COACHES CORNER
Seeking knowledge will help you win big
By Steve Fraser, U.S. National Greco-Roman Coach After coaching wrestling at the international level for more
than 15 years I can say that I have learned a lot. However, that said I realize that I still need to learn much more. I believe coaching athletes requires a continuous growth in coaching tactics and methods. A growth that will allow us to reach our ever changing students. Kids, teens and adults evolve each year with different attitudes and motivations. Generations change and coaches need to understand those changes. Over the years I have had to deal with a wide variety of ath-
letes. I have learned that one style of coaching doesn't always work with the diverse new individuals that come up through the ranks each year. I have learned that a coach must be open minded and flexible in his or her coaching style while still hold- ing firm with their personal principles that they believe are essential in helping athletes succeed. A successful coach must be able to identify an athlete’s per-
sonal style and individual personality and then coach to that style. This can be very challenging. Athletes need to continue to learn as well. And I don't mean
just learn new techniques. They need to learn how to be great students and remain coachable as they advance in their careers. If there is one major thing I have summarized over the years as a coach it is this: athletes that are open-minded and coachable have the best chance of becoming their best. Athletes that are hungry for knowledge and open to coaching
seem to achieve at a higher level in my opinion. Athletes that are always searching for more! Searching for more technique, more strategy, more cunning, more strength, more conditioning, more flexibility, and more experience are the athletes that gain the most. Wrestlers that are never satisfied with the skills or knowledge that they currently have mastered seem to climb to
the top more rapidly. I can go down the list of our
past Greco World and Olympic medalists to site examples of guys that were very coachable and hungry for knowledge each and everyday. Matt Ghaffari, Rulon Gardner, Dremiel Byers, Matt Lindland, Joe Warren and Adam Wheeler to name just a few. These men were (and in some cases still are) truly on a quest
to become world class wrestlers. They were/are in a constant search for knowledge from coaches, mentors, teammates and even opponents. A threat that I sometimes see is when some wrestlers get a
taste of success it then goes to their head. All of a sudden some athletes become un-coachable. The Prima Donna syndrome sets in. This usually is a death sentence for these athletes. Years ago, I asked Dan Gable what was one of the most
important things he did to become so good. His comment to me was "I always tried to be a bit naive when someone was giving me advice." What I drew from this comment was that Gable lis- tened to many people, digested the advice and took what he felt could make him better. The question all wrestlers, especially the wrestlers that start
to achieve a degree of success, need to ask themselves are these questions: 1. Do I have it totally figured out now? 2. Can I limit or cut back all the tough grueling training, com- petitions and discipline that got me where I am today? 3. Do I have all the knowledge and technique that I need? 4. Should I listen to only one coach when trying to succeed? If you answer these questions with a resounding "no" then I can - without a doubt - say "see you at the top!"
26 USA Wrestler
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