Pinning Down Their Strengths
Wrestlers go through intense physical and mental training
By: Scott Young
Stepping on a scale before the next match, wrestlers wait to see if their final push to make their weight goal paid off.
Building muscle, running, and nutrition are all part of the conditioning for wrestling, but a wrestler’s mental strengths are often overlooked, and can be just as crucial and demanding as their physical attributes.
Wrestling coach Fernando Flanagan says the conditioning wrestling entails is both mental and physical, and is more than outside observers expect.
“The hardest part is dieting and getting down to your optimal weight class,” Flanagan said. “Getting through that is one of the biggest mental barriers.”
Some wrestlers are instructed to aim for a lower class and go through an intense weight-loss regimen that is not only a physical drain, but requires a strong mindset to successfully complete.
The intensity of labor-intensive training depends on finding the ideal weight class for each wrestler.
A major step to determining the weight class a wrestler will participate in is a hydration test, which determines the maximum weight a wrestler can drop without potentially experiencing health issues.
Some wrestlers consider the sport to be a 24-hour battle with their own perceptions and limitations.
“A lot of wrestling is in your mind. It is a constant grind,” said Daniel Woo, 11.
The psychological aspect continues all the way to match day, where wrestlers such as Jacob Guerra,12, find it helpful to visualize executing their abilities they learned in practice.
“For a match I usually try to find a good state of mind and think about my moves, what I can hit correctly and techniques I like,” Guerra said.
Woo also uses the mental aspect of the sport to his advantage.
“I picture myself getting those takedowns and eventually it’ll come out in real life,” Woo said.
Wrestlers go through intense physical and mental training
By: Scott Young
Stepping on a scale before the next match, wrestlers wait to see if their final push to make their weight goal paid off.
Building muscle, running, and nutrition are all part of the conditioning for wrestling, but a wrestler’s mental strengths are often overlooked, and can be just as crucial and demanding as their physical attributes.
Wrestling coach Fernando Flanagan says the conditioning wrestling entails is both mental and physical, and is more than outside observers expect.
“The hardest part is dieting and getting down to your optimal weight class,” Flanagan said. “Getting through that is one of the biggest mental barriers.”
Some wrestlers are instructed to aim for a lower class and go through an intense weight-loss regimen that is not only a physical drain, but requires a strong mindset to successfully complete.
The intensity of labor-intensive training depends on finding the ideal weight class for each wrestler.
A major step to determining the weight class a wrestler will participate in is a hydration test, which determines the maximum weight a wrestler can drop without potentially experiencing health issues.
Some wrestlers consider the sport to be a 24-hour battle with their own perceptions and limitations.
“A lot of wrestling is in your mind. It is a constant grind,” said Daniel Woo, 11.
The psychological aspect continues all the way to match day, where wrestlers such as Jacob Guerra,12, find it helpful to visualize executing their abilities they learned in practice.
“For a match I usually try to find a good state of mind and think about my moves, what I can hit correctly and techniques I like,” Guerra said.
Woo also uses the mental aspect of the sport to his advantage.
“I picture myself getting those takedowns and eventually it’ll come out in real life,” Woo said.
