As the result of a concerted effort to accommodate the growing number of female wrestlers, the 2020-21 high school wrestling rules changes are headlined by significant adjustments to weigh-in protocol and appropriate hair length requirements. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee met April 5-6 and recommended 11 rules changes […]

MatBoss is honored to announce the 2023 MatBoss Manager Scholarship recipients.

MatBoss is pleased to announce the eight recipients of the 2024 MatBoss Manager Scholarship. The MatBoss Manager Scholarship was created in 2018 to support wrestling managers across the nation. Recipients are chosen based on their service to the sport of wrestling, academic achievement, honors and awards, as well as their involvement in outside activities and the community.

The list of 21 things I’ve learned could be 51 or 101. I have learned so much over the years about coaching and working with people that it easily could consume an entire book (which I am working on). Below are 11 of the 21 most impactful concepts, ideas, and practices I have learned in […]

I have been a high school wrestling coach for the past 21 years. I have coached youth lacrosse, soccer, and wrestling when my kids were young. This is not a bash on parents. I am a parent as well. It is only a justification from a coach’s standpoint on why it makes the “coach’s” job […]

With the calendar soon turning to October, the college wrestling season is just a month away for most college wrestling programs. There are many stars returning to college wrestling across all divisions. Let’s examine the top wrestler returning in each of the eight divisions of men’s and women’s college wrestling entering the 2024-25 season.

nvironment that fosters growth in every athlete. To help your wrestlers excel, you need advanced techniques that go beyond the basics, incorporating innovative drills, mental conditioning strategies, and data-driven planning.

Many of America’s most accomplished wrestlers ever have their own signature wrestling shoes. Let’s examine the final list of American wrestling greats who have their own signature wrestling shoes. Several wrestlers listed are actively competing.

Many of America’s most accomplished wrestlers ever have their own signature wrestling shoes. In a two-part series, MatBoss examines American wrestlers who have had their own signature wrestling shoes.

At times there is discussion on both state and national message boards about the merits of “classed” individual state wrestling tournaments. At the simplest level, the debate may center on if the state wrestling tournament be conducted as one event regardless of school enrollment size. On a secondary level, discussion may shift towards the “proper” […]

Private lessons are now offered in almost anything imaginable, from music to art to chess to sports. While the sport of wrestling has primarily been taught in team practice settings, private lessons in wrestling are growing in popularity.  Parents and wrestlers are often times faced with the decision of whether or not to pursue private […]

It’s 2008. I’m sitting in an arena in Minnesota, there to watch my youngest son wrestle in a national tournament. He’s a freshman in high school and he’s made it to the finals. He will face one of Minnesota’s studs, a wrestler he had faced many times before and never beaten. Behind me is a […]

In the sport of wrestling, summer is prime freestyle and Greco-Roman season. With the Cadet and Junior Nationals taking place at the end of July, top wrestlers from across the country are preparing to compete against the nation’s best and for the right to be called a freestyle or Greco-Roman All-American or national champion. Other […]

BASE Wrestling is a system developed by Olympic freestyle wrestlers Jake Herbert and Andy Hrovat to test and teach the natural wrestling progression. It combines athleticism, drilling, flexibility, live wrestling, and world-class technique to set up wrestling clubs and wrestlers with the foundation to be successful on and off the mat.Here are five tactics used […]

Having been in the wrestling world for most of my life, both as a competitor and as coach, I have been exposed to all there is out there. I have seen the promise of great talent in an 8-year-old get used and drained and thrown to the wayside by the time he is 13. I […]

MatBoss recently caught up with Grimm and talked to him about national rankings, Division II wrestling, his daughter Emma, competing against Lincoln McIlravy and what it’s going to take to finish the season with a team trophy.

