I have considered ten concepts that can help you become a better fighter. Perhaps you have heard of the Bible and the Ten Commandments. Well, here are my Ten Commandments of Wrestling

1. I am struggling. You will not have other sports before me.

• I know some of you participate in other sports and that’s great. Maybe you even prefer some of your other sports to wrestling. What I mean is that fighting has to be a priority if you want to be really good at it. If you can dedicate some time over the summer to wrestling and conditioning, it will really help. If you play baseball in the summer and play soccer or cross country in the fall, I think that’s fine. However, if you wrestle too, then do what you can to recover from football or cross country season and give 100% of your attention to wrestling season when the time comes. Don’t just wrestle for three months of the year and forget about wrestling entirely for the other nine months of the year.

2. You will not have infallible idols or deep-rooted beliefs regarding wrestling.

• If you have many ingrained negative beliefs related to your wrestling skill or your abilities to achieve your wrestling goals, you should examine those beliefs. You may think that you are not talented enough. You may think that great conditioning can’t overcome a lack of talent. However, hard work, conditioning, and a large amount of time spent drilling can make a world of difference. Beliefs are important, but be careful. If you think you can do a one-legged takedown against every fighter you meet, you may be wrong. You may need to be ready to try a different move. Also, it’s okay to have role models and fighters you look up to. However, you have to develop your own style. John Smith can do great bass singles, but I never could. I can admire John Smith and learn from him, but also be open to other techniques and ideas.

3. You will not fight in vain.

• Don’t make a futile attempt to succeed in the sport of wrestling. Approach your wrestling with a serious attitude. Set goals and work hard. Don’t treat wrestling as a trivial and insignificant part of your life. Work hard and with purpose and you will see worthwhile results. Fight and train with the intention of being the best fighter you can be.

4. Remember the practice of wrestling, to keep it sacred.

• In your efforts to excel in the sport of wrestling, nothing is more important than skill training. What good is strength and stamina if you don’t know any wrestling moves? Repeated drilling movements are extremely important. You need to practice moves repeatedly for them to become second nature. Don’t skip practice unless you are sick or injured. Get the most out of practice. Practice is the time to try new moves and find out what works for you. Make practicing your skills a priority and you will find success in the competition.

5. Honor your coach and teammates.

• Your coach is a very important asset. You can learn a lot from him. Show him the respect he deserves even if you don’t always enjoy the hard work he forces you to do. Ask him for guidance when you need it. Check it out for advice. Cheer on your teammates in practice and in competition. Be a good role model for younger wrestlers. Always be honorable and act with dignity.

6. You will not commit bad sportsmanship.

• You can lose matches sometimes. You may think that the referee made a bad call. Maybe you made a stupid mistake and lost the match at the last second. You still shake hands with your opponent and act like a man. Don’t complain or act disrespectfully. It’s okay to get mad when you lose. But, you still show respect and shake hands. You respect fighters from other schools who are also working hard to become the best they can be. If you lose a match, then look at what went wrong and learn from it. You always maintain your dignity and composition. Don’t embarrass your team or yourself by being a sore loser.

7. You will not be negligent with your conditioning.

• Talent is important in the sport of wrestling. If you have outstanding technique, you can win many matches. However, technical skill is not everything. Conditioning is extremely important. When two equally talented fighters meet, the better conditioned athlete will likely win.

8. You will not go into a match unprepared.

• You need to have a strategy before stepping on the mat. Do you know what moves you plan to use? Have you practiced for various hypothetical situations that can arise during a match? Are you well conditioned? Talk positively to yourself before a match and visualize the moves you’re going to use. You have to focus on winning that match and nothing else.

9. You won’t let a loss go by without learning a lesson from it.

• Losing a match is frustrating and sad at times. Sometimes losing can make you very angry. However, remember that a loss is also a time to learn. Dan Gable lost the last game of his college career. But he learned from that defeat and went on to become an Olympic and world champion. He also became one of the most successful college wrestling coaches of all time. After a loss, consider what you did wrong and work to make it right. Maybe you need to drill more a certain movement. Or maybe you need to put more emphasis on your conditioning.

10 You will not covet another’s talent or lament the fact that you have less.

• “Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard,” says Tim Notke. Talent helps, but talent isn’t everything. Every fighter has some talent. Some have more and some have less. You can always improve your skills. Drill has single leg takedowns thousands of times over and you will get better at it. Having role models to look up to is a good thing. I admire Dan Gable, Tom Brands, John Smith and many other fighters. I can learn from them, but I need to develop my own style and find out what works for me. I can compensate for being less talented through drilling, conditioning and determination. Many fighters with average fighting talent have become champions because they had a passion to be the best. They worked hard and pushed themselves. Dan gable states, “First period is won by the best coach. Second period is won by the fittest kid. Third period is won by the kid with the biggest heart.”

I hope the ten concepts outlined above can help you become a better fighter. Many factors can determine how successful a fighter can become. I hope you have a few more ideas to help you on your quest to become a great fighter.