By Daniel Kelly
The
sport of wrestling is experiencing a period of rebirth. Technology has dramatically impacted the
sport over the past five years.
Companies like Flo have raised the bar for coverage of events and
wrestling news. Companies like Track
Wrestling have changed the way people manage tournaments and results. Companies like Flips Wrestling have
contributed to physical technology adaptations that tap into a new market
segment within the wrestling demographic.
There are a slew of other companies and organizations popping up in the
wrestling world, and this contributes to an always-evolving landscape, which is
exciting for wrestling fanatics everywhere.
Other
sports are far ahead of wrestling when it comes to market penetration and
development. Football, baseball, and
basketball have been on the technology business train for decades, and these
sports seamlessly made transitions into the internet markets years ago. Wrestling has been slower to adapt to the
paradigm shift. People are quick to
respond by saying “oh, well wrestling as a sport does not have the funding that
other sports have.” Granted, this is absolutely true. Less following equates to less revenue
generation, which diminishes the odds with regard to future opportunity in
creating revenue. I am employed in the
technology sector, and in my professional opinion wrestling has lacked the
level of innovation needed to create more competition. Aggregate market growth is a byproduct of
competition. Many times we see people
are disappointed if someone in the wrestling community profits personally from
the sport. What’s the problem with
that? I wish we could all walk around
telling stories of all the people who became rich off of wrestling. I bet you all laugh as you read this just
thinking of the notion. If more
wrestling businesses thrive, the sport becomes stronger. Capital creates the opportunity for
sustainable and exponential growth through developing additional products,
services, and more importantly processes. A well-oiled machine is what wrestling needs. So I ask you all who read this: How long will we keep making excuses for the
reasons our sport is not growing? How
long will we keep stating what the problems are instead of finding the
solutions?
What happens when
you put a wolverine and a wildcat together?
Well, the answer is unclear, but I can tell you that Andy Hrovat and
Jake Herbert are two individuals who are changing the game. They are thinking outside the box. The beauty of their mission is that they want
the same thing as every person who has ever stepped foot on the mat: to grow wrestling. The bottom line; however, is that the sport
of wrestling needs more people like
them. What they have done is they have
developed a process. It all comes down to communication and
processes to achieve success in most things in life: athletics, business, and personal
relationships. If communication and
processes are performed effectively there will be success. If they are not performed effectively there
will be failure.
The intriguing
thing about Andy and Jake’s system for training wrestlers is they are not
trying to merely create better wrestlers at a younger age. They are trying to create better athletes. They want to create the perception that
wrestlers are better football players, better baseball players, or better
athletes in whatever other sports they partake in. They are trying to create the next generation
of champions, on and off the mat. Andy
and Jake shared some time with me to provide me with deeper insight into their
vision and the things they are doing to grow wrestling.
Andy Hrovat began
telling me about unique ways that the Base Wrestling system will help kids
develop. “We have developed a points
system that rewards kids for attending wrestling events in their communities;
let’s say they go to a dual meet at their local college or university. The kids are learning by watching. That is one of the bigger things that’s
missing in our country [in wrestling].
Just going to tournaments and seeing what other eight year olds do is
not enough. Without seeing high school
and college wrestlers compete, the kids will never be able to envision what they
are capable of in the future.”
Jake provided some
background on the importance of strengthening youth wrestling. “I have made a lifetime commitment to the
sport of wrestling. It’s something that
I love. It’s something that’s given me
everything I have in my life, and I will never be able to give enough back to
it. I just want to help the sport at
every level and see programs succeed.” I
asked Jake what motivates him to do what he and Andy are doing. He responded instantly by saying: “The underdogs
motivate me; the ones that slip through the cracks without the sport of
wrestling. There is no reason that
anyone shouldn’t have an opportunity to be the best they can be at whatever
they want to be.”
Andy and Jake want
wrestling to be fun for kids. They want
the kids who train at their facilities to play games, and engage in training
that is suited to more appropriately support the development of younger
athletes. The ultimate goal of their
wrestling system is to instill self-motivation in the kids; to instill a better
sense of self-awareness and self-confidence.
They want the kids to challenge themselves. One percent improvement each day is the
mindset they teach. I encourage all true
wrestling supporters to explore the web sites below. Andy Hrovat and Jake Herbert are ambassadors
for our great sport, and they deserve our support. #growwrestling
 |
| www.doublelegninja.com |
 |
| www.basewrestling.com |
 |
| www.barwismethodselite.com |