I heard of a movement called “Drive Like Your Kids Live Here.” The concept, as I’m sure you’ve already gathered, is that no matter how you ask or tell people to do something, if it doesn’t mean much to them, your comment is probably falling on deaf ears. The fix? Find a way to word […]

Since 1994, the number of women who participate in high school wrestling has increased from 804 to 13,900 (according to National Federation of High School statistics). There are now 36 women’s collegiate wrestling programs. And recently, thanks to the hard work of organizations like USA Wrestling, the U.S. Olympic Committee, Wrestle Like A Girl, the […]

In 2008, Chris Bono, who was serving as head wrestling coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, received a surprising request. After Nate Gallick, one of Bono’s assistant coaches at the time, was forced to withdraw from the Midlands Championships at Northwestern University shortly before the prestigious holiday wrestling event, Midlands founder and director Ken […]

The 2016-17 college wrestling season came to a close this past Saturday night with the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Mo. College teams using MatBoss performed exceptionally well at the national championships across all divisions of wrestling this season. Thirty-two college programs using MatBoss finished among the top 25 at their respective […]

Wrestling is a sport that is constantly fighting for attention. And the media plays a pivotal role in providing coverage of the sport. That makes the relationship that coaches and wrestlers have with the media an important dynamic. I worked in media relations for nearly 10 years as the communications manager at USA Wrestling. Prior […]

MatBoss, a game-changing wrestling videostats app, was launched this fall and several of the nation’s top college and high school wrestling programs are already using it. MatBoss’ growing list of wrestling programs using the app include two defending NCAA championship wrestling programs, Ohio State University (NCAA Division I) and Augsburg College (NCAA Division III), along with […]

Jason Moorman knew little to nothing about women’s wrestling when King University started a women’s wrestling program in 2009 and he was appointed the program’s head coach. Moorman began researching the history of women’s wrestling, and read up on men’s coaches in other sports who transitioned from coaching men to coaching women. “Anson Dorrance from […]

Four years ago, Melissa Simmons was coaching at a national team training camp when Olympic bronze medalist Clarissa Chun asked her if she knew of anyone interested in a director of operations position. “I was an assistant coach at Oklahoma City at the time and honestly had no intention of switching careers,” recalled Simmons, a […]

Twenty NCAA Division I wrestling programs are using MatBoss, wrestling’s premier VideoStats app, including five of the nation’s top 10 programs in InterMat’s preseason rankings.  Below is a season outlook for each of the 20 NCAA Division I wrestling programs currently using MatBoss.Iowa Tournament Ranking: No. 2Dual Meet Ranking: No. 2 Outlook: Expectations are high […]

Unleash the power of MatBoss, the Hudl for wrestling, and revolutionize the way you analyze, track stats, and collaborate with your team.

ional championship events will take place over four weekends in March. Below are previews of each of the 2024 collegiate national championship events.

Editor note: The following views, insights, and opinions belong to MatBoss contributing author Coach Kless Wrestling is the greatest and the oldest sport dating as far back as 20,000 years ago. And, I believe, and hold in my heart, that nothing compares to the benefits of wrestling when developing young men and women. I understand […]

Tony Gwynn, a Hall of Fame baseball player, helped pioneer the use of film study in Major League Baseball. Gwynn, who passed away in 2014, took a portable video cassette player on the road, a practice that began in the early 1980s. He went on to collect 3,141 career hits in his career and earn […]

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The finals are set at the 2023 MatBoss Minnesota Christmas Tournament in Rochester, Minnesota. Saturday morning’s semifinal round saw three No. 1 seeds fall in three consecutive weight classes, including defending champion Blake Beissel of Hastings at 121 pounds. Wayzata’s Luke Koenen earned a 3-1 victory in overtime over Beissel. Koenen, the […]

“If you host it, they will come.” That’s the philosophy of a number of college wrestling programs that assumes fans will show up at their wrestle-offs, dual meets and tournaments with minimal advertising, promotion and media coverage. That idea may work at some powerhouse programs with a long-established tradition of fans finding their way to […]

heights. While traditional methods remain effective, innovative coaching techniques can unlock even greater potential in your wrestlers. These methods not only focus on refining technical skills but also foster a stronger team culture, improve individual motivation, and optimize overall training.

