10 CHAPTERS

•

INJURY PREVENTION

•

GAME BASED LEARNING

•

10 CHAPTERS • INJURY PREVENTION • GAME BASED LEARNING •

Play to Win

MOVEMENT • RESILIENCE • PLAY

THE COACHES GUIDE TO DEVELOPING ATHLETIC & UNBREAKABLE WRESTLERS

DOWNLOAD NOW
DOWNLOAD NOW

THE PHILOSOPHY

Play builds athletes

Not drills. Not lectures. Not punishment conditioning. Games build what repetition can't: instinctive footwork, safer falling, and fluid scrambling.

What makes wrestlers better also keeps them healthy. Every game in this guide trains an athletic quality that shows up in the match and reduces injury risk at the same time.

  • Find the chapter that matches what you need most, and start there.

  • Each game details how it works and how to scale the difficulty.

  • The skills work because they were built under real pressure.

Games create learning that shows up on match day.

Drills "look like" learning. Real skill transfer happens when athletes are forced to solve movement problems under pressure — not when they're repeating the same sequence.

30

10

COMPETITIVE
GAMES

SKILL
CHAPTERS

Variable Practice & Retention

THE SCIENCE

Dedicated Drilling
Variable Play
36% higher retention on
delayed tests
Variable Play vs. Dedicated Drilling

Motor learning research shows athletes retain skills better when practice includes variability.

A landmark 1979 study by Shea & Morgan found athletes practicing in changing sequences learned and applied skills better than those repeating the same drill.

In other words: the brain learns faster when athletes must solve movement problems, not just repeat them.

Shea & Morgan (1979), Journal of Experimental Psychology

10 CHAPTERS • 30 GAMES

What's Inside

Each chapter starts with a goal:
"I want my athletes to..."

1
Chapter 1
Stronger Stance
2
Chapter 2
Better Footwork
3
Chapter 3
Better Reaction Time
4
Chapter 4
Better Handfighting
5
Chapter 5
Hard to Takedown
6
Chapter 6
Finish Takedowns
7
Chapter 7
Better Scrambling
8
Chapter 8
Fall Safely
9
Chapter 9
Strong Neck & Shoulders
10
Chapter 10
Build Your Own Games

A NOTE ON

Female Athletes

Girls often enter wrestling with different movement histories. Certain physical and coordination skills must be trained on purpose, not assumed. The answer isn't less intensity, it's smarter preparation.

Games help close those gaps before heavy live wrestling begins. Smart coaches train what athletes need so they're ready for battle.

4–6x ACL Injuries

Higher rates in female athletes. In contact sport, the difference is reacting smoothly and stopping under control. Trainable with the right games.

Neck Strength Baseline

Lower baseline than males on average. Stronger necks help slow head acceleration and reduce concussion risk, and they respond quickly to training.

Shoulder Instability

More common with greater joint mobility. Training control and strong positions — not rigidity — protects the joint.

Hypermobility

Mobility without strength creates vulnerability. The goal isn't less range, but strength and better positioning to create a more resilient wrestler.

GET THE GUIDE

Ready to build unbreakable wrestlers?

30 games. 10 skill chapters.
Every game designed to make athletes more skilled, and more durable.

Play to Win

The Coach’s Guide to Developing Athletic and Unbreakable Wrestlers

Play to Win: A Coach's Guide to Developing Athletic and Unbreakable Wrestlers
Play to Win: A Coach's Guide to Developing Athletic and Unbreakable Wrestlers
$29.00

Play to Win is a coaching guide packed with structured wrestling games designed to help athletes develop real skills through problem-solving, pressure, and movement, not just repetitive drilling.

Built on motor learning research and coaching experience, this guide includes 30 simple, competitive practice games that improve stance, hand fighting, reactions, scrambling, and decision-making under pressure.

Each game includes clear setup instructions along with ways to adjust difficulty so it works for youth through high school athletes. The result is practices that are more engaging, more competitive, and that produce wrestlers who can adapt and perform when it matters most — in matches.