Coach Cael Sanderson intensifies wrestling practices at Penn State

October 4, 2:49 PMCollege Wrestling ExaminerMark Palmer

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Cael Sanderson at a recent Penn State practice (Photo/Ryan
Ulsh for the Daily Collegian

What makes a preseason college wrestling practice intense?

Intensity isn't limited to running stadium stairs, sprinting up mountains or piling on the iron in the weight room. Intensity can be all about how a wrestling practice is conducted... and the expectations for the athletes in a particular program.

According to a recent article in the Daily Collegian -- the student newspaper at Penn State -- new head coach Cael Sanderson has dialed up the intensity meter for his Nittany Lion wrestlers in preseason.

The opening sentences of this article by Stephen Hennessey and Jocelyn Syrstad give a sense of how things are different under Sanderson:

Bubba Jenkins admits he wasn't even in shape at this point last season.

Each practice, even though the season has not started, has been harder than last year's most difficult practice, redshirt sophomore Clay Steadman said.

The article goes on to list other ways Coach Cael has been demanding a higher standard from his Penn State wrestlers:

• Friday Night Lights -- a variation of after-school detention, where wrestlers who break team rules are forced to come back to the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex on Friday night to thoroughly clean the mats, then have a study session with no cell phones or iPods. What can get you sent to Friday Night Lights? Bubba Jenkins showed up for a meeting two minutes early. Under Sanderson's new rules, wrestlers must be at meetings five minutes early.
• Classroom visits.  Sanderson and his coaching staff now drop by classes to make sure wrestlers are where they are supposed to be.
• New twice-weekly morning practices conducted by new strength and conditioning coach Shawn Contos (like Sanderson, a transfer from Iowa State), designed to keep the wrestlers strong and conditioned year round.
• A new philosophy of endurance training. Instead of focusing on sprints and aerobic workouts, practices are more match-based.
• New practice-room "dress code." Every day, Penn State wrestlers wear blue shorts and gray t-shirts at practice.

It's all about restoring the Penn State wrestling program to its past glory. Only time will tell if Sanderson's approach  leads to greater success for Nittany Lion wrestlers.

Resources

Daily Collegian: New coach Sanderson intensifies practices

College Wrestling Examiner: FloWrestling.com preseason training videos and Penn State, Missouri go to extremes to prepare for new season

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