The 36th annual MatBoss Minnesota Christmas Tournament, Minnesota’s premier high school wrestling invitational, takes place Friday and Saturday at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester. Forty schools from three states, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota, will compete in the two-day event. Wrestling begins on Friday at noon. The finals are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday

The 35th MatBoss Minnesota Christmas Tournament gets underway Friday in Rochester, Minn. The MatBoss Minnesota Christmas Tournament is Minnesota’s premier in-season high school wrestling event. The tournament has a rich history with many past participants going on to achieve success at the highest levels of college and international wrestling.

The 2024 Olympic Games concluded on Sunday in Paris, France. For international wrestlers, it’s the sport’s most prestigious event and one that helps define many wrestling careers. The Olympic wrestling competition took place over the final seven days of the Paris Olympics, with competition in Greco-Roman, women’s wrestling and men’s freestyle. Check out MatBoss’s five takeaways from Team USA’s performance in wrestling at the Paris Olympics.

Wrestling has been called “man’s oldest and greatest sport” and it continues to be passed down from generation to generation. Fathers are coaching their sons and daughters at all levels of wrestling. At the NCAA Division I level, Tom Ryan led Ohio State to its first national championship in wrestling this past season. His son […]

The college sports landscape has undergone many changes in recent years. The NCAA’s transfer portal, which was introduced in 2018, has helped student-athletes formalize the transfer process and give them more autonomy. Student-athletes across all sports, including wrestling, are utilizing the transfer portal to find a new home. Here is a look at five new transfers who shined on college wrestling’s opening weekend.

Weight cutting has been a major part of the sport of wrestling for many years. Wrestlers will cut weight in an attempt to gain a size or strength advantage over their opponents. But is weight cutting necessary in wrestling? Many of the nation’s top wrestlers don’t believe so. In addition, there are countless examples of […]

With the folkstyle wrestling season approaching, MatBoss caught up with Jeff Pape, owner and president of WrestlingGear.com, to discuss what goes into purchasing wrestling gear, from shoes to singlets, to headgear and other wrestling accessories. Shoes ASICS, Adidas and Nike are the three major brands in the wrestling shoe market. Each brand offers models that […]

The sport of wrestling is said to be one of the most demanding sports. It requires hard work, dedication and discipline. It can be both physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting. In addition, wrestlers must maintain their weight to compete in a specific weight class. “Every human being only has a certain life span in wrestling,” […]

This week — and in the coming weeks — wrestlers across the country will be on a holiday break from school. For many high school and college wrestling programs, the holiday break signifies a midway point on the wrestling calendar. How wrestling programs treat the holiday break can vary significantly. Lockport (Ill.) High School, one […]

Jeremy Spates attended Norman (Okla.) High School and had plans to wrestle for his father Jack Spates at the University of Oklahoma. Spates, a state champion and three-time Junior All-American, spent his first year out of high school taking classes at OU and training with the Sooners’ freestyle wrestling team. The plan was for Spates […]

During Mark Branch’s first week of wrestling practice at Oklahoma State University he was approached by Cowboy great and new teammate Alan Fried. Fried asked Branch his name and where he’s from. After the lanky 167-pound freshman from Oklahoma shared his name and hometown, Fried asked, “How did you do in Fargo?” “I said, ‘What’s […]

The wrestle-off was once a staple of college and high school programs and considered the most fair way to select a starting lineup. But that mentality has changed, greatly. Find out why below.  When it comes time to selecting a starting lineup, there are many approaches college and high school wrestling coaches/programs take to determine […]

How does a wrestling coach determine what wrestling camp is the best fit for the individual wrestler within its club or program? Start by focusing on two major areas, says Troy Nickerson, head coach at the University of Northern Colorado and director of Troy Nickerson’s Northern Colorado Wrestling Camps. “For younger wrestlers and those who are inexperienced, […]

Ask any dedicated coach, and chances are, they relish the chance to develop and build the average athlete, just as much as they do the chance to lead the star athlete. While the star athlete may bring wins, program recognition, and put a team and/or coach in the spotlight, the long-term success of any athletics […]

It happens in every sport, at every level: Kids transfer from one school to another. At the high school level, there can be numerous factors. A parent moves to a new city or new state to take a new job. A family isn’t happy with a child’s current situation, so they move them from one […]

