Fullowan he will deliver.  Surfs up Brah!!!

Anthony Bongarzone is another senior with a lot to prove and only a year to prove it.  Anthony is our director of inventory and product demand services, working as the spokesman to the team and all of their demands.  He is like the head of the players union only much more ruthless.  He has collectively bargained for new shoes, uniforms, workout gear, and paid vacations (kidding) in the short time we have been on campus.  In return he has shown how strong he can be on the mat and his success knows no limits if he applies himself.  Having Coach Rogers in the room to wrestle with will surely help Anthony's skills and mental toughness.

At 174 Matt Fullowan is back after a long summer of training and wrestling.  Matt has dedicated himself to the sport, spending his summer months in Ithaca and Lancaster wrestling and working.  Rumor is that Matt has signed a deal with Axe Body Wash for their new line of body wash tools and we will ALL be better for it.  Matt is going to have a break out year and I look forward to coaching him as he works towards his goals this season.  He is another wrestler who will greatly benefit from Coach Rogers as a workout partner and mentor.

At 184 we have one half of our Super Cerebral Tandem.  Matt Latessa is coming back for his Junior year and boy let me tell you he is PREPARED.  When I think of Matt I think of PREPARATION.  When you look up PREPARATION in the dictionary it says "see;Matt Latessa; he is PREPARED".  It seems like every practice and workout we have had this year the one thing we can always count on is that Matt will be there and he will always be PREPARED in PREPARATION for the workout.  I know this PREPARATION will carry over to his success this year.

At 197 Jean Colin Van Ely is working his way back to 100% and will be using his meat paws and oddly beautiful leg splits to wreak havoc on me and anyone else that gets in his way.  I have no worries about Colin and can best compare him to a fine wine.  The longer he sits on the shelf the better he gets and more success he initially has.  For Colin to maintain a successful season we will need to sharpen up his takedowns and get him back in shape as soon as possible.

At HWT, "well actually it is 285lbs..." we have the other half of the Super Cerebral Tandem, Daniel "Well Actually" Canfield.  Daniel is always there to correct you when you say something that is factually inaccurate or when you make comments that don't necessarily make sense in the most literal of terms.  Daniel had a great year at HWT "well actually 285lbs" last year but had an injury and was not able to finish out the year.  He has come back with more size "well actually its called MASS" and has still kept his speed and agility.  We will need to get Danny in shape and able to wrestle for the full 7 minutes if he is to maximize his abilities this season...

We also have a great group of freshman who are helping to push our veterans on the mats.  Anyone of them could be a starter this year and time will tell where each of them will contribute to the team.  Colin Lahiff is a loud, obnoxious Massachusetts kid whose rambunctious fits and overall yelling keeps the team excited and amped up.  Sean Tippen is another one we will need to keep a watchful eye on.  He is always sneaky and up to something and sometimes it is hard to spot him in the act since he is only 6'4" and 149lbs. He is always disguising himself as a Body Bar or sapling or even a javelin.  I got my eye on you Tippen!  Finally Chris Barkesdale out of State College, PA has been working hard and pushing himself to get better.  Chris is the perfect teammate always doing what is asked of him and always showing up to practice with an array of fans and female admirers.  It is no wonder his teammates have embraced him so quickly.

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed the update...

MG

Monday, October 4, 2010

Day 1 - Supermen in Training


Today we had our first practice.  It was about 1 1/2 hrs of hard drilling culminating with 30 minutes of live on our feet and on the mat.  Today was interesting because after 2 weeks of strict drilling to lay our groundwork for the system we want our wrestlers to use this was the first real chance we have had to see them implement it in a live scenario.  As with any coach, you tend to focus on what the guys are struggling with and where they need to improve and not so much on the things that they do well.  This is no different.  I am going to give our guys some more time to play with the new techniques we gave them to work on but if today was an indication of the effect 2 weeks of training specific positions can have on our team we definitely need a lot more time to perfect them.  There were sloppy shots, forced moves, and the usual exhaustion which is by no means a bad thing.  Anytime a guy can wrestle and work himself to complete exhaustion, IMO, he is going to achieve and surpass that exact point the next time he works out and then the bar continuously will creep up towards where we need it to be.  Part of me thinks that the team was excited to show Coach Rogers and myself "how bad they want it" and that was also a direct cause of the sloppy wrestling and the mistakes we saw but soon they will fall into the practice routine and Coach Roger's and my feelings should and will be the last things on their minds.  As we wound down the workout we made it out with everyone healthy and excited and ready to go for tomorrows 7am workout.  I cannot say enough about these guys and how hard they work and how focused they are on giving our (the coaches) system a fair shake.  You have to remember that their are no scholarships tying these men to our program and they ALL have one of the toughest curriculums and course loads of any school in the country.  Because of these facts and because we trust them after observing them over the last month, Coach and myself feel it is best if we take Wed off and use it as a study day/hold study hall during practice time.  This down time will give them the time to heal up both physically and academically from the brutal week of past, present, and future.  It is also a great time for the coaches to reach out to recruits and to catch up on any work we have building up from the daytime.  I am personally honored to be a part of this program, I am awed by our guys dedication and sacrifice, and am grateful for Coach Rogers, who has accepted me for who I am (I admit I am a bit of a whacky guy) and embraces what I can bring to the program.  Coach's support and trust in me has given me a deep passion to make things work here at F&M and has motivated me even more than before to help him and the school rebuild this program.  We ask that all of our fans, alums, and anyone who wants to help us keep this ball rolling please feel free to call us anytime to talk and brainstorm.  While we might be really really ridiculously good looking and smart we are secure enough in our enormous amounts of masculinity to realize that their are smarter and better people out there that could be of great help to us and our program.  We have a monumental task ahead, one that will be filled with highs and lows, happiness and heart break.  In the end though we will succeed and we will ALL be the reason for that success.

If you can pass this blog around to your friends or to anyone who might be interested in following a program rebuilding from the ground up I would greatly appreciate it.  As always all questions and comments are welcomed at mattg197@gmail.com

Thank you for your time.

MG

"F&M Wrestling, a proud tradition, a new beginning..."  ~ MG