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Post by -Lithium- on Sept 6, 2006 3:23:06 GMT -5
How long did it take you to finally start picking up the game and doing well in the ring? Where theyre alot of akward moments when you first started training and whatnot?
Also, how much more spring and give would you say is in a normal ring then say the floor at your home?
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gimmieabreakbrain
Samurai Cop
I love garden implements. Wanna make something of it??
Posts: 2,181
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Post by gimmieabreakbrain on Sept 6, 2006 7:33:45 GMT -5
It didn't take that long really since I had been watching wrestling for years before becoming a Indy worker. Don't get me wrong it was still hard but as did everyone else me and my cousins wrestled in the living room (none of that Yarder crap, we were careful) for the longest time so I knew how to do the moves but in training you learn how to do them safe. What the hardest thing was to get yourself conditioned to be in the ring so you don't blow up (get tired) before the bell rings! There is a very awesome feeling you get when you hear your name being announced and you walk out from the back, your heart is pumping and and the adrenilien (SP??) is just flowing and that takes a lot out of you. As for awkward moments they key words you have to remember is: take your time and just go out there and have fun. If you go out there thinking too much that's when something might happen. Calling matches in the ring took some time getting use to cause you have to hear them the first time, lol in the start I was like "what?" and doing that throws both people off so I will say that was the most awkward thing for me.
As for the ring and a floor, there is a little spring to it and I'll say a little! It's like getting slammed on 2x4s with a small mat over the top of it lol cause that's what it is, it hurts but it doesn't HURT! A ring will give a little however a concrete floor won't give at all.
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Post by Psy on Sept 6, 2006 15:32:52 GMT -5
It can take a while to get the hang of it, everything is connected. See, it's a balance with many scales, there's timing, coping with pain quickly, selling, bumping, and playing to the crowd. Let's go through a standard sequence that's been around for a long time, the "leapfrog/monkeyflip" spot.
You and your opponent are in the center of the ring when he calls for the leapfrog/monkeyflip spot. It goes like this: Transition into an irish whip, he throws you, you duck under his leapfrog, come off the other ropes and take a monkey flip bump.
Right away he starts chopping your chest, you have to quickly cope with the stinging slaps as well as sell and time your movements so your backing to the ropes appears reaction to the crowd. He grabs your arm, presses you into the ropes as if for momentum, and you suppress a wince as the hard cables press into your already-sore back. The fans think the ropes are elastic, after all. You run to the opposite ropes, once again suppressing a wince, and time your ducking of his leapfrog so that you don't clip his knees with your shoulders or head and you move fast enough that he doesn't land on your back. You bounce into the ropes again, suppressing that same wince. You walk into his crouched feet and assist with a leaping forward flip to land on your aching back, timing it so that it looks like he is doing all the work. You arch your back afterwards in pain, and add a shout so the crowd feels it as well. But, it was 'just' a monkeyflip, and the crowd isn't going to believe the amount of pain you're in since they've seen this same spot again. You bite down on the pain, and get up to continue the match.
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Post by -Lithium- on Sept 7, 2006 0:14:26 GMT -5
When you first start does the booker usually pair you up with someone more experienced? Cause I mean to send two guys in there who have never had to talk through a match would be bad...
I dont think I could do the calling of moves too much during my first few matches...would have to get use to it...
Dont mean to be pushy but was really hopin to get some more insight and maybe some stories about peoples first few matches and how they picked up the actual in ring stuff...
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nisi
Vegeta
Da Bears
Posts: 9,868
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Post by nisi on Sept 7, 2006 0:58:03 GMT -5
A lot depends on the fed. Small feds may not have any really experienced wrestlers, and every rookie's first match may be with the same guy (possibly the promoter himself or the trainer) doing the same exact match. There is kind of a stereotype that indy feds are full of high flyers doing incredible acrobatics, but a lot of indies are retro and have more of an old school look to them. And to be truthful, not all indies are into big technical moves. There are matches that consist of 10 minutes of two guys pushing each other down over and over. These aren't the best matches, but they happen. In really small feds, much of the audience might be the wrestlers' family and friends, so they are going to cheer their heads off if you do anything other than take a dump in the ring.
