In the last several years, we have seen an upsurge in a focus on “mindset training;” the recognition that the competitive mindset – this mental muscle – is something that wrestlers should place significant focus and value upon in the course of their growth in the sport. Obviously, I am one who has aligned with […]
As some of my readers know, I do some traveling and speaking throughout the country, particularly in the summer and fall months. Some of these speaking engagements involve large venues and audiences, while others are smaller and include presentations to high school and college wrestling programs. Back in October, one of my stops was at […]
In reality, there are several different facets of the wrestling community. There are family, friends, and fans of the sport. There are wrestlers from the past, those who paved the way for the sport – some still living, some who made their exit from this world long ago. And of course, I find it important […]
I walked with determination toward the small gym just across the hallway from the large gym where I had finished wrestling. I was fuming! I won the section finals, but barely squeaked by with a 4-3 win over Nathan Applegate. Why was I angry? Well, I almost lost. I almost lost to a wrestler I […]
Wrestling can save the world. Picture what this means within the contour of your own mind, and follow me as I work through this… Community in wrestling has long been an area of intrigue for me. Wrestling is easily recognized as an individual sport. However, the closeness apparent in the wrestling community is beyond anything […]
There is joy in victory. If the subject is wrestling, we can confidently say that wrestlers experience joy in victory. And it’s not just because of victory in and of itself, but because of all that preceded it: that is, the sacrifice, suffering, training, endurance and dedication. Now, it’s true that joy in victory is fleeting. […]
My previous article was intended to be my last for the season; but I found myself stuffing down inspiration for something that was on my mind as I saw post after post of excitement on Facebook from Missouri coaches and parents so proud of their wrestlers qualifying for the State tournament this week. I’ve written […]
Note about the photo: J’Den is the archetype for the right role model described in the article. He lets his performance do the talking. I read an article recently about a current wrestler (who will remain nameless). The article discussed this wrestler’s mindset and approach toward the finish line of his collegiate career. Now, from the […]
In my book, The Wrestler, I devote a chapter to “gratefulness”. That is, being grateful for the opportunity to train, to compete, to be a part of state, national, or even world level tournaments, to put everything on the line in order to achieve all you can in the sport. Not everyone experiences the life […]
One could argue that the occurrence of the “upset” is what keeps a sport alive. And I would have to agree with them. If the giant always walked away victorious over the challenger then people would probably lose interest in watching the game. I believe there is a tendency within our human nature to desire […]