“The first period is won by the best technician…” (wrestling adage)
A popular wrestling saying is, “The 1st period is won by the best technician. The 2nd period is won by the kid in the best shape. The 3rd period is won by the kid with the biggest heart.” American wrestler and wrestling coach Dan Gable has been credited for the saying many times since 2005 and possibly said it by at least 1993. (Google Books has no preview for the 1993 book, cited below.)
Wikipedia: Dan Gable
Dan Gable (born October 25, 1948, in Waterloo, Iowa) is an American amateur wrestler. He is famous for having only lost one match in his entire Iowa State University collegiate career—his last, and winning gold at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany while not giving up a single point. He was the head coach at the University of Iowa where he won 16 NCAA team titles from 1976–1997, after which he turned over his head coaching duties to Jim Zalesky. In 2006, after the program took a downfall, Gable asked Tom Brands to become the head coach.
OCLC WorldCat record
Wrestling : a commitment to excellence
Author: Ken Chertow
Publisher: Canton, Ohio : PRC Pub., 1993.
Edition/Format: Book : English
Illinois Matmen Forums
Your opinion on these 2 Dan Gable quotes
MR TWISTER
02-01-2005, 09:05 AM
I have heard these two quotes by Dan Gable over the years and was just wondering what everyones opinion on the validity of this is? Do any of your wrestlers practice or embody these principals?
“If I am not totally exhausted after my match, I feel like I lost”(paraphrased)
“The 1st period is won by the best technician. The 2nd period is won by the kid in the best shape. The 3rd period is won by the kid with the biggest heart.” By Dan Gable
pearl
02-01-2005, 11:17 AM
Twist-
Ive been wrestling, or involved in some way, shape or form for nearly 20 years, and I can tell you I believe every word of what Gable has to say…Another one of his quotes, paraphrased is “when I picture my opponent working, I work hard, when I picture my opponent stop working, I work even harder”...
When I teach kids about wrestling, I tell them about Heart, and how tin the 3rd perios, more often then not, the id that wants it more, will win the match…
He is also very accurate about the technician winning the first period, more times then not…
Great Post!
The Guillotine
lowsingle22
Dec 1 2005, 10:40 AM
The 1st period is won by the best technician. The 2nd period is won by the kid in the best shape. The 3rd period is won by the kid with the biggest heart.
Dan Gable
2 December 2005, Merced (CA) Sun-Star, “Thunder floor Falcons”:
“The first round goes to the best technician. The second goes to the guy with the best conditioning, and the third round goes to the guy with the biggest heart.”
Google Books
The Last Pick:
The Boston Marathon Race Director’s Road to Success
By David J. McGillivray and Linda Glass Fechter
Emmaus, PA: Rodale: Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck Publishers
2006
Pg. 255:
The first period is won by the best technician. The second period is won by the kid in the best shape. The third period is won by the kid with the biggest heart.
Dan Gable, wrestler; winner of Olympic gold and three-time NCAA Coach of the Year
Google Books
The Goal and the Glory:
Christian Athletes Share Their Inspiring Stories
By Josh Davis
Ventura, CA: Gospel Light Publications
2008
Pg. 55:
Dan Gable, the amazing wrestler, says something similar: “The first period is won by the best technician. The second period is won by the kid in the best shape. The third period is won by the kid with the biggest heart.”