Training for wrestle strength

Stick is the terminology that many coaches refer to when talking about maintaining a tight grip on you opponent in Rugby. Like all skills some players are better at it than others. The advantages of a “good stick” include preventing off-loads and being able to dominate the opposing player to the ground. Getting it right can be the difference between playing in the first team and becoming overly acquainted with the oranges!

Firstly you want to have good technique and execution in the contact component of the tackle; good head position, lead with a powerful transference of weight preferably onto the same foot as the shoulder.

Once the contact is done you’re looking for what the wrestle coaches refer to as levers these will be under the arm-pits or by trying to make holes in the back of your opponent with your fingers. Basically you’re trying to get a grip on the guy with the ball so that when he pushes and pulls, bucks or dives he doesn’t get away from you. Chances are if you can hold this grip for 1-2 seconds then help will have arrived and the guy with the ball will now be on his back on the ground.

If you’ve ever done a wrestling / grappling session you’ll know that you’ll be using all of them. A strong trunk all the way around including abdominals, obliques and back as well as legs allowing you to transfer force into the ground are all essential. As far as the upper-body appendages are concerned we’re looking for back strength, strong biceps, pectorals and your forearms and hands had better be able to latch on and stay attached.

WARNING: I’m not talking about lat-pull downs. While I’m not saying they are useless they are no where near as effective as when you’re actually moving your own body weight.

WARNING 2: I don’t care if you are 90kg 100kg or 120kg if you’re going to carry it around the rugby field you had better be able to lift it!

To get started with chin-ups I like using chin-up ladders (that I learned about from Pavel Tsatsouline) on 1-minute intervals. When doing ladders every time a minute passes you do one more repetition than last time. 1,2,3,4,5 once you get to your limit of repetitions performed with good technique then go back down the ladder, 4,3,2,1. You should work on the ladders until you can get to at least 5 good repetitions. Aim for a total of 50 repetitions per workout. Once you can do that you’re ready to either add weight to the movement to work on your maximal strength or keep pushing up the volume to push muscle growth.

Another progression option and the grand master when it comes to developing vice like stick strength is to use rope climbs. Rope climbs have been a foundation movement in Steve Walsh’s programs that have taken him to success with Wigan, Leeds and now Top 14 giants Toulon. Rope climbs are brutal and challenge every muscle above the waist especially the hands and forearms that are often neglected in traditional weight training programs.

Once you can cover 20m of rope you’ve got a good strength base, 40m and you can consider yourself elite in the world of rugby. Fly weight wrestlers in France have been known to perform 10 repetitions up and down the 10m rope without touching their feet down! On the supinated chin-up 50% body weight of additional weight is a good base level (eg. 45kg for a 90kg player).

Bottom line – If you want to improve your control in the tackle then improving your pulling power is a great place to start. If you’re looking for more arm work check out my arms article here. If you don’t have a rope to climb then consider using towel chin-ups until you can get one tied to a tree or a beam.