Building a Strong Mind

CCS Masters Semifinal 2025

One of, if not the most important aspect of wrestling, is your mindset. In fact, your mindset is engrained in what you do both on and off it mat; it merely becomes more apparent on the mat. To succeed in wrestling, what you condition yourself to think and how you behave in high pressure scenarios whether a hard practice or tournament can make or break you. Here are some tips to become a more confident and strong version of yourself by improving your mindset.

1. Learn from your losses

It can be easy to beat yourself up after a loss. Nobody likes losing. In fact, it's very easy to let a single loss take down your self-esteem and motivation, but your ability to bounce back from a loss is what separates a normal wrestler from a great wrestler. After a loss, review your match and find out what happened and where you failed to perform. Maybe it was your stamina, maybe it was your speed, or maybe they were just much more seasoned. Improve these big mistakes by turning into smaller, fixable steps; if your cardio was shot, implement a few sprints after practice or a longer run in the morning. It's important to know that losses are inevitable; how you respond to them is what makes you a great wrestler.

2. Journal

Something that has really helped me in all aspects of life, especially wrestling, is journaling. Every night, I reflect on my day; what did I do well? What did I like? What do I want to improve on? Journaling has allowed me to channel my thoughts and emotions into something tangible and gives me a set time every day to be introspective. It has made me clearer with my goals in wrestling, and has allowed me to clear my mind of distractions and prevents me from holding onto unnecessary thoughts, making me lighter on the mat and day to day.

4. Be consistent.

I heard a quote from a bodybuilder that really resonated with me a while ago: Discipline is learned through practice. Essentially, be show up every day and your consistency will come naturally naturally. I used to always think that after a bout of eating unhealthy, not exercising, and barely getting out of bed that I could immediately snap out of it and lock in. When it was really hard and I didn't have the mental strength to push through my usual routine, I would become frustrated with myself. I now understand that your consistency doesn't come just by saying you'll be consistent but rather choosing to show up every day. This will ultimately build into a good habit, and before you know, all the dread you felt before every StairMaster and every drip of sweat down your nose when you could be in bed is fueling you through a 17-8 tech in the CCS finals (cough). So make an appropriate plan, and even if you don't want to, stick to it.

5. Visualize Success

If you believe you can, you are already halfway there. Imagine yourself in the spotlight, getting your hand raised. Visualize yourself faking single, hitting a fireman's and finishing it on a girl you are nervous to go against. In order to succeed, you must believe you can do it. If you don't think you can do it, how are you going to do it? Have faith in yourself and really put yourself in the reality of your goals.

6. Positive self-talk

In the beginning of last season, I had a really bad habit of saying negative things to myself. Not about who I was as a person, but about my situation in life. Essentially, I was very pessimistic, unenthusiastic, and it was starting to show during my matches and in my daily life. I made a new years' resolution to not say certain things to myself. At first, it was difficult; I felt unnatural and restrained. But every time I would slip up and talk to myself negatively, I would correct myself. This was a small change that I made in my life; it has been almost a year and I can proudly say that I don't have to correct myself as often now. This change has made me able to embrace challenges and become a brighter version of myself, allowing me to be both more confident and successful on the mat.

7. Hold yourself accountable

Last but certainly not least, a huge game changer in my success in wrestling and life is keeping my own word. Don't make promises to yourself that you can't follow through with. If you need a rest day, take a rest day. Don't tell yourself that you're going to go on that run and then deliberately sleep through your alarm. Holding myself accountable and doing everything I tell myself I will do (within reason) has made me a more disciplined and strong-minded person; I respect myself to the point that I will not slack and keep my promises to myself. This makes it easier for me to accomplish tasks from homework to weightlifting to practice to meal plans.

I really hope this helps you build a more confident and strong mindset! Reach out if you have any questions!