Week 9 - Taper & Sharpen
🔍 What to Look For in This Week’s Focus
Executing under short-time pressure with urgency and precision
Fast-paced drilling to simulate real match-ending situations
Applying the concepts of “hard in, easy out” and “easy in, hard out” to stay unpredictable
Controlling the edge of the mat both offensively (scoring) and defensively (avoiding stalls/flees)
Turning final seconds into opportunities rather than survival
Common Mistakes
Freezing in short-time situations instead of acting decisively
Telegraphing shots by always attacking the same way at the end of periods
Forcing “hard in, hard out” — burning energy without scoring
Allowing opponents to dictate the edge rather than pulling them back in
Panicking when seconds remain instead of sticking to trained habits
Coaching Emphasis
Rep short-time drills with urgency — 10, 15, 30-second scenarios where every move matters
Teach wrestlers to disguise their pace: explosive entry, smooth recovery, or the opposite to break patterns
Reinforce edge awareness: scoop opponents back in, control mat space, and use the line strategically
Stress composure: short-time should feel like a trained skill, not desperation
Remind athletes that wrestling is often won or lost in these final exchanges — make them second nature