Who's been to Wrestling School?

[Mister Yummy]

So, have any of you guys been to Professional Wrestling School? I'm VERY interested in going in the near future, and I'm wondering wat it's like, so I'll know I'm prepared.

If anyone's specifically been to Harley Race's WLW Wrestling Acedemy, all the better.

How does the tryout go? On the website, it mentions calisthenics. What do you have to do, and for how long?

What do they tell you once you start. Do they explain the "predetermined nature of the business", or do they just assume that if you've made it this far, you already know?

What all do they teach? Will they teach you how to perform and take various moves, holds, throws, etc.? or is it more how to fall and be a showman, or a combination therof?

Is professional Wrestling training effective in any way as combat training?

In the 6 month course st the WLW acedemy, how often are the classes?

Thanks for answering. Any and all insight is appriciated, even above and beyond my specific questions.

[American Nightmare]

two of my closest friends did a seminar at the WLW school. They trained with Kenta and Morishima. When they say calisthenics, they arent kidding. Those guys brought back (to our brooklyn school) some of the stuff they do. It was really tough.

So im imagining the seminar is a bit less than the actual school. Take that for what its worth

[CMPunkyBrewster]

every school is different because every trainers skills and philosophies are different. some want to excercise and bump you to death, some show you the basics and then turn you loose to call yourself "trained". others will do a little of both, some will be very basic and show you just bumping and basic moves, others will go so far as to work with you not only in the ring but on camera training and interviews.

i have seen a lot of different training styles from visiting various schools. some are good, some are bad. i can't tell you first hand about wlw, but i would venture to say, based off of what i have heard through word of mouth, that they are a fine school.

my advice is to not limit yourself to just going to a school and handing over your cash. look around, find the one that's right for you. for example, if you want to learn the high-flying stuff, a gym run by greg valentine wouldn't be the place to go. but if you want great fundamentals and brawling, then greg would be just fine. also, attend every seminar and open gym that you can. whether you like the guy teaching it or not, you will learn something new from them, and it will help you refine your technique and style.

i had the benefit of being trained by alot of guys who had a very old-school kind of mentality. they themselves were all trained by manny fernandez, and my head trainer was willy clay sr. who worked the carolinas back in the day with manny, flair, steamboat and so on. they taught me great fundamentals, everything from bumping to thowing kicks and punches to locking up.

after my training, i started working with some guys more my age who had been trained differently, more of a new school approach. their fundamentals weren't as solid, but they knew how to throw some impressive looking offense out there, moonsaults, various suplexes, etc.. so we all started training together, showing each other things we didn't know. they showed me great offensive techniques, and i showed them some stuff like punching and kicking and chopping, as well as working on their selling. it was a great environment to learn in, and we all left better than we came in.

anyway, basically what i'm driving at here is that you should work out with everyone that you can, pick a school that is right for you, and don't be afraid to ask for help. if you want to learn something, ask someone. most guys will be glad to show you.

[Professor Chaos]

I trained in UPW for a few months at the same time John Cena, Nathan Jones, and Frankie Kazarian were there. My ring attire consisted of tennis shoes, jean shorts, and either a jersey or T-Shirt. The character I was developing was that of a wigger. Cena at the time was the Prototype surfer boy. To this day I still think he based his whole gimmick on me. Nobody believes me of course. Big part of the reason why I dislike the guy so much is because if I hadn't quit to focus on my business career who knows I could be in his position right now.

[Red 'n' Black Reggie]

i'm thinking of going this summer sometime. there are three ones i'd like to go to. two are cheaper and more local, plus have a"first session free" deal going on which should be good, but one costs LOOOADS, yet also has harry smith and robie brookside helping with the training. i think i'll give the cheaper local ones a go first, then move on to the other if i feel they aren't right.

