Do you want to win? Relax.

Have you ever wondered why you were so tired in the middle of a six to seven-minute match when you know you have trained to wrestle at least nine minutes full throttle in practice? I know I have wondered that a lot in the past.

There are several factors that can play a part in extreme fatigue during actual competition. If you are getting tired when you shouldn’t be, you’re either not working hard enough, cutting too much weight, thinking about failing more than winning, or not wrestling relaxed. Having the ability to relax emotionally, mentally and physically allows a wrestler to focus their energy. In this column, I would like to focus on wrestling relaxed with the proper intensity.

During my first two seasons at Penn, I used to get so tired at the end of the first period, which caused me to worry about how tired I was going to be in the third period. If you’re worrying about how tired your going to be in the last period, you’re not going to wrestle to your full potential. By my junior year, I finally figured out my problem. I was getting too pumped and jacked up before I stepped on the mat, which caused me to be too tight. Plus, when the match did start, I would go at the guy like a buzz saw exerting tons of energy. I usually did well and had the lead after the first period, but it’s all about finishing strong, which was real hard for me to do because I wasted all my energy.

Some might say, “But, Brandon, you have to be intense,” and I would agree with you. Intensity is extremely important, but “Relaxed Intensity” is what a wrestler should ultimately strive for. To accomplish “Relaxed Intensity,” a wrestler needs to set goals with his coach, work intelligently each day towards achieving those goals in practice, visualize the thrill of victory and when the moment of truth arrives — relax and simply execute all you have worked so hard for in practice. This is certainly not something that comes naturally. My teammates in college at Penn used to tell me all the time how tight I was when I drilled. When you drill or wrestle with someone who is very tight, it’s hard for you to stay relaxed which becomes frustrating. Plus, when someone is too tight you can always tell when he is going to move or attack because they have to relax before they move. Having the ability to snap into action and be very explosive is the product of being relaxed, not tight. Don’t get me wrong; I didn’t solve my problem of being too tight overnight. I had to concentrate on relaxing in each and every practice and in each and every match, which lead to higher levels of energy and explosiveness.

There where also a few things which I did to become more relaxed:

1. Gained confidence through my hard work
2. Controlled my breathing by inhaling for four seconds and exhaling for four seconds
3. Shook my hands, arms, shoulders, and legs out to make sure I was loose and not tight
4. Got a solid warm-up
5. Prayed for God’s Will to be done

Staying relaxed in the sport of wrestling is so important, but I don’t want you to become a wet noodle. As you’re relaxed, maintain good position by keeping your head up, back straight, hips in, staying off your knees and staying into the man. Also, keep a high level of intensity. You don’t have to act all crazy to be intense. You can be intense by creating motion, pushing the pace, continuing to wrestle in every situation and staying focused on your match and the things you do well.

Don’t get frustrated if you attempt to become more relaxed in your training and it takes a while or at times it seems like you are making no progress at all. Being relaxed isn’t something that comes naturally. It takes a ton of practice, just like any other wrestling technique. You can’t expect to overcome years of bad habits you’ve developed of being overly tight in a week or even a month. You’ll need to invest a lot of time retraining your body to relax to truly reach your full potential as a wrestler. Be patient but stay focused on your goal.

Once you learn how to effectively do this, your ability to relax during tough situations will be an asset in all areas of your life. The ability to deal with pressure in a constructive manner can tremendously help you in your job, academics, relationships, etc. As with so many aspects of our sport, lessons learned which help you succeed on the wrestling mat often make you a successful person in the classroom of life.

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