Juneau Tornados Wrestling
Juneau Tornadoes 2010 season begins January 18th! Practices will be M/W at the Gymnastics Academy. Click on the "registration form" link at the bottom of this page for a complete registration packet.
Tornados will be traveling to Hoonah on March 13th.
Juneau Tornados Wrestling News
Thunder Mountain High School Announces Chad Requa as New Wresting CoachCoach Requa has been involved with wrestling for 29 yrs, beginning at age 7. As a standout high school wrestler, he went on to compete at the collegiate level where he competed in two NAIA National Tournaments.Chad has coached at the club level for 12 years. His coaching expertise spans all experience levels from brand new 4 year olds and State Champions, to National Finalists.Chad has also been elected as head coach for JYWC.Learn more about Coach Requa and the Thunder Mountain Wrestling Program Here
2010 Juneau Middle School Wrestling Schedule
Jan 4 Practice begins
Jan 14 FD at DZ (3:30)
Jan 22-23 FD invitational tournament at FD
Jan 28 DZ at FD (3:30)
Feb 4 FD at DZ (3:30)
Feb 11 DZ at FD (3:30)
Feb19-20 Southeast Championships - Ketchikan
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Congratulations to all the wrestlers representing Juneau at the 2009 Alaska State Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Women's Tournaments in Wasilla.
We had 23 wrestlers participating in the state tournament this year. The opposition at the state level tournaments are extremely competitive, and Juneau definitely made an impression this year. Thanks for an excellent season!!
We had several placings in numerous divisions in each style:
Freestyle
Cadet/119:
Thomas Riley - 4th Place
Junior/105:
Sabrina Storey - 1st Place
Open/145.5:
Shawn Nolan - 3rd Place
Open/163:
Steven Dyer - 2nd Place
Open/184:
Lee Kadinger - 1st Place
Open/211.5:
Ramiro Lamas - 4th Place
Open/211.5:
Bob Koenitzer - 5th Place
Greco-Roman
Intermediate/60:
Tristin Eidsness - 3rd Place
School Boy/175:
Nick Ettinger - 2nd Place
Cadet/160:
Dillon Scranton - 3rd Place
Junior/105:
Sabrina Storey - 2nd Place
Open/145.5:
Shawn Nolan - 2nd Place
Open/163:
Steven Dyer - 2nd Place
Open/185:
Lee Kadinger - 1st Place
Open/211.5:
Ramiro Lamas - 2nd Place
Woman's
Junior/105:
Sabrina Storey - 1st Place
The following Juneau Tornados wrestlers also participated in the Alaska State Tournaments: Henry Davis, Elijah Sheakley, Nathan Van Sickle, Sam Nolan, David Dumesnil, Stetson Ercanbrack, Calan Putman, Evan Carnahan, Zane Henrickson, Randy Segelhorst, Ben Roemeling.
Strength and Conditioning TipsThe chin-up has one of the best carry-overs into wrestling of all the bodyweight exercises. The following is an excerpt from Dickie White's Wrestling Strength Training Manual, used by permission. Visit him at www.wrestlerstrength.com
IntroIf the squat is the mother of all lower body exercises, the chinup is definitely its upper body counterpart, especially when it concerns strength training for wrestlers. It goes without objection that wrestling is a sport of pulling, yet, the common measure of strength still seems to be the bench press. Tighter clinches, a higher percentage of shots finished, a more dominant hand fight, and unyielding pressure on top are just some of the functions of your pulling strength. Increasing your weighted chinup will undoubtedly increase your chances of dominating on the wrestling mat. I once trained with a four time New York State champion who could do three strict chinups with 110 pounds attached to his waist. Now, although there is no denying his abilities as a wrestler; how many people do you think could effectively sprawl against his pulling strength? There may be a few, but combine his pulling strength with his other wrestling skills and takedowns are inevitable. In our society a lot of guys in the gym seem to gauge their success on how large their chest can get. Chest size is a great indicator of success if you are in some narcissistic competition against some other guy fawning over himself in the mirror, but won’t mean much if you are in on a deep single leg in overtime of the state finals. I promise if you’re consistent and intense with your attempts to increase your weighted chinup you will not only have a strong back, but you will start dominating positions that you once had to bail out on.
Proper Chinup Technique
The chinup is one of the most common exercises performed in a wrestling room so I don’t think I need to go over too much here. Take a grip with your palms facing you, preferably with your hands fairly close together on the bar. I don’t like wide grip exercises for wrestlers; I do not think they equate to a better performance. Very rarely do you ever see a wrestler with their arms way out in front of them with their hands far apart unless they took a very unsuccessful attempt at a double leg.
Pull yourself up by squeezing your shoulder blades together as forcefully as possible in an effort to pull your elbows to your ribs. I always tell my wrestlers to imagine a pencil between their shoulder blades and that it is their job is to shatter it. Keep pulling until your chin is above the bar by trying to touch your elbows behind your back. It’s not physically possible, but it is a great way to teach your body to get tight when you reach the top of the chinup; or finally get that single leg pulled in tight to your chest. That’s the top of the chinup. Lower yourself back down to a straight arms position. I cannot stress this enough. Not only is it important to develop strength across the entire range of motion, but it also allows you to accurately record your workout progress. Going to a straight arms position at the bottom of the chinup is done for the same reason as squatting to a box; it takes the guesswork out of each rep. If you can’t complete the set without cheating, simply make a note and try to get it next week. Performing exercises incorrectly will not only keep you from getting the results you want, but also will put you at a greater risk for injury. That’s the beauty of strength training, there’s always another opportunity to improve from the last lift and it’s something you should always be looking to do.Chin-up Variations
I’m sure [as a wrestler] you’ve tried a bunch of the following, but hopefully there is something new for you below.Pull-up
Another staple that should be in any lifting program for wrestlers, performing pullups is a great alternative to weighted chinups and will keep you from reaching a plateau. Take a pronated grip (knuckles facing you) and pull yourself up the same as you would if you were to be performing a chinup. More often than not you should take a grip that is within shoulder width apart. Be sure to begin each rep with straight arms. At the top your chin should be above the bar with your shoulder blades being squeezed together.
Neurtral Grip Chin-up
There are many ways to perform this type of chinup. Number one is to use a specially designed chinup bar. The pull is the same, only the grip is different. If a neutral grip chinup bar is not available, here are some alternatives. The first is to perform chinups on a T-bar by hooking it over a power rack or chinup bar. Make sure that you let go of the bar at the same time to keep the T-bar from falling once you have complete your set. A safer alternative would be to attach the T-bar with a rope or chain.
Another way is to use a dip station. Although you will not be able to add weight this way (unless you have a weight vest), you should still find some way to utilize this chinup variation to increase your strength. Challenge your abs at the same time by keeping your legs straight and parallel to the ground throughout the exercise.
Band Assisted Chin-up
Band assisted chinups can be used both for wrestlers who are unable to do bodyweight chinups and for those who are looking to increase the speed at which they pull. Simply tie a band (or an old bicycle inner tube) to the chinup bar and place your knee through the loop. Only put one knee through the band so that you always have a free foot to help you get down when your set is complete.
