Can Someone describe the Iowa style and mind set to me? In as in depth as possible please.
physical, always attacking, moving forward, wearing down the opponent, breaking them mentally, make them want to quit by being physical/nasty, pounding on the head, out-conditioning your opponent always in their face
Thank you.
brutal domination.
physically and mentally break someone until they quit
is this a socially acceptable style to teach children
at what age is it ok to encourage ruffing the opponent up?
it's ok to teach aggressive wrestling within the rules.
Iowa style is very much a mentality i.e. Fulsas at this years nationals. He is not very strong, has bad technique, but kept attacking the entire time until his superior condiditoning and will won matches for him. To get to that type of physical conditon, you must be metally strong in the first place.
In the mid-west, referees let even young wrestlers be more physical. You will see even elementary and middle school kids being very physical and pounding the crap out of each other. If you want to become a more physical iowa style wrestler, I suggest wrestling some freestyle/greco, it will naturally turn you into a more agressive wrestler, because you can be alot more physical.
"If you want to become a more physical Iowa style wrestler, I suggest wrestling some freestyle/greco, it will naturally turn you into a more agressive wrestler, because you can be alot more physical."
No offense, suplexman, but it baffles me when people say this stuff. The "Iowa style" basically refers to how Dan Gable changed things, bringing a much more physical, violent style to *folkstyle* wrestling. He then carried that to his own international (freestyle, in his case) wrestling.
There is ONE scenario where international styles are more physical, ONE. That scenario is that the international styles are more liberal regarding slamming off a throw.
But in general, folkstyle is far more physical and brutal than the international styles. An interesting example of how growing up in folkstyle wrestling before moving on to international competition is the reputation that American wrestlers have... In international competition, Americans are known for two things: brutality and conditioning. Americans are considered extremely rough and physical, and for simply being like the Energizer bunny - you can't make them slow down or wear them out. Basically, those two attributes that (among other things) distinguish the "American style" to the rest of the world exist because of how much more physical and intense American folkstyle is. What we think of as "Iowa style" the rest of the world thinks of as "American style."
***NOTE***
In case anyone misunderstands me, I 100% agree with suplexman that you should wrestle some freestyle and greco! What I was taking issue with was his opinion of the level of physical-ness (is that a word?) among the styles, NOT his recommendation to wrestle freestyle and greco.
Gables Take on "Wrestling Styles":
Wrestling Styles In the last few years, people have started to talk about two 'styles' of wrestling. One has been labeled the 'Iowa Style' of wrestling and the other the 'Oklahoma State Style' of wrestling. The Iowa Style has become associated with a physical method that is not as technique-oriented and emphasizes combative wrestling in practice, as well as hard work. This has been contrasted with the Oklahoma State or John Smith Style which focuses more drilling and learning technique.
This is a misconception. In reality, both styles require a lot of physical-ness and both require a lot of technique and skill. Where the two styles differ is the point of attack. The Oklahoma State Style emphasizes attacking a position of weakness (like an extremity). For example, John Smith would attack a low ankle. But Smith was also extremely physical. If Smith got a hold of your lower ankle, he would rip it off and you wouldn't get away from him without getting taken down or injured. The Iowa Style attacks more hands-on and close-in. The Iowa Style attacks the whole body, working less with extremities. This leads people to believe that the style is more physical. But once you get a hold of the person, both styles require extraordinary technique to be successful.
nice post Hawkeyefan!