Coach's Blog
Pull it all together
By Carl Adams, 06 Feb, 10 @ 01:29pm
I want to share what I feel it takes to pull it all together and be at your very best when it really counts. After 47 years of involvement in wrestling, I have seen enough to know how much more all of us have inside. For example, on more than a few occasions, I have witnessed wrestlers enter the NCAA Wrestling Tournament with a losing record and win the tournament. I have seen what I would consider to be miraculous turnaround at mid season and at season ending competition. I have seen back up wrestlers and non-starters be inserted into the line up and win State and National Titles. All of us can perhaps recall stories about performances that have been absolutely mind-boggling. However, I would also bet that in each one of these situations, we could say that we knew that each one of those individuals had it in them.
The question here is what needs to happen for wrestlers to be at their very best when it will mean the most?
I want to share my thoughts on this topic. First, it is important to understand that there are some very simple measures that wrestlers can do to make sure he or she can perform at a peak level. First, I feel that it is important to understand that the healthier you are, the better you will be able to perform. There have been so many times when wrestlers have injured themselves right before major competition. I feel that the chance of getting injured can be kept to a minimum. The key here is to guard against being injured in the practice room. Often times, at the end of the season you will find yourself practicing with unfamiliar workout partners from other schools. I feel that this can be a major hazard.
Make sure you have a good idea of how to deal with a workout partner who has a dangerous style of wrestling. Further, I feel that it is very important to not let pride and ego get in the way of what you are trying to accomplish in your workout.
Be aware of all of the potentially dangerous situations you might end up in the practice room, especially when wrestling someone much higher than your weight. Don't let your pride get in the way. Always be willing to stop and get a fresh start if either wrestler gets into a potentially dangerous situation. No one really cares about how much you dominated someone in the practice room. A major goal at the end of the season should be to get a quality workout and stay healthy.
Another important item that wrestlers overlook is their nutrition. Your nutrition could be as important as anything you will do to prepare for post season tournaments. The reason for good nutrition is very simple. You need to have as much energy as possible and the highest possible level of concentration when you compete. Further your level of conditioning, concentration and strength is all tied directly to what you eat. How many times have you heard another wrestler or a teammate say " I felt weak out there or that I just didn't have any energy" This is all tied directly to what type of fuel you put in your body. It would definitely be worth your while to consult a nutritional expert and follow a plan of action for what you need to be eating during the closing weeks of your season.
You also need to pay very strict attention to how you are making your weight. You should not be cutting more than a couple pounds the day before you have to step on the scale. You should also plan your weight making routine so that you can have a good meal the night before and perhaps something else to eat on the day that you have to step on the scale. You will find that this will give you much more energy and a higher level of concentration. Of course, this will take more planning and discipline on your part, but it will be worth the win.
Rest is another very important factor when you get down to crunch time. You need rest to recover from hard workouts and you need the proper amount of rest to improve your level of concentration. Often times, I find that wrestlers do not take advantage of all of the opportunities to get quality rest. I think most will agree that the biggest culprits are television, video games, pulling pranks on each other and last but not least, just hanging out when you could be getting some quality sleep. My advice would be to take advantage of every possible opportunity to sleep or rest. Keep in mind that you are only talking about a short period of time before your season ends.
At this point in the season, your opportunity to improve conditioning will be minimal if you have not already taken care of business on that front. However, it is possible to add a small layer to your conditioning with less than two or three weeks remaining to your season. Running long distance, extra sprints and hard wrestling will add to your conditioning. However, the key is to know when to back off. There will be a point at which you will get diminishing returns from over working yourself. It is important to know when to back off and go into a resting mode. Typically this will be a couple days before you compete. You need to let the body rest at a certain point because you are not helping your cause by draining the energy you will need to compete with. For future reference, you should start you final push for getting your conditioning up to a peak level at least six weeks before your post season competition starts. This will give you an opportunity to build a strong base of conditioning that will really pay off at tournament time. I will not go in to it in this newsletter, but strength training should be a major part of your conditioning program as well.
The end of the season is the point at which four things must come together. Attention to conditioning, technique, nutrition and mental preparation must be at the highest possible level. If a wrestler can achieve getting these four areas up to a premium, your performance will also be at a premium.
Last but not least, I want to talk about the most important factor. I feel that Mental preparation is everything at this point.
It is critical for wrestlers to understand how powerful the mind is. One's mindset and mental preparation is the driving force behind any success that you might have. This would be true in any walk of life. I mentioned earlier that I have seen miraculous post season performances by wrestlers who have had very uninspiring seasons up until the post season.
Regardless of how well or how poor you have performed up until this point, you can be so much better and achieve so much more. There are a few things that must happen for the switch in your head to be turned on. First, you must realize and believe that your potential to achieve is virtually unlimited. For example, just consider some of the feats that humans have been able to accomplish down through history. Secondly you must believe and come to the realization that you have the ability to unleash this potential at any time. The key here, is that you must believe, believe, believe.
This is the formula for what I feel needs to happen for you to unleash all of the power within. First, you must make a very definitely decision about what you want to accomplish. In other words, you must have a GOAL. Secondly, there must be an unwavering commitment to achieve this GOAL. Now, the key is how well you are able FOCUS and make this GOAL a reality. (FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS)
It is important for you to understand that it is the mental that drives the physical and not the reverse. Your mindset and your thought process is the engine that drives everything that you do physically. The key here, is to melt what you want to accomplish mentally and physically into one.
How do I do this?
Your GOAL must become a part of who you are and of course, what you want to achieve. In other words, you and your GOAL must become one. There are daily exercises that can be performed to help you make your GOAL a reality. Achieving your GOAL should be on the surface of your thought process at all times. This means that you will have to perform daily exercises that will help you visualize and feel your GOAL happening on a daily basis.
If you haven't already done so, you should have your GOAL written and placed in an area so that you can see it as many times as possible during the day. Perhaps you might want to hang it on your bedroom door or write it on the cover of your favorite notebook. Make sure that you are reminded as many times as possible during the day of what your GOAL is.
You must say your GOAL to yourself as many times as possible. However, you don't have to do it in such a way that people will think that your are "losing it". You can say it privately to yourself as many time as you think about it. Your GOAL must become a part of your subconscious as well conscious thought process.
Mental imagery is a powerful tool. It would help if you were able to do some Mental Imagery every time you had an opportunity. Here are some suggestions you might want to consider. Any time that you have quiet time by yourself or immediately after practice, get yourself into a totally relaxed state both mentally and physically. Close your eyes and try to visualize yourself competing against the individuals you will have to defeat. Try to visualize every aspect of what will happen during your competition. See yourself warming up for the match, visualize the smell of the mat, visualize yourself walking out to the mat, see yourself shaking hands with the opposition. Visualize yourself wrestling and scoring points. Visualize yourself winning all scramble situations. Visualize yourself not giving an inch on any physical or mental battles. Visualize yourself reacting swiftly to all situations and attacking every opening. Visualize yourself surprising your opponent and breaking his spirits. Visualize yourself never getting tired. Visualize yourself getting your hand raised on the championship podium.
You are a Champion.
Best of luck
Comments
Add your comment to this discussion!