Wrestling and Life – A Constant Collaboration

There’s a lot to say about wrestling, but I often find the same two ideas repeated: it takes up a lot of time and it takes a certain kind of person. This is a sport that teaches lessons that you don’t always want to learn and it absolutely changes who you are in the best ways. It’s because of this that I think wrestling overlaps with what we do outside the gym more than we think. Here are 4 ways that I believe wrestling collaborates with living: 

1. Wrestling and dedication are synonymous 

You need to put in a lot of work, focus, and dedication to be the best you can be. This statement is true towards any goal you’re trying to reach, in and out of the gym. Wrestling provides opportunities to practice these skills in a controlled way that you can then take to everything you do. The sky’s the limit and wrestling acts as your initial takeoff. 

2. You need to take care of yourself 

I can’t put this gently. This sport hurts. And if you don’t maintain a good sleep schedule, eat properly, and practice good habits- you’re gonna get more hurt. Wrestling creates a high standard and a firm understanding that what you put into yourself reflects what you output. Listen to yourself- you know what you need. Physically and mentally. 

3. The people around you are your support system. Treat them well and they’ll treat you well. 

This is something I will yell about until my voice is gone. Yes this is an individual sport, and yes, it’s up to you to take care of yourself and get you need. But also, you need good partners to become better. And you yourself can build good partners. By supporting their growth and helping them to achieve what they need to, it creates longevity in your own journey. Take care of the people around you and they will take care of you.

4. It’s not always fair and you don’t always succeed and that’s perfectly okay. That’s life.

This sport can lead to a lot of triumph but also a lot of heartache. You feel the highest of highs when you do well and the lowest of lows when you don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I know we all always want to be the best we can and put forward the amount of effort that we are able to, but that doesn’t always means it works out. And this is a tough lesson to learn. That doesn’t mean you give up, and it doesn’t mean that you should walk away from what your doing, but it means that there’s opportunities to adjust. As the saying goes, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, and try, and try again”. Always have hope. For inside the gym and outside it as well.

So while this is, “just a sport” and something you do in your free time, I firmly believe it provides you with a lot of life lessons.

Keep training. Keep loving the sport. Keep loving yourself.

Written by: Ligaya Stinellis