Cool,
Calm and Collected…Wins!
Why
do some wrestlers choke or get crazy with anger in adverse competitive
situations and other wrestlers stay calm and focused on the job at hand? Why do some get negative emotion flowing and
others remain positive?
In
my last article I discussed what I think toughness is, and what it means in
wrestling. It means that no
matter how difficult the situation, no matter what is happening either on or
off the mat, you can generate positive emotion that allows you to get to your
‘ideal competitive state’ of being – the state of being where you are
challenged, energized and excited about the fight. Along with that you have the physical,
mental and emotional strength of conditioning and discipline to bring you through.
This is toughness in wrestling.
Toughness,
however, can be sabotaged by negative emotional responses. Negative emotional responses to the stresses of competition
include:
1. Tanking
– The act of quitting or giving up inside and/or making excuses.
2. Getting
angry and negative
3. Choking
All
of these negative responses tend to relieve the pain and fear that accompanies
competitive adversity or failure.
Quitting and/or giving up is the biggest example of ‘tanking’. Excuse making and reducing your amount of
effort is another common form of ‘tanking’.
Subconsciously, some athletes tend to realize that if they reduce
their emotional involvement it will reduce fear and nervousness during the
match. Here are some specific
examples of ‘tanking’:
1. “The
ref screwed me, how can I possibly win.”
2. “My
coach is a jerk; I’ll never wrestle well with him around.”
3. “I
didn’t really try today…otherwise I could beat him easily.”
4. “I hate wrestling overseas.
The food stinks; the hotel was bad and my time clock was off.”
5. “My
opponent cheated. That’s why I lost.”
Getting
angry during the heat of the battle or after a loss is another form of negative
emotional response to adversity. Like ‘tanking’, the anger response to
competitive situations also acts as a protective mechanism for the wrestler. It
can be used to protect one’s self image.
As
a coach, I have seen this happen many times to some of my athletes as well as
others. Some very successful wrestlers
tend to fall into this trap after they have experienced major accomplishments
and now are struggling with what, in their mind, should be a lesser opponent.
They forget that every match should be wrestled with the same challenged
attitude that got them their previous victories. Some accomplished wrestlers
tend to think, now that they have succeeded, every opponent should just lie
down for them…and that every referee should give them all the close calls,
always giving them the edge.
The
moment you start thinking that things should always go your way is the time you
are in trouble.
You have to wrestle every match like you love it. Enjoying the competition of
each match is what will keep you sharp and passionately into your career.
Anger
can be directed in two directions. Inward or outward…Inward means you get angry
with yourself saying such things as “Boy, I am terrible” or “That was stupid,
man what an idiot I am.” This
inward anger is sure death for you.
The outward directed anger, I contest, is also, in the long run
detrimental to your performance. You may get away with it on occasion but more
likely than not, it will blow up in your face.
I
believe to be at your best you must be having fun. Being angry all the time
goes against the idea of enjoying the battle and living your career to its fullest.
Two
great examples of being calm and focused in the face of competitive adversity
come to mind:
1. DAN GABLE after he lost the last match
of his senior year...after going undefeated his entire college career. I never
had the privilege of speaking to Dan about what he was thinking after this
historic defeat but I did watch the video of his match with Larry Owens and saw
how Dan reacted after the loss. He was calm, collected and respectful. He shook
Larry Owen’s hand and then went back to work at preparing to win his Olympic
Gold Medal where no one scored a single point on him.
2. RULON GARDNER, at the 2001 World
Championships in Patras, Greece had to defend his historic Olympic Gold Medal
performance when he beat the legendary Alexander Karelin from Russia. In Patras
he had the toughest draw of any weight class. The pressure was on! In the quarterfinals he met up with the new
Russian superstar, Patrenkeev, who had beaten Rulon twice previously. It was an extremely intense match with the
whole wrestling world watching. With one minute remaining in the match, Rulon
found himself down 0-3. Very calmly and
with great focus Rulon rose to the occasion. His continued and relentless
attack on the Russian allowed Rulon to secure a good body lock where he then
threw his foe through the air directly to his back – pinning him for the
comeback victory. Rulon, of course, then went on to defeat his next two
opponents winning the 2001 World Championships.
‘Tanking’,
anger and fear are all normal responses to the pressure of competition.
Responding
to crisis, adversity & pressure with a sense of challenge and love of the
battle takes intense practice and should be the goal of all wrestlers who
strive for the ultimate success. The true
champions and leaders of our great sport have mastered this toughness skill
that helps them to be champions not only in wrestling but also in all aspects
of their personal life.