Your first match will probably not be very long and probably should not contain an elaborate moveset. You probably won't really have to call a whole lot of moves in your first match, because there won't be more than a few, and you will know the order in which they are supposed to appear--the order is more important than the actual moveset, because that is how you will know what point you are in the match.
If you or your opponent has a good gimmick or character, that can compensate for slower or hesitant ring action. My gimmick was that I was a cocky Matt Striker-type professor--I would come to the ring with a poster from the local newspaper about low test scores. People booed me like crazy when I called the crowd a bunch of dumb rednecks and cited the local school's actual test scores. My first opponent was called The Janitor, because he literally was the janitor of the building we wrestled in. He was from Mexico and was a knowledgeable fan of lucha libre but had no pro experience and was 30 some years old. But he got a great face pop because everyone in the audience loved him. That was the angle right there, Local Hero vs. Contemptuous Outsider. If either of us made a mistake (and believe me, we did, often just getting too far apart from each other in a big ring), we could simply make some kind of gesture to the crowd and get either a boo or a cheer, then get back in the match.
The time will fly quickly, if anything you will have to worry about not going longer than desired. Five minutes flashes by in an instant, that's why it's important to know the order of moves and make sure that the planned move follows the next. I let my opponent dropkick the shit out of me because dropkicks looked cool and didn't hurt as much as they looked--they probably hurt him more. But we were wrestling in 95 degree heat and literally slipping in puddles of sweat on the mat during the match, and it was disorienting. Your entrance and exit can be a big part of the match timewise. After The Janitor looked like he was going to win with his dropkicks, the plan was for me to low blow him and get the win. I missed the first low blow and he didn't know what to do, so I just re-did it. That was the signal for me to apply the Million Dollar Dream and for him to sell the hell out of it. The post-match finish included me giving him his "report card" between the teeth just like Ted Dibiase and also spraying a big red "F" on his chest. The crowd was ready to kill me at that point, and not for botched moves or slow ringwork, although I would have deserved that too.
We also had guys who could go for half an hour and do all the high-flying stuff that one could hope for. But they were more main event material, and some of them had been backyarders who had been flipping off their tree houses since they were ten years old. The promoter and even the other wrestlers will have lots to say about what they saw in your match--take their criticism well and incoporate whatever suggestions you can.
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Post by -Lithium- on Sept 7, 2006 1:03:18 GMT -5
Well the fed that I would like to start in has people like Chris Daniels and Petey Williams and Charlie Haas come in, so I dont think they are a real small fed...
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Post by Spankymac is sick of the swiss on Sept 7, 2006 1:06:24 GMT -5
Hate to kind of horn in on your thread, Raven, but I've got a question or two for the wrestlers on the board myself, and didn't feel like starting a new thread on it. What can a wannabe wrestling trainee expect from training at first, and how long does it usually take before you're actually put in a ring in front of a crowd?
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nisi
Vegeta
Da Bears
Posts: 9,868
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Post by nisi on Sept 7, 2006 1:42:12 GMT -5
Well the fed that I would like to start in has people like Chris Daniels and Petey Williams and Charlie Haas come in, so I dont think they are a real small fed... Try talking to them directly--if you can get a connection there then half the battle is over. I bet most guys get into indy wrestling through a connection or friend somewhere. Unfortunately it's not necessarily merit-based or talent-based; who you know and what you can do for those people counts for a lot.
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gimmieabreakbrain
Samurai Cop
I love garden implements. Wanna make something of it??
Posts: 2,181
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Post by gimmieabreakbrain on Sept 7, 2006 9:54:44 GMT -5
to answer a couple of the questions, first off I had about 3 months on practice before I was put on a card and my first time in the ring I won the 6 Man tag titles! I was nervous of course and as soon as I got in there I totally forgot everything I was suppose to do, most times the match is laid out in back when the promotor gives you what he wants as the finish, then it's up to the workers to figure out a way to get there. So you can lay out everything before hand and do it that way, but of course I forgot but as soon as you get your mind right everything seems to flow. I did rather well, i was by no means a mat tech or anything like that! lol I misses a couple of spots, I was suppose to leap frog but did a verticle, stuff like that but just as long as you recover the crowd won't notice it. Other than simple stuff like that nothing really BAD stands out and I guess I'm lucky to say that! I've known other now former workers who screwed up so badly that the person they are working just flips the script and beats the hell outta them!
