Athletes and coaches alike appropriately put a strong emphasis on technique, and rightfully so. You cannot win without skill, instinct, and know-how. Wrestling is a reactionary sport, predicated on motion, position, and will. The right move at the right time is everything, and always will be. However, strength can not be ignored, as it has become almost a stigma to be known as just "strong."

Last time I checked, strength and power were not outlawed in the rules. And while wrestlers with just strength obviously need improvement on their other skills, the ability to be able to power into or out of a move or position is a necessary part of successful wrestling. In wrestling, I always understood the big 3 in order as technique, endurance, and strength. As I get older, I have noticed that those 3 may not necessarily be the best order for all athletes.

Wrestling is built around the participants' ability. Ability can encompass strength, speed, technical prowess, and endurance. Ability is what you have to work with in the present. Potential is what you might have in the future. An athlete's ability is based largely around their body types, the system they are coached in, their will, and the counter-balance to a given opponent during a match. Physical strength is always somehwere to be found.

Strength when needed, is an equalizer. The need to be able to show dominance in a match is ever-engrossing, and not everyone is blessed with the same physical gifts. Some wrestlers are naturally fast and flexible, taking down their opponents with ease, gaining control, and quickly scoring. Other wrestlers win simply by staying in the game long enough to "out-last" their opposition. And some wrestlers are successful when they counter moves with blunt force and will themselves out of disadvantageous positions. Some fans and observers of the sport scoff at these kinds of wrestlers, while I applaud them. Winning doesn't have to be flashy and pretty. Sometimes it is one wrestler's physical and mental will that garners victory, and victory anyway you can get it is always the objective.

I say practice your moves, drill non-stop until the moves and motions are second-nature. I also say do your push-ups, pull-ups, and weights. Sometimes, that little extra strength is what is needed to accomplish the task. In baseball, good pitching beats good hitting. In wrestling, that is only half-true. While the more skilled wrestlers seldom lose, sometimes it is the strong ones who break the more skilled wrestler's will by frustrating them into defeat.

Quick training tip: During post-conditioning, it is a good idea to attempt to simulate the intensity of a match. After the live-wrestling portion of the workout is over, try sprints/suicides in conjunction with different strength and muscular endurance exercises. A good example is to sprint non-stop 3 times to the edge of the mat and back. After the 3 sprints, chin-ups, pull-ups, or push-ups to failure. Repeat this  3-5 times. You (or your wrestlers) will be building strength, muscular endurance, and increase the anaerobic threshold (stamina) by a great degree.