Yes! Wrestling freestyle in the offseason is highly beneficial for folkstyle wrestlers. Training in freestyle helps improve overall skills, conditioning, and mat awareness, making wrestlers more dynamic, technical, and competitive when they return to folkstyle.

Key Benefits of Offseason Freestyle Wrestling

✅ Improves Takedowns & Neutral Game

  • Freestyle places heavy emphasis on takedowns, leg attacks, and quick finishes, which translates well to folkstyle.

  • Wrestlers learn to attack more aggressively and chain moves together smoothly.

✅ Enhances Scrambling & Mat Awareness

  • Exposure points in freestyle force wrestlers to develop better scrambling skills and react quickly in awkward positions.

  • Learning how to control hips, roll through, and maintain balance gives an advantage in folkstyle scrambles.

✅ Develops Faster & More Explosive Offense

  • Freestyle rewards quick scoring and dynamic moves, making wrestlers more offensive-minded.

  • Practicing throws, ankle picks, and low singles can add diversity to a wrestler’s attack in folkstyle.

✅ Reduces Burnout & Keeps Training Fun

  • The offseason can be a grind, and freestyle offers a fresh approach with different rules and strategies.

  • Competing in a new style keeps the sport exciting and prevents mental and physical fatigue.

✅ Increases International & Collegiate Opportunities

  • Freestyle is an Olympic and international style, meaning exposure to it can open doors for college scholarships and elite competitions.

  • Many top college wrestlers train freestyle in the offseason to stay sharp and improve their game.

✅ Sharpens Transition Moves & Mat Returns

  • Freestyle emphasizes quick transitions between moves, which can make folkstyle wrestlers faster at getting back points and finishing takedowns.

  • Wrestlers also improve mat returns and breakdowns, making them stronger from the top position in folkstyle.

Should Every Wrestler Compete in Freestyle?

Yes, especially if they want to improve their takedown game and scrambling. However, if a wrestler struggles on the mat (top or bottom position), they should balance freestyle with folkstyle-specific training to strengthen those areas.

Offseason Training Plan

1️⃣ Spring/Summer – Focus on freestyle tournaments and camps. Work on takedowns, throws, and exposure points.
2️⃣ Late Summer/Fall – Reintegrate folkstyle techniques while keeping freestyle-inspired offense.
3️⃣ Preseason – Sharpen folkstyle-specific techniques (escapes, riding, mat returns) while applying freestyle footwork and hand fighting.

Final Verdict

Yes! Freestyle is one of the best ways to level up in the offseason. It builds takedown speed, scrambling ability, and an aggressive scoring mindset, all of which will make a wrestler more dangerous when folkstyle season comes around.