Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Wrestling Strength

Few high school wrestling coaches in the southern United States (if not anywhere) carry more clout than Cliff Ramos, head coach at Collins Hill High School of Gwinnett County, Ga. A former national collegiate wrestling standout at Southwest Missouri State University, Ramos is a National Wrestling Hall of Fame member who in 2009 led the Eagles to their fourth Georgia Traditional state title in the last eight seasons. In ’09, Collins Hill won the Georgia AAAAA state title by a record 140 points to finish in the state top 10 for the 14th straight year.
As with any weight-lifting regimen, safety is the key. One should always begin in moderation before working his way up to the elite level that Collins Hill wrestlers have attained. But the goal, as it pertains to the end product on the mat, remains the same.
Sometimes all the hard work doesn’t pay off in the form of wrestling championships. Someone is bigger, stronger, better. But to Ramos, the most frequent error wrestling coaches make when it comes to strength and conditioning has to do, again, with consistency.