Wrestlers often get noticed for their physical qualities. People talk about the speed of wrestlers like Nahshon Garrett, the explosiveness of wrestlers like Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Dake, and the strength of wrestlers like Adam Coon.
It’s these impressive physical characteristics that draw us to sports in general. That’s why sports started right? People wanted to see who was the fastest, strongest, and most physically dominant athletes in the world.
While general components of the mental side of sports, things like the will to win and being confident in oneself, were regarded as important, it wasn’t until relatively recent years that the field of Sport Psychology was brought into the mainstream.
People wanted to be able to improve the mental aspect of their sport the same way you improve the physical.
For example, how do you train to have the kind of mental composure to be down the majority of the match and turn the tide in the final minute like what Jordan Burroughs was able to do in his match against Frank Chamizo at Beat the Streets?
That is the focus of Wrestling Mindset; to be able to train your mind similar to the way you train your body through your practices and workouts. But, the question remains, why do we include a spiritual aspect?
The answer is simple, because it is going to push you further and help you to become a more complete athlete and human being. It can be easy to compartmentalize spirituality and keep it separate from the various aspects of our lives.
However, allowing your spirituality to manifest itself through your wrestling can instill you with a sense of purpose to help push you when you think that you can’t push yourself any further.
As we discussed previously, the external motivators (popularity, fame, etc..) are more likely to fade when the going gets tough, but the purpose of knowing that you are wrestling for Godis going to push you further than you ever thought possible.
In The Heart of A Champion, Bob Richards discusses a conversation he had with two-time Olympic gold medalist and former world record holder in the shot-put, Parry O’Brien.
When asked about the importance of spirituality in sports, O’Brien said, “You can train your body to a peak of physical perfection; you can have it as strong as it is able to be. You can concentrate on shot-putting to the point where you know every minute thing that you’re going to do. But when you get into that ring you need something just a little extra, something down deep within you that can give you that extra boost you need for world-record-breaking performances.
I always pray to God, because I’ve found in Him that power that helps me do just that little extra.” Compartmentalizing your spirituality and keeping it separate from competition can keep you from ever reaching your full potential.
Find your purpose and keep pushing forward!