Now on what to expect from training. Expect to be sore as HELL! The first time I trained in the ring I just ran the ropes and as PSY said, those are not just elastic ropes, most are cables with rubber around them and when you hit them wrong it hurts, I'm sure Psy and others can comment on the pain when the rope "bites" you. That's when it snaps back and hits you in the back, it feels like when someone takes a towel and snaps you. The other thing you can expect from training is to perform the basics over and over and over and over again and when you are done with that you are going to do it again over and over and over again. Stand up is what I did the first two weeks of training, that's where you lock up and go behind, reverse, go into a arm bar, reverse, into a headlock, reverse, go behinds again AHHHHHHHHHHH it just makes you wanna scream. You' do it so much you'll be putting your pillow in go behinds and arm bars in your sleep. The rule where I trained was NOBODY bumps in the ring untill you can do basic stand up and run the ropes. Then after that you learn how to take bumps and there is so much to say but you can never know until you do it. I, along with everyone else can write pages on what we had and still have to go through.
But be prepared that indy wrestling isn't all that's cracked up to be, the pay isn't always good and sometimes there is no pay. I have driven 350 miles, ONE WAY to get $50 and in the process got a $190 speeding ticket. I have had a 350 lb guy somersault onto my chest and I swear a rib popped outta my mouth and hit someone in the head, i felt that for months. I got two black eyes from a rookie who didn't know what he was doing, he got a split lip in return. Some Indy feds HATE each other and you gotta be prepared for the backstage BULLCRAP, you'd swear some workers think they are in the WWE or something. But if you can get past all that I will say it's all worth it, when you get in front of that crowd and all eyes are on you, whew, that's a good feeling and a feeling I just can't explain, it's one you have to feel for yourself.
Sorry for the long ramble and I hope I gave you a little insight, i'm sure other workers will add more!
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Post by Smokey McTrees on Sept 7, 2006 12:42:03 GMT -5
Wow, thank you guys for all your honest advice and info!
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gimmieabreakbrain
Samurai Cop
I love garden implements. Wanna make something of it??
Posts: 2,181
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Post by gimmieabreakbrain on Sept 7, 2006 13:29:48 GMT -5
Well the fed that I would like to start in has people like Chris Daniels and Petey Williams and Charlie Haas come in, so I dont think they are a real small fed... Try talking to them directly--if you can get a connection there then half the battle is over. I bet most guys get into indy wrestling through a connection or friend somewhere. Unfortunately it's not necessarily merit-based or talent-based; who you know and what you can do for those people counts for a lot. This is very true, a friend of mine got me into it 5 years ago and I busted my ass to make it work. I Unfortuantly I have run into those who just show up and think they can work.
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Johnny Danger (Godz)
Wade Wilson
loves him some cavity searches
Lord Xeen's going to kill you.
Posts: 27,736
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Post by Johnny Danger (Godz) on Sept 7, 2006 13:50:47 GMT -5
I was never trained, ever. I just lied my way onto shows by saying that I was. I'd been studying wrestling and doing backyard stuff (good stuff, not garbage weapon crap) for so long that I could fake it pretty well.
However, I don't reccommend this.
Oh, and as far as the "give" with the ring....taking back bumps never hurt me, but the few times the back of my head smacked off the mat...that did hurt.
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therob
Hank Scorpio
Mcginley to Slim's O'neil
Posts: 7,257
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Post by therob on Sept 7, 2006 14:04:29 GMT -5
I was never trained, ever. I just lied my way onto shows by saying that I was. I'd been studying wrestling and doing backyard stuff (good stuff, not garbage weapon crap) for so long that I could fake it pretty well. However, I don't reccommend this. Oh, and as far as the "give" with the ring....taking back bumps never hurt me, but the few times the back of my head smacked off the mat...that did hurt. you have to always tuck your chin. thats the first thing my school told me when I learned to bump.
