Why I Love Wrestling

Introduction

There is an interesting dynamic to being a wrestling coach that I think is fairly unique in the sports world. Wrestling is the world's oldest sport and has a global following of obsessive fans that would amaze many Americans. Stars like Kyle Snyder, David Taylor and Jordan Burroughs all have more than 200,000 Instagram followers and make comfortable livings traveling the globe representing the US. When they arrive in other countries to compete they are met by thousands of fans and packed arenas. However in the United States they are only known by the people who love the sport of wrestling. As a result of this, coaches in our sport have to act not only as technical coaches to kids but ambassadors of the sport in general to our students and families. To introduce many of you to the sport and give you a chance to love it as we due I have written a short essay about What I Love about wrestling.

What I love about Wrestling

What do I love about wrestling is a point that I have asked myself many times. Usually, this is a self-reflection that takes place after spending a whole weekend at a gym, listening to people talk about their vacation that I cannot go on, hearing coaches from other schools complain about the grind, and the lack of support from their school, etc.... In those moments I always ask myself, why do I do it? What is it about this sport that keeps me coming back? I know it is not the long hours, the missing time from my family, the stress it puts on my mind and body. Why do I do it? To quote the wrestling apparel company Rudis, It's a way of Life. I do not think there is any other way to explain it.

A Shared Experience

People who wrestle or are involved in wrestling are in a sub culture that includes tens of millions of people globally; but in the United States, wrestling is understood by only a few million. This lack of understanding is both a blessing and a curse. I cannot talk about wrestling with an outsider as their minds slip immediately to pop culture imagery that has little relevance in the real world. We do not have turnbuckles, tag team matches, or "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Our elite high school athletes do not starve themselves down 20+ pounds in two days through extreme weight loss measures as it has been both glamorized and demonized in our society through movies, tv shows and videos of weigh-ins for similar "combat" sports like UFC and Boxing. This disconnect makes explaining our sport with outsiders difficult and frustrating at times. Due to a lack of understanding, some people have no context for discussions and would prefer to talk about March Madness, and you are talking about March Matness.

In a sense that is part of what makes wrestling great. When you talk with another Wrestling fan about the 133 lb bracket being unreal, did Sammy Brooks have the best Mullet in College Wrestling, how Nick Lee coming out the Pokemon theme song his freshman year NCAA final and winning it was one of the coolest things ever, should Ohio Native and OSU graduate Logan Stieber have won his first of four NCAA titles, or is Vision Quest a good movie? In these conversations, a bond is created that is much deeper than the superficial discussion about the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament or the Superbowl that shows you are with the trends. You have indirectly acknowledged the sacrifices the athletes and their families have undergone to get where they are now.

Anyone can do it.

Wrestling is the only contact sport offered in schools where you are matched with other athletes of your size. Your weight is your weight, with 14 weight classes you will get paired with kids roughly your weight, the scale does not lie. In other sports you do not have an opportunity like this; for example, in football a 106 pound safety may have to tackle a 200 lb running back or receiver. Another proof that anyone can do it is in the way that we set our lineup. Anyone who thinks they should be varsity has the opportunity to ask for a wrestle off. This is an opportunity to prove you are better than the starter; you cannot do this effectively in any other sport. As a result of this, I have never experienced a situation where a parent or wrestler is complaining about being better than the person in front of them. The kids and parents are very aware of where they stack up.

Lifelong Skill Development

Wrestling creates mental skills that you would not develop in many other sports. With wrestling one can learn how to overcome many obstacles and challenges that will make them mentally stronger and prepared to take on the world. Some of the skills one can acquire from wrestling include: self-reliance, self-confidence and self-discipline. A wrestler will also learn to develop sportsmanship and respect for their opponent. Every wrestler will lose at least once (if not many times!) in their career and losing teaches a wrestler to always be respectful and be a good sport. Losing will also teach the wrestler to always remain humble.

Fitness

One of the best parts of wrestling is the full-body workout that you get in training for the sport and in the matches. In wrestling, a person works out their entire body all at once. The constant pushing and pulling motions work the entire upper body, and since many motions are in a squatted position, the legs get worked as well. Wrestling also requires a great deal of core strength for balance and short, explosive movements when trying to secure a take down and a great deal of flexibility when fighting off an opponent’s take down and turn attempts. A wrestling match is six minutes of non stop action, so a wrestler needs be in excellent cardiovascular shape. The more a person wrestles, the more they develop both functional strength and cardiovascular endurance. Many wrestlers do not just stop after practice; they will often get in an extra run early in the morning or later on in the evening to get in even shape and help them make a certain weight class. Proper nutrition is a very important aspect of wrestling since there are weight classes. A wrestler must eat healthy all the time and drink enough water throughout the day to properly manage their weight. Eating healthy and staying hydrated also helps the body recover from the long grueling practices and high intensity matches and these health, hydrated habits can sustain for one's entire life.

It translates well to other sports, specifically Football

Both of these articles do a great job of explaining the benefits so I will let them speak for themselves.

https://www.hudl.com/blog/the-link-between-football-and-wrestling

https://www.teamusa.org/usa-wrestling/features/2014/april/30/Welcome-to-the-NFL

Links to articles that also explain the benefits to wrestling

https://paulatisch.com/why-kids-should-wrestle/

https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2014/March/07/Why-Your-Child-Should-Consider-Wrestling

www.forbes.com/sites/stevecooper/2012/07/31/why-wrestlers-make-the-best-employees/#59117f025f88