Wrestling, like most sports, has its own technical terminology, jargon and slang. A "fish" is a wrestler who is easy to pin, and "cutting weight" is a kind of crash diet. Sandbagging is another of those terms, used by athletes and some coaches as a kind of derision toward a teammate.
What it Means
In the 1590s, the term "sandbagging" meant to pretend weakness -- to get out of work or to lull an opponent into a false sense of security. Modern wrestling circles apply only the first sense of the term. A wrestler who is sandbagging is a wrestler who's not putting forth his best effort during practice.
Why It's Used
Wrestling is an extremely competitive and vigorous sport, and an athlete's success depends a lot on how hard he works during practice. Couple this fact with the physical, almost military, culture of many wrestling programs and it's not hard to see why wrestlers and coaches would disapprove of a wrestler who takes it easy on himself during training.
Context
The most common context for the term "sandbagging" in wrestling is as a jibe or backhanded encouragement to a lagging wrestler. This is as in "Hey, Brick! Move your butt and quit sandbagging!" Although it's a harsh accusation, most of the time the term is meant to spur a teammate into greater efforts, rather than as a simple insult.
Alternative Uses
The most common use of the term happens during training. However, the other reason for sandbagging sometimes comes up in competition. Some wrestlers will wrestle below their ability early in a match to fool their opponents into making an overconfident mistake. This is also technically "sandbagging," but you're less likely to hear it so labeled because of the negative connotations wrestlers attach to the word.
References
- Dictionary.com: Sandbag
- "Coaching Wrestling Successfully"; Dan Gable; 1999
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