He ended up training sentry dogs even though his education was in chemical engineering.  Last year he and my brother went out west to meet with the Canine Unit that served 50 years ago.  He met up with some folks he hadn't seen since the war ended.

Lets all take a moment to thank our Veterans.  Without them we wouldn't have our freedom.

Let's take a closer look at each of these.

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol is already illegal for those under the age of 21, and the effects have been well documented. Drinking can lead to poor conditioning, impaired judgement, accidents, greatly decreased athletic ability and a host of other issues. There aren't many people who need convincing that alcohol use is a bad decision for youngsters.

Women

Ask yourself how many times you've skipped a workout because of a significant other. Having a serious girlfriend can have serious consequences for an athlete. His focus shifts to something other than the task at hand. Anytime I see a wrestler holding hands with a girl at a wrestling meet, I know he's not focused on the meet. In life, it is imperative that we prioritize. Young athletes struggle to prioritize, especially when it comes to the opposite sex.

Drugs

While the above two are well-known, the third one is the only one on the ballot in Ohio, where the state is considering legalization.

While much of the emphasis has been on medical marijuana, recreational marijuana would also become legal.

The True Story you must read

For those who argue that pot is a “harmless” drug, allow me to share with you this true story…

Years ago there was a young man who trained with me… came to camps, as well as my club. Had an edge to him but I liked him and enjoyed working with him. He was a likable, gregarious, outgoing young man.

As many athletes come and go, he did as well. I didn't hear much about him until about a year after his graduation…

That's when I saw his obituary in the paper.

A call to his coach told me the rest of the story…

He had started smoking pot early in high school, and continued after graduation. He slowly drifted, losing interest in everything in his life, except getting high.

They found his body next to the train tracks. They weren't sure how long he'd been there – perhaps 3 days. He was 19 years old.

A gateway drug

Marijuana is a 'gateway' drug…it often leads to the use of harder drugs. While I am well aware that many people smoke pot, lead constructive lives, and manage to do fine in life, there's no question that it has a dulling effect on the senses, causing one to care less about goals, plans, and life in general. And I know from personal experience the effect it can have on a young person. Quite frankly, in the position I am in, I have seen many athletes ruined by pot use. Too many to ever convince me it is a harmless recreational endeavor.

Here's my biggest concern with the legalization of pot…It condones use of drugs and it sends the wrong message to our young people. Even if the voters reject the legalization of pot, just having it on the ballot tells our young people that, on some level, we condone its use and don't think it is harmful. That's not the message we should be sending.

If you don't agree with me, that's fine. If you don't believe me, ask the mother, or the father, of a young person who died from the use of drugs, whether their child ever smoked pot. I can be pretty sure what their answer will be.

For a change of pace, and to support my kids, I volunteer in the local community to coach soccer every fall.  This has been a mostly positive experience, with youngsters whose chief motive is having fun, and most of the coaches and parents being supportive of that venture.

However, this season, an opposing coach decided to ruin it for everyone by bending the rules (to the point of breaking), then bragging about his team being “undefeated” after he cheated for most of the season.

Following a prior 3-3 tie game, his team 'borrowed' some players (while sitting his own rostered players on the bench), and promptly beat us 5-0.  A thorough humiliation.

Every year I see athletes commit two very big flaws while attempting a takedown.  These two are so prevalent that they can be seen in practically every single wrestling match.

Leg riders benefit greatly from two huge flaws that nearly every wrestler commits in attempting to counter legs.

Here are some of the most common fatal flaws in wrestling:

• Locking hands wrong on a standing single (cost the above mentioned wrestler a national title)
• Go behind attempt for takedown (2 flaws)
• Leg riding – positioning (going to the hip) and attacking with the wrong arm
• Two on One counters (committed by many high level athletes and taught incorrectly by many high level coaches)

Interestingly enough, most wrestlers and coaches believe they know exactly how to win from these positions, but sadly, most of them are misinformed, which is why these flaws continue to perpetuate.

There are at least 4 more on the feet that I can think of at the top of my head, (and probably another dozen if you give me another half hour), but I won't get into the specifics until the upcoming Takedown Master Camp, where I will be exposing these critical flaws in detail…and showing athletes in attendance how to beat their opponents by exploiting these weaknesses.

There are tons of them from the top/down position, in addition to the leg counters and top position, and you will be trained to take advantage at the upcoming Mat Crush Camp.

Youth wrestlers face even more fatal flaws, some related to beating head & arm and cement mixers.  These are easily fixed and you will be trained to do so at the Fall Youth Takedown Camp.

Every wrestler can win more matches immediately by learning how to beat fatal flaws.  That's why these flaws are exposed during camp – so you are ready to take advantage when the season gets rolling.

Please don't make the mistake of thinking you will “learn it on the fly” in the middle of the season.  Its a fatal error many people make, and unfortunately, the result is desperately trying to play catch-up in the middle of the season instead of excelling right out of the gate.

If you're a wrestler, now is your chance to learn what most don't know, expose and beat these fatal flaws.  Its agonizing seeing wrestlers devastated by losing in these ways.

But in Freestyle and Greco wrestling, this happens on a regular basis.  Just this year, the 5 point grand amplitude throw – I’d call it the Grand Slam of Greco wrestling – was in the rules…and then OUT…and now, as of today, back IN.

We wonder why we struggle in Freestyle and Greco – sports that are immensely more exciting than tons of sports out there – including the much more popular baseball – and then we see these drastic mid-season rules changes.

I implore the powers that be (UWW, I’m talking to you), to stop a minute and think about what you are doing.

Changing rules in such a flippant manner cheapens our sport and harms it more than you realize.

Let's start with Lacrosse.

If you are asking yourself why an Ohio college would pick up a sport like Lacrosse, let me throw some descriptions your way:

• Exciting
• Fastest growing sport
• Inexpensive
• Will bring in fans

I often ask myself, Is the wrestling world ready for this attacking system of wrestling?  If you'd like to read more about it, click the button below and read all about it.