The sport of wrestling is unique in many ways. It’s an individual sport with a team component. But in sports like football, baseball, softball and basketball, there are many circumstances where a backup may get into the game. In football, a backup can contribute on special teams, or get in some snaps to give the […]

In the world of high school and college wrestling, proper scorekeeping is a critical component to the success of an event. Matches typically follow a dual meet format, where two teams compete in a series of one-on-one matches across various weight classes. To score a wrestling match, it’s important to understand the scoring system, which […]

There are many wrestlers who have a laundry list of wrestling credentials. State champion, national champion, All-American, and so on. But success on the mat doesn’t always translate to success as a coach. At the same time, there are several successful wrestling coaches who did not achieve a high level of success on the mat […]

On Saturday, Nov. 12 the South Saint Paul, Minnesota High School wrestling team hosted a wrestling fundraiser. The event? A professional wrestling match at South Saint Paul High School. It was a fun evening for wrestling fans and the local community. It raised money, and helped promote the sport of wrestling. It helped the team […]

This article is in response to Todd Martin’s column, The Bottom Line: A Strange Concept, which challenges the claim that Henry Cejudo — or in fact any wrestler, no matter the wrestling resume — could be considered the greatest multi-combat-sport athlete ever. Wrestlers were upset with the article, obviously, because wrestlers are a defensive mob […]

Wisdom on the mat isn’t just reserved for the seasoned; sometimes, it comes from those who’ve faced top competition at a young age. Jax Forrest, a 17-year-old wrestling prodigy, has already competed against and defeated some of the nation’s best. Drawing from his experience, Jax shares invaluable insights for wrestlers and coaches looking to refine their skills and achieve success both on and off the mat.

MINNEAPOLIS — Each year, MatBoss, wrestling’s premier videostats app, awards $500 scholarships to high school or college wrestling managers. This year’s MatBoss Manager Scholarship recipients are Julianne Metzgar (North Warren Regional High School, N.J.), Karla Mejia-Garcia (Basalt High School, Colo.), and Perla Muro (Sioux Center High School, Iowa). MatBoss Manager Scholarship recipients are chosen based […]

MatBoss, wrestling’s premier videostats app, is pleased to announce the addition of Lauren Traxler as the company’s new marketing intern. In her new role with MatBoss, Lauren will be involved in several projects, including the launch of a new website, social media content and follower engagement, email campaigns, digital content creation and editing, as well […]

For high school wrestlers, parents and college wrestling coaches, the college recruiting process can be a time-consuming, stressful, confusing process filled with pressure. Now a wrestling club in Brighton, Michigan, is helping high school wrestlers navigate the recruiting process while at the same time providing a benefit to college wrestling coaches.Legacy Wrestling is offering high […]

The collegiate wrestling season is heating up with an action-packed March that includes three consecutive weekends of national championship events, culminating with the 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships March 16-18 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Check out MatBoss’ preview of the collegiate national championships in March.

Mikayla O’Connor (left) and Jinshi Lu (right) recently joined the MatBoss team. MatBoss, wrestling’s premier videostats app, announces two new hires to support the growth of the company. Mikayla O’Connor has been hired as a customer success associate, while Jinshi Lu has joined the MatBoss team as a software developer. Mikayla O’Connor As a customer […]

One of the primary skills of being a wrestling coach is being a juggler … as in having to juggle multiple jobs that go beyond coaching and training wrestlers. You have to be a camera operator, a statistician, a bookkeeper and more as you film footage of your wrestlers in action … while keeping score […]

Opportunity Overview MatBoss is a rapidly-growing sports tech company seeking a full-time Associate Software Engineer/Technical Support Engineer to aid our customer support team by building out our customer support tools and performing any needed customer support tasks. During the off season this role will act as more of a full-time Software Engineer and will work […]

MatBoss is a rapidly-growing sports tech company seeking a full time Frontend Software Engineer to help maintain our current products as well as help in developing new ones. Location: Minneapolis, MN or Remote Salary: $115,000-$130,000 Job Type: Full-Time, Permanent About the Company: MatBoss was developed to satisfy some of the most arduous and time-consuming challenges […]

Before adopting MatBoss, Coach Whetstone faced significant challenges with uploading and reviewing film. These challenges impacted the team’s ability to make immediate technical changes during competitions.

