It’s no secret that Freestyle wrestling makes you a more cautious and calculating wrestler because of the threat of giving up points from just about anywhere.

And making the transition from folkstyle to freestyle isn’t always the easiest. For what it’s worth, wrestling is wrestling and from day one you’re taught to stay away from or off your back. But freestyle is its own separate animal and you have to make sure you’re at the top of your game at all times.

Bottom line is that it’s tough to get used to.

For former Penn State National Champ Frank Molinaro, this holds true. Initially, the Gorilla Hulk wasn’t exactly comfortable on the mat when he came onto the freestyle scene.

“I really didn’t know what kind of wrestler I was,” Molinaro said about his freestyle start. “I didn’t know what I wanted my style to be, I didn’t really have a game plan. I was just going out there and trying to find a way to win. My biggest thing was competing hard and trying to find a way to win.”



But he’s got a healthy support system and training regiment to help him make the necessary changes to become the wrestler he is now. I guess you could say that he’s G-Hulk 2.0 as he gets ready for the U.S. Open in Las Vegas.

“It helps a ton,” Molinaro said about his supporting cast. “adidas wrestling is constantly sending me wrestling shoes or anything I need. They’re good people and very supportive.”

Early on for Molinaro, it was tough for him to wrestle the way he wanted because the familiarity of the style just wasn’t there. It made him a more defensive wrestler when in actuality all he wanted to do was attack and score tons of points.



“I didn’t really have too much freestyle experience when I started,” said Molinaro. Now, I’m a lot more versatile. I’ve got so many great wrestlers and great practice partners pushing me everyday, so I have no choice but to get better or I’m not going to be able to compete the way I want to against these guys.”

Now, he has more experience and feel for, not just his opponents, but himself.

“I know exactly what I want to do out there now,” he said. “I feel a lot better and I know exactly how I want to wrestle. I’m a lot more confident going into the matches than I was last year.”

At last year’s Open, he placed fourth after losing to Reece Humphrey in the quarterfinals and Logan Stieber in the bronze medal match. However, it wasn’t his losses that gave him the urgency to make the adjustments and improvements to his game; it was his first match, which he won, that sticks with him the most.

“You’ve got to be 1000% prepared to win going into it and you’ve got to be willing to do absolutely anything to win the matches,” Molinaro commented. “And I wasn’t ready to go off the whistle. I’ll never make that mistake again.”

This year though, things are different. He’s different. He’s way more comfortable with himself on the mat. He’s created a new identity that matches his point-scoring mentality. And he’s not looking back.

“I’m ecstatic. I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited for a tournament as I am for this one,” he said. “I have a good opportunity in front of me and I just want to make sure that I’ve done everything I could possible to win. “I’m not going out there to see where I’m at or feel out the competition. I’m going out there to win.”