1. Passion– The best wrestlers love what they do period. More than just winning, they love to train, they love to compete, they love the grind. I talked with Olympic silver medalist and MMA fighter Matt Lindland this weekend and he told me that his mental edge is that he loves to train, compete, and of…
Key Takeaways from Olympian Ken Chertow: 1. You need to be the Total Package to be the best. Ken takes a very holistic approach to wrestling- Technique, Nutrition, Strength & Conditioning, & Mindset. Technique- Since I was a kid Chertow Camps have been known for their World Class clinicians. Ken Chertow himself is an Olympian,…
Problem- You get negative thoughts, fears, and doubts. How do you change your stinkin thinkin? You don’t. You change your relationship to your thoughts. I may or may not know you personally, but I do know this- you take your thoughts waaaay too seriously. Here is your cycle, (1) you are in the middle of…
Here is a story from a Coach who wishes to remain anonymous, which I feel really embodies Wrestling Mindset. A stranger helped me out this morning without realizing it but in reality I helped myself out because that’s what I’ve always done. I got to the beach early and I went for a long run…
CHAPTER 4: PERFECTIONISM KILLS PERFORMANCE My Master’s Degree Thesis topic was: Anxiety and Perfectionism in High School Wrestlers. There are not many Psychology scholarly articles specifically on wrestlers. Here are the results in simplest terms. We know that Anxiety (stress, nervousness, fear) have a negative effect on performance. Perfectionism and Anxiety have a positive relationship.…
Being nervous, anxious, worried, or scared has a predictable affect on your mind. Tunnel vision sets in. You revert to your most rehearsed behaviors for safety. You become literal-minded. Have you ever tried telling a joke or being sarcastic with someone who is in this state of mind? Notice how they don’t quite get what…
To become a better competitor, one must practice competitiveness. The Best Powerlifting Gym in the World (Westside Barbell) on Mental Toughness: “At Westside, we have many in-house contests…They can happen without notice, and most often, that’s the case…If someone refuses to engage in a spontaneous contest, we will throw challenges at him when he least…
Chris Weidman (wrestler) took the Middleweight Championship of the world from Anderson Silva because Silva failed to keep his intensity level high. Will eventually beats skill (when skill begins to lack will). Now you may know the contents of this Mindset Monday before you read further. But before you click off, ask yourself, “How well…
Mental Toughness is plain and simple- never giving up no matter what. In my Personality Psychology class, we learned that Character is revealed during difficult times, not easy times. This may make intuitive sense to many people, but there is also a good amount of scientific research to support this idea. You just can’t ever…
Stop approaching your sport as a spectator! Players play, coaches coach, administrators administrate, and there can be no overlap in between. When we competed at the National Duals in college, Coach Zeke Jones reminded us, “We are here to compete, not as spectators.” In between rounds we didn’t stick around to watch Iowa vs Oklahoma…