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…
Some athletes call it “the Zone” others call it “Flow,” scholars call it “the Ideal Peak Performance State (IPPS).” The feeling that you cannot miss, where time and accuracy seem to be moving and acting at your command. All good athletes and performers know this feeling. When you compete, the idea is to be in…
In competition, focus is best spent on the present moment- on actions. Thinking about past successes or failures will distract you from your mission. Your mission is whatever you have to do right now, not a few moments ago, not a few seconds from now, much less the end of the competition- but right NOW.…
Imagine yourself as a dot in the center of a circle. The circle represents your comfort zone. The walls of the circle represents your personal threshold- your personal limit. In the middle, you are well within your comfort zone. This is where most people choose to remain- never pushing the envelop or risking failure or…