AnklePicker

I remember wrestling mini tournaments as a kid in NJ and dudes would set up a breakdancing spot on a linoleum square and breakdance between matches. No doubt most high level breakdancers would make tremendous wrestlers had they spent their time wrestling. Amazing athleticism involved. Same with skateboarders. But Olympic sports I’m not so sure.

Thinking he means they work on finishes, then they work on penetration, then they work on set ups rather than the other way around.

It sure was. He looked outstanding in that last match vs the Russian. Super tough tournament and draw he received. Found a way to win. Zain is right there to not only go but to win the Olympics. He may not be the bad draw but no one will be happy having to wrestle him.

It was all going according to plan. The unexpected curveball was that Gable sucked at connecting with the fake wrestling fans. Sad because he seemed to connect very well with real wrestling fans. Humbled by Cassar only to become the best in the world. Hard not to respect. But WWE fans are a different breed. Many have no idea what real wreaking looks like and could care less that you beat Petriashvili. Gave it a shot, time to shift gears and make another run at the real deal.

I assume DT would have been 1 on your list had he beaten Brooks. So he drops 3 spots below Zahid to 9? If you think Brooks is 1 DT should be 2.

I don’t know, Brooks Zahid was 7-6 with a singlet pull point. Zahid also body slammed him. I think Yazdani is going to be uber motivated to win that Olympic title. He’s killed everyone not named Taylor. If Brooks does win it he jumps levels in my mind as he just did beating Taylor.

Gilman is the unique cerebral grinder with a few slick shots. In your face, very strong and intense. Big fan. Always enjoy seeing someone not reach their goals at one level and then reaching them at an even higher level. World champ for life. Much respect.

Is there a good video of this grab? Didn’t seem like Zahid argued much so I assumed it was egregious.

What page is that on?

This is the wording: Anytime the refereeing body agrees a wrestler is blocking, interlocking fingers, thwarting his opponent and/or generally avoiding wrestling: It doesn't say anything about the center of the mat. You can avoid wrestling in the center of the mat just as easily as you can on the edge. In fact you risk stepping out if you do so on the edge. This center of the mat stuff is USA wrestling's interpretation. With that said Nolf was all over the damn mat and not a peep. You could hear Slay yelling what are you doing?

Yeah it's there but it is not in the official rules which are put out by UWW. In fact the USA rule book states the following: *The official UWW rule book supersedes this publication at all times. This rule book does not reflect rule modifications for UWW qualifiers or international competitions.

Very difficult to wrestle once a year and still maintain your superiority. I think wrestling a full season of matches is an advantage for the HS and college guys who wrestle at the trials. When is the last time Taylor wrestled an actual live wrestling match? Last worlds?

Totally agree, it's all over the place. I don't see anything about controlling center in the UWW rulebook. Yet that ia what you hear. Dake was pressuring Nolf but then Dake goes a little extra at the beginning of the second and that's enough to put Nolf on the clock twice? Yet vs JB Nolf can run the entire second period?

In the second period of the Zahid Brooks match Zahid literally takes a deep shot and then right after he's put on the clock. Nolf literally retreated for the last 2 minutes of his match with Burroughs with not so much as a peep from the ref. Please explain.

They also both like to wrestle a little after the whistle. Like they are possessed and can’t control themselves.

Messenbrink was acting all Desanto in that match. Several times he was a little extra. Shove was not unwarranted.

Sad to see JB go out on a poorly officiated match. Can’t blame Nolf. He did what they let him and wrestled s great match. JB is still right there with these guys.

With the depth in that room I guess they can get away with it. What a room. The best room in the history of the USA?

If I’m Iowa I’m going all in on getting Starocci as top assistant.

And I’m a fan of Bo. But that’s a bad take.

Does Starocci go with Dake in the room. Crazy that Nolf, Starocci and Dake are all practicing together. Bo and David are quite a bit bigger than Burroughs. Not sure why they feel so tough calling him out.

On a recent FRL Ben Askren talks about having to adapt his funky style a bit because he kept hurting his knees. What’s interesting though is that knee injuries have seem to go up across all sports not just wrestling.

He MIGHT be a great coach? What possibly makes you say that?

Another major problem for the Brands is their tough guy act. That act works well when you’re the top dogs but it looks foolish when you act tough and then get your teeth kicked in. A little humility would go a long way. Cael and company come from a place of humility and gratitude. That was the game changer for their program. Making that their cornerstone mindset. Takes away pressure.

There’s also the technical side. Ben and Max and Cael and co are evolving the sport. Funk, far ankle defense, understanding every nuance of every position. The Brands brothers are tremendous positional technicians, I’m just not sure they are evolving and they are definitely not great at coaching what to do once someone gets in our your legs. Their physical stature influences their style. It’s not for everyone.