ATTENTION COACHES’

PHILOSOPHY
The ISWA and USA Wrestling have done an outstanding job of setting up a framework for coaches to gain knowledge in the sport of wrestling through training opportunities. It is my firm belief that our athletes will only be as good as their coaches! We must first define who a coach is. With regard to the ISWA (a grass roots organization) the term coach can be defined in many different ways depending on the age of the wrestlers. A coach could be defined as someone with extensive wrestling knowledge and trains athletes of various ages and skill levels. On the other end of the spectrum, a coach can also be defined as a mother or father who simply encourages their son/daughter at matside and has a working knowledge of the sport. By no means do you have to be an ex-high school or college wrestler to be a good coach. If you have a desire to coach your child (and/or other children), the wrestling moves, techniques and strategies can be learned over time.

COACHING EDUCATION
The 2008 ISWA season will include opportunities in the area of coaches’ education (see clinic schedule).

GETTING INVOLVED AS A COACH WITH THE ISWA
I believe there has been some confusion in the past concerning who is eligible to be a Team Leader or Coach on ISWA spring/summer trips. I have outlined below the requirements that an individual must satisfy to be considered for a Team Leader/Coach’s position on an ISWA "Team Indiana" trip.

1. Must be affiliated with an ISWA member club

2. Kid's Trips ..... Must attend a Copper Coach’s Clinic and complete the test (one time)

3. Cadet & Junior Trips ..... Must attend a Bronze Coach’s Clinic and complete the test (one time)

4. Must complete and mail in the coach’s application found in the annual ISWA publication or on this web site.

In order to insure that the ISWA’s programs are successful from year to year, it is imperative that we develop and nurture a coaching pool that includes individuals with a wide range of coaching abilities. We have many good coaches and people in Indiana and it is my goal as state coach to create an atmosphere that will include as many people as possible that would like to help develop our athletes across the state.

On this site you will find a list of "Team Indiana" trips (see above) that are scheduled for the upcoming spring/summer along with their corresponding dates. Each one of these trips will need a group of adults to chaperone and coach the Indiana kids on that trip. Typically a trip will require a Team Leader, an assistant Team Leader, a head coach and one or more assistant coaches. I would like to first define each of these positions

Team Leader
Needs no technical knowledge of the sport of wrestling. This person should be an organized individual. Their responsibilities include helping to fill the team roster (by phone), passing on important information to all team members, meeting everyone at the departure site, checking all team members and coaches into the hotel, make sure everything is taken care of at the wrestling venue (paper-work), and generally overseeing the flow of the trip.

Assistant Team Leader
Needs no technical knowledge of the sport of wrestling. This individual will assist the Team Leader with the items listed under the Team Leader’s job description.

Head Coach
This person needs to have a working knowledge of the sport of wrestling. The level of knowledge depends on the age of the kids on the trip. The Head Coach will typically coordinate his assistant coaches and assign responsibilities. The head coach will also coordinate with the team leader to ensure things run smoothly.

Assistant Coach
These individuals should have some working knowledge of the techniques and moves used in wrestling. These coaches will be at matside with the head coach and the wrestlers during competition.

As you can see it takes quite a bit of manpower and coordination by a lot of good people to make these trips a success. No matter what your level of expertise is right now, I encourage you to continue being a student of the sport and give something back to the sport by getting involved with your club and state organizations in some way. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me.

Yours in wrestling,
Danny Struck
ISWA State Coach