Coaching Wrestling Successfully

by Dan Gable

Dan Gable redefined the term wrestling champion, setting a new standard of excellence for athletes and coaches. Defeated only once throughout his high school and college wrestling careers and unscored upon in his 1972 Olympic gold medal performance, Gable didn't just win on the mat, he dominated his opponents in a relentless, physical style.

Gable brought that same competitive toughness and determination to mastering coaching—and the championships

came, year after year. In the 21 seasons he was head coach, his University of Iowa teams won 15 national championships and 21 Big Ten championships.

Now, in Coaching Wrestling Successfully, Gable presents the blueprint to becoming a wrestling champion. He covers

every facet of his formula for success—a guiding philosophy, proven motivational tools, guidelines for proper nutrition and weight control, daily and year-round practice plans, effective instructional methods, correct wrestling technique, and winning match strategies.

Coaches will find fascinating Gable's formula for success and anecdotes involving his handling of teams and

individuals. Athletes will benefit from the folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman moves and drills. Wrestling fans will enjoy the stories involving Gable and many of the greatest names in the sport. And every reader will marvel at how the master of motivation pushed himself and his wrestlers beyond their perceived potential.

Gable made sure that Coaching Wrestling Successfully achieved the same standard of excellence that he demanded

of himself as a wrestler and a coach. The result is a championship effort, full of lessons from the legend, from cover to cover.

403 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Ben Thorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a great breakdown of how the legend Dan Gable approaches the art and science of coaching wrestling. I personally come from a BJJ, Judo and Submission Grappling background. My passion is for competing myself and helping create the best athletes I can who I coach.

I know that I will refer back to this book several times over my life though these are some of the great lessons that stuck out.

1. You must become a studend of the art and be constantly looking to improve all aspects of your athlete program.
2. Conditioning must be an integral part of who your athletes identify as. They must be supremely conditioned and always looking to improve it.
3. Understand the fundamentals well and make sure your athletes are well versed in them. Once they are you can start adding skills upon that foundation.

Excellent book and highly recommend.

[Adam C C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the time I read this in the mid-90s it was a must-read for wrestling coaches. Today, I would say it would be a good read from more of a historical perspective as it is not as relatable to today's coaching. I still have it on my shelf.

[Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gable is the man. enough said.