Daryl Weber | Attack Style Wrestling By Daryl Weber

Integrating strength and conditioning in your session (and how you might be missing the most overlooked piece of the puzzle)

Let me tell you a story behind my nickname. My first year wrestling at Iowa, after getting my butt kicked as a freshman a few times, Coach Gable and I were lifting in the weight room. I’m over there hitting some weights, doing what I had to do, and he comes around the corner chanting at me. “Weber grill, Weber grill… turn the heat up!” What he meant – stop slacking and push harder. Despite the obvious dad-joke nature, it stuck. It worked to light a fire in me, and it became a sort of identity. The nickname was synonymous … Read More

4 Secrets to Mental Toughness: The Wrestling Mindset Needed to Be Champion

Mental toughness is demanded to be successful in all sports and all walks of life.But wrestling demands a special amount to be successful. Just ask anyone that even wrestled in a gym class. But what is mental toughness and how do you achieve it? As a wrestler and more so as a coach I contemplated this for years. As a competitor, The higher the ranks I competed in, I was realistic and knew I wasn’t going to be the most athletic guy. But I did come to the point where I knew I could be the most mentally tough. And … Read More

Fireman’s Carry – How to Hit a Fireman Carry Takedown

The Fireman’s Carry is a classic takedown in wrestling and for good reason. It is easy to teach. Hit with authority, It is hard to defend. It gives the wrestler an opportunity for back points from the feet. It you can transition into other holds off of failed attempts. The Fireman’s Carry Hold is effective in almost all forms of wrestling. Freestyle Wrestling. High School Folkstyle Wrestling. Even Greco Roman Wrestling. How do you do a fireman’s carry? Step 1 Take Control of the Tie There are several ties you can hit a fireman carry from but the most important … Read More

Gable the GOAT: How I Made It

Dan Gable is the most successful wrestling coach of all time. During his 21 years as the head coach at Iowa, Gable won 21 Big 10 championships and 15 NCAA team championships, including nine in a row from 1978 – 1986. Even more impressive is that Gable and the Hawks are a comeback story. Yes, the Hawks were removed from the throne as the kings of college wrestling from 1987-1990, where Iowa finished 2nd, 2nd, 6th and 3rd at the NCAA championships. During those years, we see Gable reflect, improve and bring Iowa back to college wrestling greatness by dominating … Read More

The Problem With The Double Leg Takedown

I’m not sure if you have heard the same talks as I have over the years, but this is what I hear… “The double leg is only for the strongest, fastest and most athletic wrestlers, it’s a waste of time to teach and focus on with most athletes…” I have heard this type of talk from successful coaches and it makes me cringe! Because… they don’t get it and even worse, if anyone is listening to them they are going to get held back drastically. Even if you never hit a Double Leg in a live match or it takes you years, … Read More

Your Game Plan to Recruit More Athletes (and actually keep them around)

If you’ve ever found yourself short a wrestler for a specific weight class… Or you’re worried about keeping the new kids hooked (and the veterans challenged)… Or you just want to know the secrets to building a program that wins year after year.. Then today’s episode is for you. On Episode 14 of the Attack Style Wrestling podcast, we cover the details and nuances of recruiting, retaining, and attracting athletes. By the end of the episode, you’ll understand how to build a program that basically recruits itself. It’s all about the work behind-the-scenes.

Attack Style Wrestling Stats

As a younger coach, I used to always post our stats and leader board on the wall of our locker room and wrestling room after each match. I thought it was a cool way to keep guys engaged and motivated. After a lot of trial and error, talking to a lot of other experienced coaches in wrestling (and other sports) and reading a lot of books on sports psychology, my viewpoint started to change. Turns out a lot of psychological studies out there prove this doesn’t necessarily help with motivation, at least not for a big portion of our kids. … Read More

Properly Hit the Near Arm Far Leg

The near arm far leg is a tremendous technique for a lot of reasons. It turns defense into offense, is extremely hard to counter, leads to a quick finish, and can easily result in a match ending fall. Even when you have been beaten to the tie you can still score. Key elements to this technique include head position, maintaining a shooting stance, and using a drop step to create space. Once these elements are in place, the attacking wrestler falls into easy points. Use this variation on a single leg, the #1 takedown in the world, to turn your … Read More

Wrestling Takedowns: Pass-by / Slide-By Series

The pass-by takedown (or slide-by wrestling) is a low risk move that translates to easy points at crucial moments. Not only are the positions that lead to a pass-by, or “slide-by” common, but the move is easy to execute and can be drilled for high repetitions with minimal effort. Keys to this move include understanding pressure, changing directions, and how to explosively turn your hips. Once these elements are in place, an opponent’s collar can quickly be turned into a trap. Three Steps to Drilling the Slide-by Wrestling Technique Step 1: Use the pressure When your opponent has a collar … Read More

Switch / Re-Switch to a Step Over Chain Wrestling

Hello, Part of success in the bottom position is being dangerous. Escaping is fine, but it will be a lot easier if the top man is constantly concerned with being reversed. This is doubly true if back points are in the picture. The switch series, in particular the stepover, is a tremendous series of techniques that opens up counters and scrambles from a wide variety of situations. A wrestler who has mastered the switch/re-switch/stepover series, will have a deep knowledge of hip heisting be extremely difficult, as well as dangerous, to ride. Yours In Wrestling, Coach Weber For this full … Read More