Winning the Winter Break

There are a lot of pity parties going on at this point in the season. Wrestlers complaining about how hard practice is, making weight, bad matches, traveling, and on and on. Too much negativity.

The wrestlers who get the most out of themselves during the break are good at reminding themselves what they love about wrestling (other than winning). They are grateful for the opportunity to train, compete and live the lifestyle of a champion.

Be the 1 in 10 wrestler who focuses on what they love about the sport and the process of improvement. Many wrestlers, even very good ones, will focus on the negatives, make excuses and complain. Rest assure this won’t help. Be the wrestler who finds the love in all aspects of wrestling (the training, the grind, the competition, etc.).

When I wrestled at Penn, our coach Zeke Jones sent us an email. He encouraged us to remember that feeling we got when we first fell in love with the sport. Think about that for a minute. 

Be willing to take losses and humbling practices for the sake of improvement. Embrace the grind and enjoy the challenges of this wrestling season. You never know how close your opponents are to breaking or even quitting.

Stop complaining about overtraining! That word is overused. Unless you are eating, sleeping, thinking and recovering properly it’s not even fair to use the word. I have never met a man or woman who regretted working too hard in HS or college. 

Push each workout and every day. Enjoy the process and be thankful for the opportunity. Not everyone has the opportunity to compete like you do. Wrestling is a gift. If you don’t believe it, stop by any local hospital. There are people your age who are not physically or mentally capable of what you get to do each day. Count your blessings rather than your hardships! 

Make sure you treat each workout and each match as an opportunity not an obligation. Be grateful and you will find yourself not only a better wrestler but a happier person as well.

The best gift you can give your wrestler this winter break is putting them around the right people. Sign up NOW for a free trial session to learn how to get your mind right with one of our 1-1 Mindset Coaches. Get the Mental Edge this season!