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Post by Psicosis Auto Theft on Sept 7, 2006 22:55:18 GMT -5
Do you need to have good eye sight to do wrestling? I'm not going to do it with my eyeglasses on obvisiously. Should I get contacts or laser eye surgery? I'm seriously considering training but I'm quite unsure about making a lifestyle of it.
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Post by -Lithium- on Sept 7, 2006 23:06:10 GMT -5
It would be so awesome if I did join the fed nearby and could start talking to some of the TNA guys that are there and one of them maybe show a tape of me to TNA or something...
I mean if I get there and Im good...its not that far of a stretch is it?
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nisi
Vegeta
Da Bears
Posts: 9,868
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Post by nisi on Sept 7, 2006 23:10:24 GMT -5
I was never trained, ever. I just lied my way onto shows by saying that I was. I'd been studying wrestling and doing backyard stuff (good stuff, not garbage weapon crap) for so long that I could fake it pretty well. However, I don't reccommend this. This is pretty much what I did too, along with video of backyard stuff where I surprisingly looked better than I probably was. But the most important thing was being friends with the promoter who was happy not to ask too many questions. Do you need to have good eye sight to do wrestling? I'm not going to do it with my eyeglasses on obvisiously. Should I get contacts or laser eye surgery? I'm seriously considering training but I'm quite unsure about making a lifestyle of it. I would definitely at least get disposable contacts just to have the depth perception you will need. You may well lose some in matches, but better to start a match with them than with nothing.
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Mista T
Unicron
THAT'S HARDCORE!!!1
Posts: 2,597
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Post by Mista T on Sept 7, 2006 23:55:55 GMT -5
I'm thinking about starting wrestling training in about a year...anyone in california know of any good schools?
I have no idea where to start.
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Post by x on Sept 8, 2006 1:19:12 GMT -5
Where in tha bay are you at? I'm currently training in NorCal. I know of some places. Give me a city name. I got a place for you. There's places closer than you think.
PM me or something.
EDIT: Nevermind. You got all the info now.
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gimmieabreakbrain
Samurai Cop
I love garden implements. Wanna make something of it??
Posts: 2,181
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Post by gimmieabreakbrain on Sept 8, 2006 7:16:02 GMT -5
hey it doesn't matter if you are deaf, dumb, blind like Anne Frank, believe me I fought people who are just like that, I have really bad hearing in one ear so I know how hard it is to hear things called in the ring, you just have to let the person you are working know that and everything should be fine. Don't let anything like that take away if this is something you really want to do.
As for hoping to get into TNA or something like that, workers who are in well known feds more times than not are very paranoid about their spot and really won't help workers, other than friends, get any foot into any door. Not saying all are like that but most are. If you go into this thinking that you are going to get signed by TNA or ROH (I won't even mention WWE) then you will be VERY dissapointed. There are 1000s of Indy workers all over the world and not even 1% will even get a first look by anyone in the biz. Just go in there and do your thing and learn the craft, but hey, you never know. You may very well be part of that under 1% that does get a look. I know Shawn Davari (but I haven't spoken to him in a couple years since before his WWE contract) and he made it.
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Post by American Nightmare on Sept 8, 2006 8:09:52 GMT -5
I have been training at Johnny Rodz's school for about a month now, and I am booked on his next show for my first match. It'll probably go about 4 minutes, but its the point of being in front of a live crowd.
And bumping may not suck for most of you, but Rodz's ring in the toughest in the world. To quote Taz, "the ring is like concrete...if you can bump in that ring, you can bump anywhere". After a month of bumping, i dont feel it much anymore.
If you are starting training, just be prepared to repeat things over and over. Yesterday we practiced comeback spots like 50 times. Thats a irish whip reversal to three consecutive clotheslines and a bodyslam. We also had rope running drills that will blow up even people in the best of shape. The best advice i can give that hasnt been given is to be HUMBELLL! No really, just respect the older guys and the trainers, do everything asked of you, watch everybody do their drills and matches to pick up on things. They take notice of these things, and you will gain respect if you give it.
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