[gimmieabreakbrain]

I've been and still go to work out. Like the poster a couple above me stated that every school is dfferent. All I can say is be in top cardio shape cause you are gonna need it. And be prepared to do EVERYTHING at least 1000 times. And no that number is not an embelishment. When I first started I had to do 200 back bumps 5 times during practice and NEVER complain cause if you do add another 1000 to your warm up. Yes I said warm up. After you are nice and tired and hurting the real work out begins. That consits of getting stretched by everyone who is there. It's like you are on a converyor belt. You go down the line and everyone works you over. After that you'll have to run the ropes for about oh I dunno, an hour. Of course as you are running workers jump in front of you and you have to either leap frog them, do a vertical, they'll drop down, or a hip toss, you best better get up right away and hit the other side cause there will be someone waiting for you to do another move. Then after that you puke and then start stand up. You'll be able to put someone in a head lock and switch to a go behind so many times it'll be when someone you know goes to shake your hand in real life you'll snatch them in and put them in a hold cause it'll be second nature. And that my friend is your: Welcome to your first day at wrestling school! Now do that 3 times a week for about 6 months and maybe you'll get your first match. LOL


Just be aware of feds that just want your money and will throw you in the ring right away. That is NOT the right way to do it. You may damn well be able to do the moves but you shouldn't be in the ring right away. Also check out the websites on schools you want to go to. They also run shows. Make sure they really do have shows every month instead of being one of those feds that have a show every six months. If you are gonna go to Harleys School you'll be in good shape with shows. But then take the work out I gave you above and times it X 10! LOL I don't know that for sure but I can't see Harley being easy on ANYONE!

And finally. ENJOY IT AND HAVE FUN! Cause if you don't have fun then why the hell are you doing it?!?!?!?!?

[unit]

I've been to a couple and have never found calistentics to be that prominent. You do every move 1000 plus times as was mentioned above. Pretty much what was already said I agree with. I will add that find a place with a set price for your training. X amount of dollars will make you a wrestler whether it takes 6 months or 6 years. Don't go to a guy that says its X amount every six months, because they will bleed you dry and then give you das boot. Tryout would typically be just having you do standard bumps and moves to see if your athletic and coachable enough to be able to train effectively. The one guy at the end of the tryout said "ok, now give me 500 hindu squats." 2 of us started in on them the other guy bitched. The trainer said "Ok, tryouts over. You 2 are in, you go home" I have seen some schools that will hold training 3 times a week and others that will just give you a key so you can go anytime you want. Everyone is different. I have no clue about Harley's school, but I'm sure it would be a good experience.

[Mister Yummy]

Wow. I guess being able to do 50 pushups won't help me out bmuch then...I am in nowhere near good enough shape for this :-(

1000? Seriously?! If wrestlers can do this, how come they blow up wrestling hard for 10 minutes?

Well, I guess I'l lhave to get in better shape. Unfortunately, I'm not sure exactly how to do that...

Also, no one answered some of my questions. The most pressing one for me is below.

What do they tell you once you start. Do they explain the "predetermined nature of the business", or do they just assume that if you've made it this far, you already know?

[unit]

Again, each guy is probably going to be different. Nothing will ever just be assumed. It's too dangerous to make assumptions. Some old school guys wont smarten you up until 2 minutes before your first match. Most will explain it all as you go along, early in the process. I can't speak for the guy above, but I don't think your going to be doing 1000 pushups in a row. I don't know of anyone alive that could do that. The 1000 figure is more for the bumps themselves. You need to be able to do any of them (front, back, face, ass and 3/4 roll) in your sleep. All moves (not holds) require the knowledge of these bumps. I think you asked earlier about combat training. In todays age, shoot fighting isn't nearly as neccesary as it once was. Most holds (not moves) are not effective in shoot fights because they require the persons cooperation to put them on. Some will work in a shoot. For instance, you will probably never see a figure four in a real fight, but you will see experienced fighters use the triangle arm bar all the time. You can't really hurt anyone with a full-nelson unless you are much, much stronger than they are, but you sure can immobilize them with one. Also, guys get blown up because of nerves and adrenaline alot of times. Did that cover everything now?

[gimmieabreakbrain]

yeah we do the usuall push ups and sit ups and whatnot. We do 5o pushups and 100 sit ups.
LOL if I had to do 1000 push ups I would be still on the mat crying! 1000 for the bumps is on the money though.

As for the smarten up of people. If you are in wrestling school you should kinda already know the secret. It's not told to you. At least it wasn't to me.

