Askren vs Burroughs
During this episode of the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan break down. First, they jump into talking about the announcement of Ben Askren vs Jordan Burroughs at Beat The Streets New York City. Askren will take on Burroughs in the main event May 6th at Madison Square Garden weighing in at 79 kg. Beat The Streets is a non-profit organization that’s mission is to help youth reach their full physical, cognitive, and social potential. They do so by providing a positive atmosphere where kids can learn teamwork, exercise, and responsibility. It’s the best of both worlds, an extremely entertaining matchup that fans want to see and it’s all for a good cause.
If You Want it Done Right (6:17)
Last year after the Men’s Freestyle World Championships Askren saw people putting up technique statistics but he wasn’t sure if they were correct. He decided to hire some help and create a scoring form for 172 matches. They noted every single point scored and categorized them. During this podcast, Askren and Dernlan will talk about the overview of this project. Over the next few podcasts, they will discuss specifics and breakdown the interesting information you can pull from this data. In the future, Askren will do the same analysis for a folkstyle tournament. This will hopefully inform everyone about the scoring differences between folkstyle and freestyle.
Surprising Statistics (12:11)
Something that stood out to Dernlan in the data was that out of all matches there was only one time where someone scored with a crotch lift. This is one of the top moves taught in youth wrestling. In par terre, Askren was shocked that gut wrenches beat out leg laces almost five to one. This is surprising considering the potential to score multiple points from leg laces whereas you have to earn every gut wrench point.
Comparing Categories (20:20)
Askren points out to keep in mind when comparing categories that certain moves score points for each category. For example, if a wrestler used a control tie to get to the shot to push their opponent out that is points in all three categories. This shows you what setups give the best opportunities to score. Askren and Dernlan will be able to break down the setup, shot, and the finish. Not only is the data broke down this way but it’s also broke down by weight classes. We can see the different techniques that are the most effective at each weight class. Askren thought there would be more noticeable differences in weight classes but the trends by weight class just aren’t there. It goes to show you have to be proficient in every position no matter your weight.
Attack, Attack, Attack (30:10)
Askren brings up something Isaiah Martínez and him talked about in the last podcast, aggressiveness. Especially at a young age being fearless and constantly attacking will allow you to figure out the areas you’re struggling. If you put yourself in situations where you’re making mistakes eventually you’ll figure it out and improve.
Shot Clock & Penalty Points (32:30)
Dernlan is interested in these two categories because of the possibility of a shot clock or penalty point being the difference maker in the match. We see this often where a penalty point such as hands to the face gives one wrestler the edge. Askren discusses how only one match was there more than two points scored in this category.
Point Totals (42:00)
Askren and Dernlan take a look at the categories totals. Breaking down the par terre scoring is simple, 2 points from a crotch lift and 270 from either a gut wrench or a leg lace. Push out either came from a control tie or a shot. Shot clock had 82 points. A category Askren thought would produce more points was front headlock which only had 56 points. Another category that has many variations and produced 36 points was slide by.
Featured RUDIS Gear:
Ben is wearing the RUDIS Wrestling Chance T-shirt: https://rudis.com/product/rudis-chance-t-shirt/
Matt is wearing the USA Merit Men’s Cadet Vest: https://rudis.com/product/usa-merit-mens-cadet-vest/
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Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan host the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast. Askren, World Champion, and Olympic Wrestler joins in official partnership as a content provider for all things RUDIS. Matt Dernlan joins from years of experience in D1 college coaching at Binghamton, Clarion, and Penn State University.
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