In a sport where your opponent is there to bend you to his will, being strong is a requirement that goes beyond the physical or mental. That’s all. The moves are all the same, they’re paired by weight class, and everyone’s looking at the two of you. In the book, hard fight, author Mike Chapman breaks down to the very essence of the sport of wrestling while also giving readers a glimpse into every great wrestler’s toolbox. Chapman not only uses wrestlers, but also touches on other great athletes and coaches from a variety of sports and how these skills, traits and habits help develop a winning mindset for the mat and for the rest of your life.
Wrestling has existed since the beginning of man, and is one of the purest sports to the characteristics of man and nature. Two people try to compete with each other and force their will on them and claim what is there. The Epic of Gilgamesh, It is listed as the oldest literary work that exists today. It is the story of a warrior king who fought for his land in an epic wrestling match against a wild man from the outskirts of his kingdom. The story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s battle for Uruk is over 4,000 years old. Uruk was believed to be in a land called Sumer, which many historians have cited as the location of the Garden of Eden, this is the place from which God had expelled Adam and Eve for disobeying him.
As long as there has been a man walking the earth, it would be safe to say that there has been some form of wrestling. There are more than 50 variations of wrestling practiced today around the world in more than 150 countries. Wrestling is a sport spoken of in the Bible and participated in all over the world, from villages to the Olympic Games, with over 40 centuries of history to hold it together. The people who participate in it and the characteristics that are built by being involved in what may be the most demanding sport known to mankind also make it unique.
The fundamentals of wrestling start with simply choosing to wrestle. Both Abraham Lincoln and George Washington were known as fighters of considerable skill. The idea of choosing wrestling is a difficult one, but many educators promote the sport as an ideal way to instill the discipline and values that will enable people to succeed in life. While you may choose to play some of the most popular sports like basketball, baseball, and soccer, wrestling demands something of you at every practice or event. Every time a person fights, they can expect to be pushed to the limit and want to quit, but the fight demands that they want to win more.
Understand that toughness and confidence building are fundamental attributes that any fighter should strive to obtain. Understanding toughness is the difference between giving up and winning in many cases. It is the process of knowing that something hurts and knowing if that pain will prevent you from practicing, training and winning in competition. It’s overcoming setbacks and standing in front of an opponent and knowing that they’re nothing special no matter what the circumstances. Building confidence goes hand in hand with understanding toughness, as a fighter you have to build from the pain and torments of training. You have to feel the rigors a fighter would endure and understand that today’s pain is making him a successful champion when the whistle blows. The confidence built through physical preparation cannot be given to you with a game plan executed in one day, rather it is a daily plan that will let you know that no one could have trained harder.
Dan Gable is mentioned over and over again, unsurprisingly in a book on hardcore wrestling, as his fighting and training style was one of tenacity and honest destruction. His focus and dedication are what spawned the legend. This same intensity carried over to what is known as “Gable’s Boys” in the wrestling world, as he never chose what he would call the best wrestlers but rather wrestlers who matched his style. He then took the time to destroy those fighters to turn them back into a better mold, a mold of Gable that he trusted that they could pressure their opponents into fighting his way: the Gable way.
Gable taught all of his athletes focus and determination through preparation. However, this requires one thing on the part of the participants, commitment and dedication to their goals. This was something many coaches have come to understand from watching successful athletes, but with wrestlers this can be spoon-fed a second killer at a time. Each takedown is the one that wins the match, each exercise is that point or a serious situation, the pin you need to win. These small goals lead to bigger goals: state titles; national titles; World Championships; and the Olympic Games. While fighting hard, it’s important that you feel like it before every practice before you can crank up the intensity level to go that far.
Bear Bryant was known as one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, winning 6 national titles. He also held the sport of wrestling in high regard, requiring all players to participate in wrestling during their spring training, to prepare them both physically and mentally. When it comes to preparation, fighting takes a person to the outer limits of themselves and comes face to face with giving up or pushing forward against a person.
Will, the will to win and wanting to win has to be ingrained in the mind of a fighter. The Brands brothers were known to have “will” to achieve their goals, writing affirmations and declaring what the future held for them. Several great fighters had the same belief that it was all a matter of wanting it so much that you brainwashed yourself, stating it over and over again. This is the mentality of a wrestler, many great wrestlers like Bill Koll and Dan Gable were known for their intensity and brainwashed mentality that seemed to put them somewhere else.
Talent is nice, but giving him something extra is important, especially when your opponent is likely to work as hard as you do in the offseason and want it just as badly. Talent without hard work will leave you drained and exhausted in the face of an opponent who is committed to hard work and willing to outdo you. Hard work leads to the ability to rise to the occasion and bring a new level of intensity to the competition and to your opponents. Also, with that extra effort, a fighter who has worked hard will have developed mental toughness that can be constantly developed and improved. Those upgrades can tie into other skills and attributes that will only contribute to creating a better and more talented fighter.
The ability to pay the price of victory is paramount. John Smith and Dan Gable also did not commit to relationships as they pursued excellence in wrestling. Not going out with friends or just being so consumed by victory can weigh heavily on an athlete, and with wrestling the mental gas tank will be challenged. In practice, a fighter has to be willing to take himself to a higher level where he can let go of all the setbacks and life that happens. After you push the thoughts aside, you should be ready to be slammed to the mat again and again or fight an opponent who is ready to push you to the mat. Wrestling is paying the price, and when you’ve paid that price, everything else in life is easy.
Wrestling is a mentality, a winning mentality. If you’re looking for a magic wand or the latest self-help fad, you won’t find it. If you are looking to change everything about you and how you approach life as a whole, learn what it is to fight hard. Wrestling is a mindset that, by applying hard work, success will follow. Fighting hard is about looking deep within yourself and being critical of what you do as an athlete, whether you are a competitive swimmer or wrestler, there is something about the fight hard mindset that benefits you.
Building a can-do attitude. Developing a point of view that if you want it enough you will have it is good, but the ability to know that if you want it and work hard enough you will get it. Coaches like Dan Gable, Pat Summit, John Wooden, Vince Lombardi and Bear Bryant expressed the benefit of having a highly confident team that has been tested through physical preparation to the point of powerful confidence mental acumen that leads to success. Presidents, statesmen, ancient kings and many more believed in the benefits of wrestling and its ability to create a mental vacuum that sucked in success. The values and confidence generated from one of the most demanding sports humanity has ever participated in can only lead to better life skills and brighter futures.
Dan Gable once said, “Wrestling isn’t for everyone, but it should be.”