Imagine a serious wrestler who said they will take the summer off of strength training. You would assume they weren’t such a serious wrestler since strength is a key component of a wrestler’s success.
How much more important is a wrestler’s mindset? Most agree that the sport is 90% mental and even more on match day.
“Once the mental part goes, the physical part is shot.” -Tom Ryan
If the mental piece is so pivotal to a wrestler’s success, we know we have to do something about it. We have to train our mind to optimize our results.
But why train your brain during the summer? Why is summer an ideal time to start your mental training program?
Let’s go back to the strength analogy. When do athletes make the most gains in their strength training? Nearly always in the summer. Why? There is more time, they are not cutting as much weight, they are competing less frequently, less stress, no school, etc.
Mental training is quite similar. Here are four reasons summer is the best time to begin working with a mindset coach.
- With school over there is more time to build mental training into your weekly training plan. Thirty minutes to an hour a week seems very manageable for most wrestlers.
- With the season over, there is less stress on your mind and body. During the summer, you can reflect on the season without all of the emotions of the season. You are therefore more likely to assess your wrestling more objectively.
- Most wrestlers benefit from the accountability of a mindset coach during the summer more than any other time. It is easy to fall off track or even unintentionally miss key pieces of your action plan during summer. A mindset coach will hold you accountable to all facets of your action plan.
- It is a great time to hear these mindset lessons from someone else. Often parents and coaches will teach similar lessons but it doesn’t stick until they hear it from someone else.
If you are worried that your wrestler might be resistant, just get them to commit to ONE twenty minute trial session over the phone. Once they do, nearly all wrestlers feel more comfortable and see how this can have a positive impact on their wrestling and life.
Sign up for a Free Trial Session Here with Wrestling Mindset