Before adopting MatBoss for West Holmes High School Wrestling in Ohio, Coach Vaughn faced challenges related to integrating new scoring rules and managing stats during matches.

Cedar Rapids Prairie, a relatively new wrestling program established in 2022 when Iowa sanctioned Girls Wrestling, is led by Head Coach Zach Becicka. Despite being new, the program has quickly grown and now supports a large number of athletes across various age groups. oach Becicka did not experience challenges before using MatBoss as the programs he has been a part of have always used it. However, he notes that without film, the team would not be as good as they are now.

Before adopting MatBoss, Coach Lucas faced significant challenges with the scoring system and results while filming. These challenges impacted the team’s performance by causing inefficiencies and missed opportunities for capturing and analyzing matches.

Before adopting MatBoss, Coach Masters faced significant challenges with managing stats. These challenges impacted Coach Masters’ home life, taking time away from his family.

Before adopting MatBoss, Coach Schreck faced several significant challenges with using HUDL, which was not specifically designed for wrestling.

Before adopting MatBoss, Coach Cortez faced significant challenges with updating TrackWrestling, maintaining accurate scorebooks, and managing video content. These challenges impacted the team’s performance by making it difficult to recall match details and maintain accurate records.

Before 2010, Edina High School did not have a wrestling team. Since then, Coach Burhans has worked to build a strong K-12 program. Edina High School is one of the larger schools in Minnesota, and they have seen steady growth in both participation and results over the past few seasons.

Before adopting MatBoss, Coach Todd and Hampshire High School in Illinois faced significant challenges with maintaining accurate stats. These challenges impacted the team’s performance by making it difficult to track athlete progress and identify specific areas for improvement.

Before adopting MatBoss, Coach Dennis faced significant challenges related to time management and data integration. These challenges impacted the team’s performance by limiting the time available for direct coaching and strategic planning.

Before adopting MatBoss, Coach Baxter faced significant challenges with managing stats and video separately. These challenges impacted the team’s performance by diverting time and resources from coaching to administrative tasks.

Coach Moore had always faced significant challenges with managing stats and video for Monticello High School in Illinois. These challenges impacted the team’s performance by requiring excessive time for data management and reducing the ability to make timely adjustments.

Before adopting MatBoss, Coach Petersen faced significant challenges with compiling stats and staying organized. These challenges affected the team’s performance by limiting the time available for Coach Petersen to provide detailed feedback and analysis.

Before adopting MatBoss, Coach Smith faced several significant challenges related to stat updates and video management. These challenges impacted the team’s performance by limiting the time available for crucial match reviews and technique adjustments.

Before adopting MatBoss, Coach Schultes faced initial setup and video uploading challenges. These challenges required extra time and effort, ultimately impacting efficiency.

Coach Skidmore faced significant challenges with video management at Twin Falls High School before making the move to MatBoss. These challenges impacted the team’s performance by taking time away from other coaching duties and limiting the effectiveness of film study. Learn specifically MatBoss was able to help.

Before adopting MatBoss for West Holmes High School Wrestling in Ohio, Coach Vaughn faced challenges related to integrating new scoring rules and managing stats during matches.

The wait is over: MatBoss is now available for download from the App Store! MatBoss can be found by visiting the App Store on an iPad and searching ‘MatBoss’ (no spaces). The app will appear for download and installation. This week MatBoss customers will receive an email with login credentials and directions on how to […]

MatBoss recently caught up with Coach Brett Hunter and talked to him about preseason training, returning NCAA qualifier Ethan Leake, what’s it like getting a pin in the NCAA finals, his battles with Kamaru Usman and more. 

MatBoss caught up with Dylan Cottrell and talked to him about building the program, their two national finalists, wrestling for Sammie Henson, transfers, recruiting, expectations and more.

