In my book Domination: An inside look at Iowa Wrestling I had a chapter called: “Magic Time.” That is how I described what I had seen in Iowa Wrestling this time of year. This is when you can see some real changes in a wrestler that sets them apart at Nationals.
Instead of a full practice with the entire team, Iowa will have one on one sessions with each of the varsity wrestlers. A teammate will be chosen as a workout partner. The coaches will go over specific scenarios to work on with live wrestling. For example down by one point with :15 left. It is usually short goes to emulate situations in a live match.
These one on one sessions are my favorite part of coaching in the sport of wrestling. It is the fine tuning of technique that can make a big difference at the national tournament between a win and a loss. A position or situation that a Hawkeye wrestler has struggled with during the season, possibly against a specific wrestler, is ironed out and then executed at nationals. It is a fun process to watch.
It may sound obvious, but finishing takedowns at the national tournament is of utmost importance for several reasons. In a close match that may be the difference. Also opportunities are limited to as low as one opportunity getting in on a shot so the takedown needs to be finished to win the match.
One year at nationals I talked to the older brother of an Iowa wrestler that eventually became a national champion later in his career. In the time between Big Tens and Nationals the younger brother figured out how to get out from underneath. Always a challenge for a freshman. If I remember right it was a sitout series that made the difference.
What Jesse Whitmer did in 1997 was legendary. He had just placed fourth at Big Tens and as was a #6 seed at 118 lbs. for nationals in his only season in the lineup. His training partner for the one on one session that I saw was two-time World champion Terry Brands. Whitmer did not score a point as Gable put him through numerous situations to compete in. It must have worked because Whitmer won a national title that year and Gable called him “The strongest man in the world!”.
I remember Daryl Weber in his senior season in 1996. He seemed to find an extra gear of confidence in the week leading up to the national tournament. It was easy to see that he was feeling good and ready to rumble. It was like he knew something that nobody else did and he had a swagger about him. On Friday as the #5 seed Weber won in the quarterfinals and then took out the #1 seed and defending national champion in the semifinals. That’s a pretty good day for a #5 seed. Weber won the national title the next night. What is it that Weber knew that nobody else did? That he was the national champion.
I asked Gable about Ed Banach. Bannach had won a national title as a freshman and sophomore and placed second as a junior at 177. He moved up to 190 as a senior. Banach had lost to Mike Mann of Iowa State three times that season. Twice in the dual meets and at Midlands. Gable said he had extra 4 AM workouts for Bananch and several other Hawkeyes for weeks leading up to the national tournament. #2 seed Banach beat Mann in the finals to be the 190 lbs. national champion in 1983 and go on to be an Olympic Gold medalist the next year.
Spencer Lee won his first two national titles without winning a Big Ten title. He placed third at Big Tens as a freshman and second as a sophomore. There must have been some effective practices leading up to the national tournament because Lee won the national title. I also believe injuries were a factor especially last year when he won the national title.
Who can forget Cory Clark winning a national title in 2017 with one arm? An injured shoulder and hand did not stop him. I am still not sure how Clark won that national title. Oh, and Clark was the #4 seed. You can bet the prep time leading up to nationals in the individual sessions was an influence.
What do the above wrestlers that I mentioned of Whitmer, Weber, Banach, and Clark all have in common other than overcoming the odds to win a national title as an Iowa Hawkeye? They were all seniors and none of them were seeded #1 at nationals. They were seeded #6,5,2, and 4. Lee was the #3 seed in 2018, #3 in 2019, and #1 in 2021. We have some seniors on the team at Iowa that are tougher than hell and more than capable of being a national champion right now.
I have seen some great improvements made leading up to nationals that made the difference in a Hawkeye making the awards stand as an All American. Not many fans across the country were expecting the Iowa wrestler to place or to not place as high as they did. They were wrong. That is Iowa Wrestling.
As a fan I love seeing an Iowa wrestler avenge an earlier loss at nationals. We’re gonna need some of that next week and I believe we will.
Fans have a tendency to live in the past. Iowa Wrestling does not.
So what I am saying is that a lot can happen between last weekend at Big Tens and the 2022 NCAA National Tournament. I have seen this a time or two over the years.
I asked Gable if it was technical or mental changes that were made leading up to the national tournament that made the difference. His response:
“It’s winning.”
We will see soon enough when the NCAA National Tournament begins at 11 AM CST this Thursday, March 17.
Let’s get ‘em in the middle.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
