I think one of the biggest problems with youth wrestling that carries over to HS is that wrestlers aren't very good on their feet. If you look at the best wrestlers in the country outside of KS & MO (ie: David Taylor, Jordan Oliver & etc), they all are excellent wrestlers on their feet. They do have the other skill sets but the matches start on your feet.
I have my son workout with a couple of KS best wrestlers (Tommy Williams & Bryce Shoemaker) after practice doing live takedowns. They have helped him out alot and hopefully we've done the same for them. The KS parents have been kind enough to allow them to work with my son. We apprecicate it alot.
When you have a wrestler who can do a takedown clinic on his opponent, it forces that opponent to have to pin his guy to win the match (ie: Neely vs Witt, Armoto vs Randell and Pierce vs McCormick). I do believe you need to be good at mat wrestling as well but at the same time, you start on your feet. You have to be able to protect your legs or it's going to be a long day. The same can be said for college wrestlers. The best wrestlers in college can't hold down or get back points against tough opponents and they end up back in neutral position, takedowns are very important.
This is an interesting topic and it shows that MO & KS styles are different and in the end, both states are tough and we enjoy this event year after year. We'll be back next year.
