Last week saw me attend a wrestling camp hosted by Johnny Moss and Marty Jones, two men that I have trained under before and two men I have learned a great amount from. Johnny Moss is one of the most experienced and respected wrestler’s and coaches in Europe, with him also having recently been a guest coach at the WWE Performance Centre in Orlando, Florida and a great influence to many wrestlers’ across the world. Marty Jones has decades of experience in wrestling and coaching, with him currently being the head trainer at Grapple Wrestling’s Leeds-based gym, a gym that I visited a couple of months ago.
The camp took place in Egremont, a town in Cumbria that is not far from Whitehaven and roughly a 90 minute drive from Carlisle. Myself and many of the other camp participants were staying in the nearby seaside village of St Bees, with me deciding to head down on the Friday so I could settle in and be prepared for the camp starting the next day. The M73/M74 was an utter nightmare, with there being roadworks and an abundance of traffic adding at least 30 minutes to my already long journey down south. The roadworks were nowhere near as bad as Catterick Garrison, but still a nuisance.
The camp started on Saturday at 12pm, with there being seventeen participants of varying levels of experience and from different parts of the country, with there being four more based in Scotland, some from the North East of England, some from Yorkshire and some of Mossy’s students as well taking part. The weather could have been better on the Saturday, but it did not stop us from being taken outside to do some warm-up shuttle runs, squats and tandem exercises.
The first day of camp would also see us do in-ring drills and fundamentals to see the levels each participant was at. A new spin was put on basic spots such as the ‘international’ and it was interesting to be re-educated away from the habits I have got into after years of training and being on shows. It was rather eye opening to be honest and I will admit to finding it difficult embracing a new way of doing things, with me having a nervous approach towards some tasks, but it was good to be taken outside of my comfort zone, as it is very easy for someone to stay there and keep doing things ‘their’ way by any means necessary.
The second day of camp explored various sequences, takedowns and spots, as well as the psychology behind them. Again I was required to step outside of my comfort zone, as we were at one point required to do second rope dropkicks, something I had never done before and was anxious in trying. Once I had managed it though, it felt good knowing I had done something I had never done before. Learning the technique of how to do a ‘wrestler’s bridge’ from standing was also good, as this is something I had struggled with initially and something I have always wanted to do.
We were also required to pair up and showcase a short, match-style sequence from which I received priceless feedback regarding what to do and what not to do during a match. It was also helpful watching other pairs and learning from them too. One major thing I learned from the camp was to think of things that you do in the ring from a fan’s perspective. It is very easy to do things from your own perspective, as I have done this many, many times over the years, but sometimes your own perspective does not reflect that of the people that have purchased tickets.
Overall, the camp was a positive learning experience and I would like to thank Johnny and Marty for having me and taking the time to help me become a better wrestler. I am already putting their teachings into practice and look forward to doing so whenever I have the opportunity to step into the ring. Next week’s blog will be an insight into the W3L shows that recently took place in Glenrothes and Dunbar, as well as the October SSW show. Until then, that is the Life of Smith. Good day.
Lucian Maynard Smith
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