Wrestling Season Over? No Chance!

If you thought that wrestling season was over, boy were you wrong!  You must have been thinking about some other Rutherford county teams who haven’t been seen since February.  Unlike those guys, Blackman has stayed busy and has had many athletes competing and getting better!

This spring, the Blackman Wrestling Club has been led by Coach Eric Sacharczyk and many Blackman wrestlers have been working hard to improve their skill and technique.  Coach Erik’s knowledge of Freestyle and Greco has been key to making sure that our guys are getting the most out of the work they are putting in.

The Tennessee Wrestling Federation(TWF) Freestyle and Greco Roman season has been in full swing and Blackman just wrapped up a couple of major events.

The Iron Man tournament was held at Blackman High School on April 30^th.  The Iron Man consists of three tournaments in one day.  (Folkstyle, Freestyle and Greco-Roman)  The wrestler who places 1^st in all three styles is awarded the Iron Man Cup.  It is a grind for sure.

Blackman had about THIRTY wrestlers compete in the Iron Man.  Those are stellar numbers for an April tournament!!  For many, this season has been their first exposure to the Olympic styles so a huge learning curve is expected.  The good news is that many of our guys have picked up on the rules and did very well!!   You can find some pictures from the Iron Man HERE.

IRON MAN PLACERS:

 

 

The TWF Freestyle and Greco State Tournament was held on May 7^th at Summit High School in Thompson’s Station.  This tournament draws some of the best wrestlers from Tennessee and although the numbers weren’t huge, the competition level was stout.  Many state champs were on hand to test their strength and technique and there were many great battles to see!  Blackman had about 25 wrestlers competing at the state tournament and many did very well against great competition!  Pictures from the tournament HERE.

TWF TN STATE TOURNAMENT PLACERS:

Congrats to all our wrestlers!!  Great work!!  The off-season continues with Fight Nights every Tuesday evening at 6pm.  Additional practices, camps and competition will be ongoing throughout the spring and summer.  If you need information, please contact a coach or send an email to blackmanwrestling@gmail.com.

Lastly, a little education for you non-wrestling experts.  You might be wondering, ” What is Freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling?”  Here are the basics.

There are basically three styles of amateur wrestling:

• Folkstyle – This style was developed in the US and is what you see in typical High School and College wrestling. Folkstyle is all about control.  Points are awarded for takedowns and for controlling your opponent while on the mat.
• Freestyle – Freestyle consists of technique performed at the Olympic and international level. In freestyle, not as much emphasis is placed on controlling your opponent while on the mat.  Takedowns and trips are emphasized and there are fewer restrictions regarding throws.  Points are awarded generously for exposing your opponents back to the mat.
• Greco Roman – Greco is the other Olympic style of wrestling. Greco forbids the any wrestling holds below the waist.  So you cannot touch your opponent’s legs.  This places emphasis on throws and turns.  The most well known Greco throw is called the Suplex.  The offensive wrestler lifts his opponent high while falling backwards in an effort to expose his opponent’s back to the mat.