Wrestling, being one of the most ancient and creative sports demands an ever-evolving nature. Therefore, restricting the athletes to certain moves greatly impacts the sport’s development over time. Several coaches often ditch the crux of what makes wrestling great by giving value to particular actions. This aspect was pointed out by an amateur wrestler and coach, asserting the need to leave room for versatility in the room. 

A recently uploaded social media post showcased a coach attacking a generally used choking practice. The Ohio State University wrestling coach expressed his dislike against the way certain moves are straightaway labeled ineffective. He threw the gauntlet on the conventional way of teaching that snubs creativity out of the sport with some special advice. 

Coach teaches young students about freeing themselves

Johnni DiJulius is an amateur wrestler and base jumper who teaches wrestling to kids. With a background in base jumping, the Ohio State University wrestling coach highly values freedom and creativity. DiJulius recently tweeted a video attacking the conventional chains binding creativity and imagination in the sport on his X account. The tweet addressed coaches and carried the caption, “Coaches: stop saying “That won’t work against somebody good.”

The caption continued, “Why take options off the table in such a creative sport? Allow wrestlers to understand their style and what is high percentage for THEM. Basic skills matter but allow your unconventional wrestlers to be unconventional.” The video carried a more nuanced take on the issue where he spoke directly to his students.

According to the post, DiJulius urged the young wrestlers to analyze and assess their own skills, rather than complying with what’s asked of them. He said, “The point of coming here is to understand who you are as a wrestler. What’s high percentage for you based on your style? What’s low percentage for you based on your style?” 

Furthermore, DiJulius highlighted the significance of creativity and adventure when practicing the sport. The coach added, “That won’t work against somebody good,’ we’ve all heard that right? I don’t like that phrase because what’s my favorite word in wrestling? Creativity, good job. I want you to be creative, but if I tell you ‘that won’t work’, that takes options off the table.” The video showed students fully engrossed in the lesson and actively participating in the discussion. Creativity is crucial in any sport, especially in wrestling as it once suffered grave consequences for being monotonous. Wrestling had once paid the price for ditching creativity when the IOC decided to discontinue it as an Olympic sport.

The 2013 snub by the Olympics over stagnation in wrestling

The sport of wrestling found itself in deep trouble in 2013. The IOC had issued several warnings to FILA, the former board of international wrestling, based on the stagnation of the sport. The IOC demanded the sport be modified because of the dullness of matches and the ambiguity of its rules. Spectators could easily predict the fate of matches and competitions, hence, dissolving the interest of the audience. However, the board of FILA was complacent to the warnings and did nothing about the matter. This forced the IOC to remove wrestling from the official list of sports in the Summer Olympics after 2016.

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This wreaked havoc in the wrestling community, and they acted fast to take down and resolve the poor leadership back then. FILA was rebranded as United World Wrestling (UWW) and several rule changes were brought to enhance wrestling’s creativity and dynamism. Coach DiJulius’ words echo the call made by the IOC back in 2013 and remind both students and coaches of a valuable lesson. 

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