Arlington High Wrestling

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THE WRESTLER MENTALITY

To the uninitiated wrestling may seem pretty intense and brutal. Most everybody has heard a story or two about a wrestler so obsessed with winning that they went to extreme measures to prepare for competition.

 

Wrestling is pretty intense how will my child survive, and if he does, is that really the part of his personality that needs to be developed?

Wrestling can spark the competitive drive and over time, wrestlers can become very focused and intense, but this is a commonly misunderstood aspect of the sport. Many very successful wrestlers do not fit this mold, and those that do, are not the loud, bragging, in-your-face professional wrestling type. If you were to meet some of the most intense wrestlers off the mat, surprisingly, you would most likely find them to be quiet, respectful, and although confident, in many ways humble.

 

 

So how will your child survive on the mat? What's going to happen when they have to face someone bigger, older or more experienced?

Eventually this will happen. Sooner or later every wrestler gets beat and for most it is a steep uphill battle right from the start. If you are OK with this and your child is OK with this then you are off to a great start. Nobody likes losing but the wrestling mentality is to turn a loss into a new challenge. That does not mean that if a wrestler cries that they are not cut out for the sport. The point is that as a parent you do not need to be concerned about how well your child will do. If they enjoy it and want to continue despite losing they will not only survive, but they will eventually succeed. Differences in natural ability diminish over time. It is the ability to see a loss as a challenge and forge on that really makes the wrestler.

 

 

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Ask anybody that has wrestled for a good number of years, while also participating in other sports, which sport offered the most in the area of character development. Wrestling is an extremely difficult sport. Its survivors have learned that effort and attitude really do drive accomplishment more than natural talent, ability, luck or circumstance. They have developed a strong work ethic, resilience and sense of responsibility for their own destiny, and a lasting inner-strength and quiet confidence. Wrestling is not about who can beat who. It is about commitment and drive. It is about becoming the best you can possibly be. It is the humility that comes from discovering your limits and the sense of accomplishment that comes from ultimately surpassing them. It is about setting goals, selfdiscipline and delayed gratification. Wrestling is the blueprint for overcoming life s challenges, and the learning ground where these principles are tried and proven. This may sound a bit idealistic, and in a way, maybe it is. Not every wrestler benefits from the sport in this way. Changes like this do not happen overnight or even in a year in most cases. Other sports offer many of the same benefits, but wrestling, because of its one-on-one nature and non-violent high-stakes outcome, is the ideal learning ground for these life lessons and this is why it has the greatest potential for having a profound impact.

 

 

The factors that set wrestling apart in this respect are:

Individual Sport
There is a direct link between the commitment and effort one makes and the degree to which that effort leads to success in live competition. There are team dynamics in wrestling but they do not mask or distort the connection between effort and outcome.

 

High-Stakes

The satisfaction of success and sense of accomplishment can be high with most any sport, but very few sports expose their competitor to the degree that wrestling does. Wrestlers have a lot on the line. All eyes are on them when they compete. A mistake is not hidden among the team, and a win or loss can be a very personal thing. Getting beat in a wrestling match with your girlfriend, father or coach looking on is generally a bigger letdown than coming in second in a race.

 

Non-Violent

Wrestling is a sport of control not violence. The objective does not involve physical harm or disabling an opponent as with boxing or some forms of martial arts.This unique combination of characteristics makes wrestling the ultimate learning ground for many life lessons. Learning through experience can take time but it is reasonable to think that a season of wrestling can have a positive impact in at least one of the following areas with even the first year wrestler.

• Self Reliance
• Self Discipline
• Self Confidence
• Self Respect
• Respect for Others
• Responsibility
• Work Ethic
• Competitive Spirit
• Goal Orientation
• Mental Toughness
• Drive and Determination
• Camaraderie and Sportsmanship

HOW DOES WRESTLING COMPARE WITH TEAM SPORTS SUCH AS SOCCER, BASEBALL AND BASKETBALL?
Wrestling differs from most team sports in that during competition, each athlete must rely entirely on their own individual abilities for success. There
are no assists or stronger players there to receive your pass or make a block. With wrestling you have no choice but to meet adversity head-on and
you must summons your own strengths in order to prevail. In addition to the individual characteristics of the sport, there is also a strong
and somewhat unique team element to wrestling. Other sports have their superstars that can carry the team and are responsible for scoring the
majority of points. Each wrestler on a high school wrestling team, however, has the exact same point scoring potential and responsibility and the
camaraderie that develops among teammates is every bit as strong as that of any other sport.

Other team sports develop interactive player-to-player skills such as position play, passing and blocking, but wrestling offers a unique mix of individual and team benefits not found in any other sport. The sense of accomplishment in wrestling, in the words of one ex-football player exceeds even that
of playing on a Super Bowl-winning NFL team as he reminisces about his victory in the high school state championships. Overcoming great difficulty
while relying only on your own strengths builds pride, inner-confidence and that realization that success is only limited by effort and attitude.