Publicity

Have you ever thought about the marked similarities between football and wrestling? The sport of wrestling has been around for thousands of years. The game of football has been played for just over a century. On the line of scrimmage, football entails significant hand to hand combat. Wrestling has been developing, practicing, and refining hand to hand combat techniques for thousands of years. There are key skills required to play football that are actually executed by wrestling. Some of these skills include avoiding and blocking, tackling, driving opponents backward and break-falling. It is pure knowledge that football players spend a large percentage of their time conditioning in the weight room, as well as out on the playing field. Skill acquisition is probably the most valuable asset a football player can be taught. It gives these athletes the ability to neutralize and overcome their opponents. Wrestlers are experts at blocking and avoiding. When a defensive lineman is “pancaked,” it leads to a “sack” or a touchdown. If that football player could block their opponents’ strikes, then his opponent will not be able to get his hands in position in order to manipulate him. A skill required by both defensive and offensive linemen is the ability to drive back and move opponents backward. Wrestlers are experts at self-defensive systems, as well as take down and reversal techniques. These involve gaining control over an opponent from a neutral position as well as from a defensive position. Physically, wrestling is extremely challenging. Learning how to block and evade opponents involves eye, hand and body coordination while also improving balance, footwork, and total body awareness. Wrestling also requires speed and reaction times, sensitivity to opponents’ motions, along with core and general body strength. An important skill in football is the ability to fall to the ground safely. This is known as break-falling. It serves two purposes. The first is injury prevention. There are numerous examples of players who dislocate their fingers and shoulders because of poor break-falling technique. Break-falling allows you to get up quickly and further contribute to a play. Wrestling teaches discipline and perseverance. As Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers once said, “Success in life is a matter not so much of talent or opportunity as it is concentration and perseverance.”