Becoming a Wrestling Champion is more than lip service. Over the last couple of weeks, I have spoken to a couple of high school wrestlers who are above average, but have not become elite wrestlers.

They have told me that their goal is to be a state champ. When they tell me this, I try to find out what their plan is to be a champion.

In both cases, neither wrestler could tell me how to get better at wrestling. There is more to becoming a champion than just giving those goals lip service. Achieving those goals require action. I would like to talk about what it takes to be a champion.

 

Actions Speak Louder than Words

I hear a lot of wrestlers talk about what they want to accomplish. They have lofty goals… such was winning Fargo, qualifying for state, winning state, etc…

What I notice is that their actions tell me a different story. If a wrestler wants to achieve their goals, then their actions need to be like a champion. Your actions speak louder than your words.

Simply Attending Practice doesn’t Cut it

If all you are doing is attending practice, then you will most likely never achieve your goals. This is the bare minimum that any wrestler should achieve. There is so much more than just attending practice. If you want to be a great wrestler, you should focus on these items.

1. What are your weaknesses? Every wrestler has a weakness they need to improve on. If you cannot identify what you need to improve on, then your competitor can use that weakness to beat you. Identify your weaknesses, so that you can fix them.
2. Are you a student of the sport? In order to be great at wrestling, you should constantly study wrestling when you are off the mat. For example, my son will watch his heavyweight wrestling matches on hudl. This means you watch your matches that have been filmed, watch your opponents, study techniques.
3. Have you identified your competition? If you’re going to be tough opponents, you need to figure out who you need to beat. Then, you need to Identify what each opponent is good at so you can defend them, then identify their weaknesses so you can take advantage on the mat.
4. Rinse and Repeat – Once you are doing steps 1-3, then continue to follow these steps. Becoming a great wrestler involves continual improvement.

Wrestling Champions do Extra!

Wrestling champions always do extra. Even on days when they don’t have practice. Every day is an opportunity to do something that gets you closer to achieving your goals.

This means extra conditioning, working on chain wrestling, studying film, continue weight training during the season.

Don’t let a day pass you that you have not done something to improve as a wrestler.

Coaches and Parents are Part of the Solution

Most wrestlers do not go the extra mile on their own. That is where wrestling coaches and parents come in. I’m not referring to college wrestlers, but I’m referring to junior high and high school wrestlers.

It’s the coaches and the parent’s job to force a wrestler out of their comfort zone. I realize we walk a fine line with our younger athletes, but as parents and coaches, we need to take actions to support them to do extra… to help young wrestlers achieve their potential.

What are your thoughts?

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