As the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club nears the Olympic Trials in April, CKWC coach and veteran blogger Andy Hrovat will periodically share the progress, results and experiences from the road and inside the practice room. Now back stateside after two-and-a-half weeks in Ukraine, Andy reflects on the overseas training camp and the regimented structure of the daily pre-tournament schedule.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Well, we’re now back in the United States. We all scattered a bit after we landed last Friday, but we’ll be reconvening in Ann Arbor tomorrow. Our time in Ukraine went by pretty fast. You tend to get lost in time when you are at an overseas training camp. The daily schedule is by far the most structured of the season. At U.S. camps, you don’t have to deal with adjusting to the time change, so you get a little more free time to yourself, and you’re often working around the women and Greco schedules.
Here’s a look at our typical daily schedule from the Ukraine camp:
MORNING
Wake up around 7:40 a.m., because you need to be lined up and ready to go by 8 a.m. The timing of the camp in relation to the competition will dictate the training. In Ukraine, we jogged in the indoor gym for about seven minutes, stretched then grabbed a partner for some drilling on our feet. We mostly drilled ducks, drags and shots — al without hitting the knees. They broke it up into segments, but the overall drilling time was about 15-20 minutes.
A few mornings we did some partner lifts, either double legs or high crotches, and most of the time we did six straight minutes of switching off in pairs. We left for breakfast once this was completed, while the Ukrainians did their band and jump rope exercises. While they don’t spend a lot of time doing their bands, the little time they spend throughout the day starts to add up. While we were over there, I noticed that we lifted more weights than them while they did more bands. It’s a topic for another time, but it’s hard to tell which is more beneficial for wrestling.
Breakfast was always served at 9 a.m. Most mornings, we ate eggs, some kind of oatmeal and yogurt, and every once in a while, we would get some kind of meat. After breakfast, especially early on in the camp, we would rest and/or take naps. It is so crucial to rest during training, even more so when you are adjusting to the time change. For me, it was never hard to sleep when I was burning that many calories throughout the day.
MIDDAY
Our second workout started at 11:45 a.m., and at this camp, it was almost always a sports game. Since there were so many guys there, we split up between soccer and basketball. Wrestling is a hard sport and the older you get, the more you need to realize how important recovery is. Some of the U.S. guys got too eager early on that they didn’t want to play the game; they just wanted to wrestle or lift all the time. But with a big tournament coming up, they should already be in peak shape.
I think Americans have a hard time accepting the benefit of playing games, because we don’t typically include them in our training camps. The foreign athletes simply trust that the schedule their coaches make is the right schedule. I’ve learned one of the biggest aspects of successful coaching is the ability to sell your training regiment to your athletes. A great coach can get his athletes to believe 100 percent in their training and instill confidence that those athletes will be in prime peak shape for upcoming competition. Any second guessing by an athlete will leave doubt in their head when it’s time to step out on the mat.
Games, like soccer and basketball, are purposeful as you play hard and smart. There’s a lot of running involved, so you definitely get some cardio in, and it helps lessen the abuse your body would take wrestling twice a day that close to a tournament. You want to be hungry to get on the mat, and this will improve the time you do spend on it.
After the game, we had to hurry up and shower to get to lunch on time. It was always served at 2 p.m., and consisted of some kind of non-lettuce salad, soup and an entree consisting of meat and a side dish, like potatoes, barley or rice. We rested some more after lunch. Usually, the guys would just lie down for a little while.
EVENING
Our evening practice started at 6 p.m. We would warm up for about 15 minutes and do some stretching — not stretching like toe touches, but kicking your leg up over your head, kicking them side to side and a lot of bridges. Drilling would not last very long — some days just five minutes — before getting into live situations. For the most part, these situations would last around 45 minutes. The pace was very high, and between reps, there was time to mentally recover and think about it. This is probably one of the most important aspects I’ve brought back from training overseas. When I was young and training, I didn’t see any value in slowing things down and working in situations. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Much like the previous two workouts, we hurried up after practice to shower and get to dinner by 8 p.m. Dinner was the same as lunch without the soup. After we ate, the rest of the night was spent relaxing before going to bed.
Overall I was very proud of our CKWC guys, and I know this experience will pay dividends for them in the future. You have to be willing to learn from losses as well as wins. Next Monday, we will begin our first cycle of training for the Olympic Trials. These guys are ready, and I know they will put in the work. When it comes time to wrestle in Iowa City, they will be prepared to win.
Andy