[Mister Yummy]

I've used the figure 4 several times to end hybrid wrestling matches by submission. It's a very effective submission hold. The Full Nelson is also a very affective hold, but it's not so god as a sumbission. It's more of a wear-down move. I know it's not quite the same as a real fight, but a legit wrestling match can prove how effective certain holds are.

I'm really glad that I misunderstod the 1000 total. I thought you'd have to do 1000 pushups, then 1000 situps, then 1000 of various other excersizes, etc. I'm not as pathetic as I thought :-)

It's weird if they don't tell you the secret. What if a mark made it through, and shot on their first opponent? I'm sure, at least back in the day, lots and lots of marks wanted to be wrestlers, and went to wrestling school to learn how, all without having any clue of the predetermined nature of the business.

I've been a wrestling fan most of my life, but I don't know much about bumping. I know a few basics. Tuck your head, land as flat as possible, etc.I can do a reasonable facsimile of a back bump on concrete without any pain. I can do a roll bump just as well. Ther others, I'm not sure.

Should I go for Harley's school right off, or go to a cheaper, more local school first?

[Johnny]

I would try the cheaper schooll first just to see if its something I really wanted to do at first. And if you don't you didn't drop the big bucks on Race. And if you do, you at least go to his school looking a little better then most of the other students.

[Rodney the Piper]

I trained with Les Thatcher for a day a few years ago and let me tell you it was hardcore. I had been what I thought was previously trained by a local guy but I had another thing coming. I coudnt even finish the bump drill because I was blown up and sore. Cool thing though was I met an unmasked Shark Boy and Nigel McGuiness before he was a big name on the indies. Also the real Matt Stryker was actually my training partner for the day. Nicest guy in the world.

[American Nightmare]

heres what i remember from that day my friends came back from WLW training. They said this is what they were doing over there:

3 sets of 100 squats
400 half squats (even worse then the whole ones)
4 sets of 30 pushups
3 sets of 50 situps
4 sets of 25 leglifts, bicycles, scissors, and another exercise i forget
not sure wat the exercise is called, but u jump over a guy on all fours, over one side and the other, side to side, 4 sets of 25 of those
5 sets of 15 two-a-days (stand, shoot your legs out to a pushup position, do a pushup, get back on your feet)
4 sets of 20 mountain climbers
4 sets of 20 half pushups
4 sets of half situps

THEN we wrestled

ive been involved in a wrestling school for almost 2 years now. Ive never done something as tough as that, not even close.

[jon_infektion]

damn, i've never seen anything that harsh ever either.

I would highly recommend that you go to the cheaper one first just to be positive you wanna do this, and kinda get the hang of things. This way, you don't blow all the money if u don't wanna do it, and if you do it'll be easier for you.

[KLRA]

Well I used to be a head trainer at a wrestling school, and I focused more on getting people into 'ring shape' because nothing bugs me more than people that are blown up five to ten minutes into a match (I'm a cardio monster myself), and then once you were in good enough shape I would get you into the ring to start learning the basics of what is needed to put on a decent match. I picked up a lot of my training technique from Lance Storm and time I spent in Japan. Everything I've heard about Harley's program is that it's generally top notch and well worth the money just because of the connections that the guy has.

Whenever someone came in for their first day of training, I usually sat down with them and got an idea of what they wanted to do with wrestling, and their general knowledge of it. It helped me get to know just what the person needed to get done. I would then run them through a total workout just to see the physical shape they were in. Unless they were totally out of shape, I would usually let them stay on because just by going to class you would get in better shape. My workout for the first week of classes consisted of a two mile jog, three sets of 40 pushups, three sets of 40 situps, three sets of 150 Hindu Squats, three sets of 30 squat thrusts, and various other abdominal exercises. Then I would have you run the ropes for a good half an hour.

Samoa Joe wrote a pretty good blog that I would reccommend that ANYBODY thinking of getting into wrestling should read. Like he says, your training is NEVER over, and you should always be working out.

[Red 'n' Black Reggie]

quick question, i have heard two schools of thought on a similar subject, and wanted to know if any of the trainers/students on the board could give ageneral consensus.

now i'm a black belt in tae kwon do, a british open martial arts silver medalist, and a self-taught competition kino mutai practitioner. now i'v ebeen told that if you let your trainers kow about any past shooting experience, they'll either a) make you the "teachers pet" and take you under their wing as they expect you to do better in wrestling in the long run or b) stretch you unmercifully and nearly kill you with cardio. anyways, do you think it's even worth me telling the trainers about this? would it make my training much more efficient, or would i live to regret it? thanks for the help.

