I frequently hear coaches tell their athletes to “GET MAD”! Trying to get them to WRESTLE HARDER.

This reminds me of a practice I had in college.

It was first to 100 TAKEDOWNS. This meant practice wasn’t over till you or your practice partner got 100 TAKEDOWNS.

I was at about 50-0 takedowns on my teammate, pushing him up against the wall.

When out of frustration he elbowed me square in the nose!

I gave no reaction and continued to finish off the second set of 50.

This is how I always wrestled ALL BUSINESS with NO EMOTIONS.

Giving your full effort should be standard and you should not try to stir up ANGER to help bring that out.

As a coach, when I see my athlete get angry and start wrestling harder as a result, I take the kid to the side and ask:

WHY HAVEN’T YOU BEEN GOING YOUR HARDEST THE WHOLE TIME?

WHY ARE YOU NOW GOING HARDER WHEN YOUR ANGRY?

If you want consistency in your child’s performance encourage them to not let their EMOTIONS dictate their EFFORTS.

Not only will ANGER cloud your judgment in a match, but continued practice of this emotion will fuel it to become your child’s default when they face adversity in real life situations.

Best,

Coach Ebed