Wrestling is a chess match. Last night, I watched a good wrestler. He was winning the match 4-0 with 30 seconds left. He was riding his opponent and got reversed and put to his back. He lost the wrestling match 5-4 because of a poor decision.

Wrestling is a sport where you have to a good wrestling diet and avoid common wrestling mistakes. I have seen this plenty of times. A wrestler needs to avoid bad decisions that can cause a loss.

Learn how to be a smart wrestler and win more matches

A 1-0 Win is still a Win

If you win a wrestling match 1-0, it is still a win. Great wrestlers are good at defense and offense. Some of the best wrestling matches I have watched were won by one or two points. If you are winning by a small margin, then don’t put yourself in a bad position that can cause you to lose.

One not Five

Have you ever heard the saying “One not five” from a wrestler or wrestling coach? This basically means a wrestler should know when he is in bad position and he knows he is about to be scored on. In this case, it is better to cut a wrestler loose. It’s better to give him the escape than get reversed or pinned.

Know your strengths

Any good wrestler is better at certain aspects of a wrestling match. For example, a wrestler may be better in the top position than the bottom position. A wrestler needs to know his strengths and try to put himself in those situations.

Know your Opponents Strengths

Likewise, a wrestler should know what his opponent is good at. Your game plan should stop an opponent’s attack by defending his best moves. For example, if a wrestler executes the best fireman’s carry you have ever seen, then you avoid tying up with that particular wrestler.

Make Good Decisions on the Mat

A good wrestler understands the sport and how to avoid bad decisions.

This means knowing how much time is left in a period, where you are on the mat, whether to attack or defend, etc… Good decisions come with lots of mat time.

The best thing you can do is to become a student and study the sport of wrestling. Good decisions will mean the difference between winning a match 1-0 or losing a match 2-1.

Mistakes are made in every match. Learn from every match and learn to make better decision on the mat.

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Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the article on learning to how to wrestle smarter. As an active member of the wrestling community, my goal is to grow this wonderful sport.

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