Most wrestlers focus almost all of their training on the physical skills they need to win a wrestling match, but if two wrestlers with equal skills meet on the mat, the bout will be decided by the wrestler who is mentally tougher. The right approach can even make it possible to defeat a technically superior opponent. All wrestling coaches need to understand the mental game if they want their wrestlers to win.
Thoughts
People talk to themselves constantly without realizing it. Some of the things we say to ourselves build us up and improve our chances of doing well. Others tear us down and harm our chances. To prepare a wrestler for a match, teach him to recognize that internal dialog and to notice when he is having a negative thought. For example, he might see the opponent and think "that guy looks really big." This is a discouraging thought. To prevent such thoughts from interfering with performance, you can teach the wrestler to either shut off such thoughts when they occur, or to change them into positive thoughts. For example, "That guy looks really big, but I can get my weight lower than his and throw him."
Confidence
You can improve your wrestler's confidence by teaching him to repeat certain things to himself. These could be words such as "champion" or "winner," or phrases such as "my technique is unbeatable" or "I've trained so hard that there's no way he can beat me." You can also teach him to visualize the results of victory, such as how it will feel when the referee holds his hand up or when the crowd cheers his victory.
Excitement
Many wrestlers prefer to go into a match when they are as excited and filled with energy as possible. Others prefer to be as relaxed and calm as they can. If your wrestler performs better in an excited mental state, he can listen to energetic music to get in the right mental state before the match. If your wrestler does his best when he is calm and detached, have him engage in relaxing activities. However, a physical warmup is still needed in order to get the body ready to exert itself.
Visualization
Besides confidence-building visualizations such as imagining the results of victory, you can also teach your wrestler how to visualize the match itself. This is done by imagining every detail of the match from the hand-shake to the final pin. The wrestler should imagine himself dominating his opponent, executing techniques successfully, preventing the opponent from escaping, and pinning him to gain the victory. This will allow him to enter the actual match with a clear game plan to achieve victory, and a sense of confidence from the feeling that the bout has already been fought and won in his own mind.
