Duke wrestling photo documentary week 3

Last week, due to business travel, I could only make it out to one practice. It was a Saturday practice (“singlet Saturday”) and, unlike last week, there was not a match the next day. This meant the practice could be more intense and, it’s worth saying again, wrestling practices are probably the most intense of any college sport. The coaches are armed with endless conditioning schemes to work every muscle in the body. This week the guys paired off and did exercises using each other as dead weight for bicep curls and lunges.

One quick emendation to last week’s post. Last week I wrote how individualistic wrestling was. After after practice I talked to freshman Kaden Russell who noted that, during practices, when you beat your sparing partner, you talk to them about how you beat them so that they learn and become better. Colten Thomas added to that saying that, when your sparing partner in practices gets better, so too do you; teaching your partner how to beat you own forces you to adapt and an improve.