The Best Books to learn Wrestling

When it comes to wrestling, there’s a number of decent books out there that can enhance your game. Whether you’re a beginner that needs to learn technique or a veteran that wants to improve the mental aspect of your game. There are even books for coaches and parents who want to help their children win when competing.

In short, this is a list of the 10 best books for wrestling and there’s a lot covered here. Whether that’s Greco Roman or freestyle, everyone should be able to learn from these books.

These books have been picked due to the following criteria:

• Cost (affordability)
• Quality content
• Length and detail
• Diagrams, photos, and interesting facts

Hopefully, if you’re thinking about learning by reading then these books should give you a boost. That may be in the training room or on the competitive mats, but hopefully, these books can make a difference when performing, whatever your goals are.

Wrestling For Dummies by Henry Cejudo

Most people are familiar with the ‘For Dummies’ series and in this case, it’s done with a wrestling twist. This is written by Henry Cejudo who is an Olympic gold medalist for the USA and is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers ever. This book features both Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling techniques, as well as an explanation of the rules within each discipline.

It also has a brief history of wrestling and where it came from. As the title suggests, this book is for beginners so is written in that way. It’s clearly written and is meant for newbies, in this sense it does the job.

The Wrestling Drill Book by Bill Welker

As everyone knows, drilling is a very important aspect of wrestling and sets out the foundation of learning moves. Therefore, why not try and drill as efficiently as possible? This is where Welker’s book comes in handy and it shows the most effective and match-winning drills out there. It’s also suited for everyone.

Here, you’ll be shown fundamentally solid moves that work from day one, as well as the more advanced stuff. You could argue that drilling is an art in itself and needs to be done meticulously. Simply put, if you’re one of those people and loves to drill then this book is ideal.

The Complete Strength Training Workout Program for Wrestlers by Joseph Correa

Besides techniques, a big part of wrestling culture is the strength and conditioning programs that are out there to use. It’s no secret that being strong and athletic helps on the mats and can give you a competitive advantage. This is the perspective that Correa writes from and this covers all angles as Correa’s been there and done it himself.

Here, he looks at diet and nutrition, warm-ups, and the optimal exercises to get as strong as possible which also helps against injury prevention. What’s nice about this book is that it also has two settings for the programs. These are standard and intense which means you can use each program to match your own goals and not suffer due to the regime being either too easy or too hard.

Grappling and Throwing From the Near and Far East by Allen Pittman et. al

This book is really interesting, especially if you’re into grappling in general and like the cultural roots of wrestling. For instance, Pittman looks at some of the less known forms of wrestling in the eastern part of the world including Chinese Shuai Jiao, Russian wrestling, and Mongolian techniques. Arguably, if you want to be more rounded in your arsenal then you should look at learning some of these moves which may not be as known in the west.

As a result, this book is a great place to start. The cool thing about this book is that you can tell that a lot of detail has also been poured into it. It’s not just the techniques that are described either, it’s also the historical and cultural background of these arts and how they got created. In short, if you want to learn and also have a keen eye on other cultures then this book is great.

Greco-Roman Wrestling by William Martell

With over 500 photos in length, this book is ideal for those looking to learn Greco-Roman wrestling, which focuses exclusively on upper body holds. As you would expect with this amount of photos, there’s a huge library of techniques listed too. Interestingly, this book also looks at more intricate details such as head movements, weight distribution, and combinations. Further, it also has dietary plans and weight and flexibility exercises. It should be noted that this book is about Greco-Roman techniques, so make sure you know that before buying.

Wrestling: The Making of a Champion – The Takedown by Bob Douglas

The Takedown was first published in 1979 by Bob Douglas, but it’s still a classic to this very day and the reason for this is that its techniques and moves are still as fundamentally strong today as they have ever been. This is a step-by-step guide on how to throw and take people down by using freestyle wrestling techniques.

Even though it’s old, the quality of the photographic diagrams is still very clear and this shows moves such as tie ups, shooting, hand fighting, and other movements that are essential in wrestling. As you would also expect by the date that this was published, there’s nothing fancy or flashy here. Instead, it’s just good, solid wrestling which is timeless.

Winning Wrestling Moves by Mark Mysnyk

As the title suggests, this book is designed to get you winning wrestling matches and it has the details to do just that. Firstly, it has over 700 photos and over 200 takedown variations, as well as escapes, reversals, and stances. In short, no stone is left unturned and if you want to learn good, effective wrestling then this is ideal.

A nice touch with this book is that it also focuses on defensive work too. Often, wrestling books will typically focus on the offensive side of the sport which isn’t wrong, but sometimes you’ll have to defend against a good, solid opponent. It should also be noted that this book was written with high school and college wrestlers in mind. This isn’t particularly a bad thing though, as this is where champions are born and bred.

Coaching Wrestling Successfully by Dan Gable

If you’ve trained wrestling, then you’ll know of Dan Gable who is regarded as one of the greatest of all time and also pioneered the ‘Gable grip’ hold. After a popular career in wrestling, Gable then went on to couch many of the US national team and found a formula for success. A lot of his principles were based on hard work, tough mental state and a never die attitude. For Gable, these strategies gave his athletes great success.

For those wondering, this book isn’t about particular techniques but is more so to do with how you can coach athletes and get the best out of them. It also includes some of the legendary, inspiring stories about Gable, as well as how to get students to reach their potential. As a result, this book is best suited for those who want to be the best wrestling coaches they possibly can be.

The Purler Way by Nick Purler

The point of this book is to break down wrestling success into a science, and so Nick Purler strategically breaks down his thoughts into five key chapters. Here, he touches upon the perspective of the athlete, mental discipline, training methods, matches, and coaching for parents and wrestling trainers. In short, it offers a guide on how to both behave as a competitor, but also as a way how to breed wrestling champions.

Generally, this book is guided towards youth prospects but is also applicable to all. Whether you’re a competitor or a coach, you can learn from this book and the good thing about this is that the author Nick Purler has taught these principles again and again, so he’s certainly developed a winning blueprint.

Winning State Wrestling by Steve Knight

This book is devoted to building up your mental toughness as a wrestler and creating a positive mindset. In fact, this perspective can also be applied to other sports too where mentality is key. With this in mind, this book isn’t particularly bothered with teaching physical moves or techniques and is possibly the main book out there that teaches mental resistance.

Because of this, Winning State Wrestling is perfect for those who already know how to wrestle but need to break down mental barriers to win. As wrestling is often associated with mental strength, this book is ideal for those who want to improve their frame of mind when competing.