I often like to let some time pass before I go back and rewatch matches. I will watch the matches without audio, focusing primarily on technique. I just rewatched all of Levi's matches from his impressive U23 World Championships gold medal run and thought a dedicated Levi appreciation thread would be nice since Thanksgiving is right around the corner.
As I watched Levi's matches it dawned on me how similar his style and mental approach is to how Zain wrestles. They both are so calm on the mat, not allowing their opponents' behavior to rattle them. You are not going to get them to deviate from their gameplan, no matter how physical or dirty you wrestle them.
The main thing that stands out to me with Levi is his hand fighting. He has such heavy hands, but he is also great at not just hanging out in his ties. He is constantly changing up his ties, switching between his opponents' head, wrists, elbows, etc. He also is consistently changing his level on his feet. This makes it tough for his opponents to not only maintain solid defensive positioning, but to get to their offense since it is hard for them to have enough time to get themselves in position to initiate an attack.
Levi's ability to wrestle from close quarters and still be able to get to his attacks is such an asset for him. He rarely gets out of position in his stance or during his shots and has a great conversion rate when he does shoot. Even though Levi tends to wrestle from in close, he is always moving his feet, making it difficult for his opponents to get a clean shot on him.
I have also been impressed with Levi's freestyle growth in the last year. I see him adding to his freestyle arsenal. At U23 he hit a beautiful par terre turn where he got the exposure by placing his head between his opponent's legs while controlling a wrist. As Levi continues to improve his par terre wrestling he is going to be that much more dangerous a wrestler.
And finally, I have always been impressed with Levi as a person. Even though he is a fierce competitor, he always treats his opponents with respect. I have noticed how he always gives a firm handshake along with a smile at the start of his matches. That being said, I also love that he doesn't back down from a fight. Even though he doesn't wrestle dirty in response to an opponent wrestling dirty against him, he does bring the heat to them, making them regret their actions. His match against the Russian at U23 was a prime example. Instead of retaliating against the head slaps, cocky behavior and feigned injuries, Levi just upped his pace and physicality to where by the end of the match his Russian opponent had lost all his composure. One funny thing I noticed in Levi's match with the Russian is that at the start of the match Levi had his foot on the line of the circle like he was supposed to, and the Russian tried to push him back before the whistle. Levi just stood there. When the whistle blew, Levi shoved him backward, letting him know he wasn't going to be bullied.
Now that the college season is upon us, I can't wait to watch Levi win another National title to cap off his great Penn State career!
As I watched Levi's matches it dawned on me how similar his style and mental approach is to how Zain wrestles. They both are so calm on the mat, not allowing their opponents' behavior to rattle them. You are not going to get them to deviate from their gameplan, no matter how physical or dirty you wrestle them.
The main thing that stands out to me with Levi is his hand fighting. He has such heavy hands, but he is also great at not just hanging out in his ties. He is constantly changing up his ties, switching between his opponents' head, wrists, elbows, etc. He also is consistently changing his level on his feet. This makes it tough for his opponents to not only maintain solid defensive positioning, but to get to their offense since it is hard for them to have enough time to get themselves in position to initiate an attack.
Levi's ability to wrestle from close quarters and still be able to get to his attacks is such an asset for him. He rarely gets out of position in his stance or during his shots and has a great conversion rate when he does shoot. Even though Levi tends to wrestle from in close, he is always moving his feet, making it difficult for his opponents to get a clean shot on him.
I have also been impressed with Levi's freestyle growth in the last year. I see him adding to his freestyle arsenal. At U23 he hit a beautiful par terre turn where he got the exposure by placing his head between his opponent's legs while controlling a wrist. As Levi continues to improve his par terre wrestling he is going to be that much more dangerous a wrestler.
And finally, I have always been impressed with Levi as a person. Even though he is a fierce competitor, he always treats his opponents with respect. I have noticed how he always gives a firm handshake along with a smile at the start of his matches. That being said, I also love that he doesn't back down from a fight. Even though he doesn't wrestle dirty in response to an opponent wrestling dirty against him, he does bring the heat to them, making them regret their actions. His match against the Russian at U23 was a prime example. Instead of retaliating against the head slaps, cocky behavior and feigned injuries, Levi just upped his pace and physicality to where by the end of the match his Russian opponent had lost all his composure. One funny thing I noticed in Levi's match with the Russian is that at the start of the match Levi had his foot on the line of the circle like he was supposed to, and the Russian tried to push him back before the whistle. Levi just stood there. When the whistle blew, Levi shoved him backward, letting him know he wasn't going to be bullied.
Now that the college season is upon us, I can't wait to watch Levi win another National title to cap off his great Penn State career!
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