With Cary Kolat
There’s a formula for winning in overtime. If you find yourself in an overtime match:
1. Patience Is Key
When the next takedown really matters, we train athletes not to rush into a shot, but to spend 45 seconds to a minute breaking down their opponent’s position with constant movement and pressure. Too often, young wrestlers feel the need to take the first shot, and it’s usually a bad one. That’s why we coach patience.
This happened to me in the Big Ten final as a freshman against Troy Steiner. I got pushed out of bounds, felt compelled to take a bad shot, and got spun on.
2. Be Mentally Prepared
In competition, matches will go to overtime. Preparation starts in practice, but more importantly, athletes should expect that this match, the next, and even the one after that could all go into overtime. And if they don’t? Even better.
3. Don’t Make Drastic Changes
If you’ve made it to overtime, it means you’ve been doing a lot of things right… you haven’t made major mistakes. The difference-maker is usually something small, not a big overhaul. This ties back to point #1: don’t panic or feel like you need a huge adjustment. A little more motion, a few extra snaps, or added pressure can be enough. Stick with what’s working and make small, smart changes.
4. Training and Execution
Training in the practice room using these approaches gives the athlete a plan they can trust, so they don’t panic when it happens in competition. They have three rules, and ideally, muscle memory takes over, and they follow them. All of this happens while two coaches are yelling, “Be patient! Tear down his conditioning! Go when you feel it’s really there!”
How many great matches have you watched that went into overtime and then all of a sudden, the stressed-out athlete takes a risk they’ve never taken before? Does something reckless? Shoots with their head down because they’re afraid of getting hit with a stalling call?