[gimmieabreakbrain]

Apr 3, 2008 8:09:40 GMT -5 Red 'n' Black Reggie said:

quick question, i have heard two schools of thought on a similar subject, and wanted to know if any of the trainers/students on the board could give ageneral consensus.

now i'm a black belt in tae kwon do, a british open martial arts silver medalist, and a self-taught competition kino mutai practitioner. now i'v ebeen told that if you let your trainers kow about any past shooting experience, they'll either a) make you the "teachers pet" and take you under their wing as they expect you to do better in wrestling in the long run or b) stretch you unmercifully and nearly kill you with cardio. anyways, do you think it's even worth me telling the trainers about this? would it make my training much more efficient, or would i live to regret it? thanks for the help.

personally I have seen people come in there and boast and brag and just mention about knowing kung-fu (lol I just like to say that instead of all the disciplines) and I see them get stretched till they scream. The trainers I know are all old school workers who want to let you know no matter what other fighting style you may know before you start wrestling don't really mean a thing once you get into the wrestling ring. Kung-Fu (lol) is self defense and can be used to hurt people. In wrestling you are taught to take care of people. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with knowing other skills and they will help you in the long run. I just wouldn't mention TOO much that you do this and that and know this and could do that and have no problem doing this. The trainers I know would make you an example of how little you really do know.

Does that make sense?? It's not to disrespect someone. It's to humble someone. (and no not the Iron Sheik way!)

[Red 'n' Black Reggie]

Apr 3, 2008 8:45:56 GMT -5 gimmieabreakbrain said:

Apr 3, 2008 8:09:40 GMT -5 Red 'n' Black Reggie said:

quick question, i have heard two schools of thought on a similar subject, and wanted to know if any of the trainers/students on the board could give ageneral consensus.

now i'm a black belt in tae kwon do, a british open martial arts silver medalist, and a self-taught competition kino mutai practitioner. now i'v ebeen told that if you let your trainers kow about any past shooting experience, they'll either a) make you the "teachers pet" and take you under their wing as they expect you to do better in wrestling in the long run or b) stretch you unmercifully and nearly kill you with cardio. anyways, do you think it's even worth me telling the trainers about this? would it make my training much more efficient, or would i live to regret it? thanks for the help.

personally I have seen people come in there and boast and brag and just mention about knowing kung-fu (lol I just like to say that instead of all the disciplines) and I see them get stretched till they scream. The trainers I know are all old school workers who want to let you know no matter what other fighting style you may know before you start wrestling don't really mean a thing once you get into the wrestling ring. Kung-Fu (lol) is self defense and can be used to hurt people. In wrestling you are taught to take care of people. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with knowing other skills and they will help you in the long run. I just wouldn't mention TOO much that you do this and that and know this and could do that and have no problem doing this. The trainers I know would make you an example of how little you really do know.

Does that make sense?? It's not to disrespect someone. It's to humble someone. (and no not the Iron Sheik way!)

yeah i get what you mena, that's kinda what i was asking. if i do mention it, will people take it the wrong way or will itactually benefit me. but i think i get the jist of it. mention it if it comes up, but don't brag about being better than anyone else because of it. thanks for the advice.

[KLRA]

Well I myself have a black belt in Tae Kwon Doe, legit MMA experience (I've had a few actual professional fights), and was already highly athletic when I started my training. When I first started going to pro wrestling school, I had one of those trainers that 'wanted to teach me a leson.' After taking his BS (which really wasn't that bad considering), I earned a lot of respect in his eyes because I just shut my mouth and went with it.

Generally, when I had someone coming in with a 'legit' background, I would stretch them to see if they could handle it. I know most guys do the same thing. Now if you start whining like a bitch, obviously your background isn't as extensive as you made it out to be. If you just take it like a man, though, you're aces in my book.

Oh, other big thing about wrestling school: SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND OPEN YOUR EARS.