MatBoss caught up with Lausier and talked to him about raising the standard at Davidson, what makes Davidson special, Steph Curry, Chris Ayres, Ty Eustice and more. 

MatBoss caught up with Coach Antonio Guerra and talked to him about his first season leading the Tiffin wrestling program, what makes Zack Donathan a great competitor, expectations for the 2023-24 season and more. 

MatBoss caught up with Coach Fechko and talked to him about leading the Lake Erie wrestling program, differences between Division I and other divisions, what makes Ohio high school wrestling so strong, how the sport continues to evolve and more.

MatBoss caught up with Brenton Hamm and talked to him about this season, his team and coaching staff,  Mike Duroe, Cornell adding a women’s wrestling program and more. 

Dalton Jensen guided the Nebraska-Kearney wrestling program to a runner-up finish at the 2021 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. UNK finished just 1.5 points behind St. Cloud State. It marked the sixth time the Lopers have finished second at the NCAAs. MatBoss caught up with Jensen and talked to him about this past season, expectations […]

Damion Hahn, head wrestling coach at South Dakota State, has a wrestling resume that speaks for itself. A two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American as a competitor at Minnesota, Hahn quickly became one of the nation’s top assistant coaches at Cornell, where he spent 12 seasons and helped the Big Red to eleven top-10 finishes. […]

Daniel Elliott is entering his 10th season as Gardner-Webb’s head wrestling coach. The former GWU standout guided the program to a share of the Southern Conference title in 2016. Elliott has had a dozen NCAA qualifiers during his head coaching tenure, including three in 2016. MatBoss caught up with Elliott and talked to him about his team, competitive career (including his victory over Gregor Gillespie), SoCon, expectations and more.

Danny Irwin guided West Liberty’s wrestling program to a fourth-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. The Hilltoppers qualified six wrestlers to the NCAAs and finished with four All-Americans, including a pair of national champions. 

MatBoss caught up with Malecek and talked to him about the WIAC, winning the National Duals title, Division III wrestling, training with Dave Schultz and more.

Dax Charles has spent over 30 years at CSU-Pueblo as a student-athlete and wrestling coach. As a competitor, Charles won a national championship at CSU-Pueblo (then University of Southern Colorado) in 1992 and earned All-America honors three times. He was inducted into the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012 and the CSU-Pueblo […]

Dennis Papadatos has had a successful career in wrestling both as a competitor and coach at Hofstra University. Papadatos, a two-time NCAA qualifier for the Pride, took over as Hofstra’s head wrestling coach in 2014 after serving on coaching staffs at Hofstra, Northern Illinois, Binghamton and North Carolina.    In seven seasons as Hofstra head coach, […]

MatBoss caught up with Newberry’s head wrestling coach talked to him about the season, winning the Super Region II title, recruiting, expectations for NCAAs and more.

MatBoss caught up with Booth and talked to him about how the opportunity at North Idaho College came about, challenges of taking over a program so close to the start of the season, expectations for this season and more. 

MatBoss caught up with Beasley and talked to him about this season’s team and results, coaching staff, Pat Popolizio and what it’s going to take to break into the top 25.

Duke’s wrestling program has seen considerable success under the guidance of head coach Glen Lanham. The Blue Devils had consecutive top-25 finishes (2018-2019) and put together a streak of six consecutive years with an All-American (2015-2020). MatBoss recently caught up with Lanham to discuss this past season, Finesilver family, Jacob Kasper, expectations for this coming […]

MatBoss recently caught up with Grimm and talked to him about national rankings, Division II wrestling, his daughter Emma, competing against Lincoln McIlravy and what it’s going to take to finish the season with a team trophy.

Jake Stevenson, a 2007 NAIA national champion and four-time All-American, has guided Morningside’s wrestling program to a 77-40 dual meet record in his nine seasons as head coach. He has led the Mustangs to three Great Plains Athletic Conference championships and five conference runner-up finishes. Morningside is consistently ranked among the top-20 NAIA wrestling programs […]

MatBoss caught up with Kisgen and talked to him about this past season, McKendree’s top wrestlers, Sam Schmitz leaving the program and expectations for next season.