should you be able to pray on the mat when you are putting on you leg band?

Ya, I think so, You do wut ever it does to get your mind ready, I myself jump around and slap my self and I get crap for it.

Absolutely. There is no logical argument as to why a wrestler should not be able to pray before a match or at any other point in time as he sees fit.

For the sake of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution, Dooley I really hope you are joking!!

HAVING SEEN WRESTLERS EXPRESS THEMSELVES IN MUCH MORE OBJECTIONABLE WAYS THAN A SHORT PRAYER TO THEMSELVES BEFORE COMPETITION, I SAY GO FOR IT. I APPRECIATE IT MUCH MORE THAN THROWING STUFF AROUND , OBSCENE HAND GESTURES, AND TRASH TALK. PROPS TO YOU, MR. DOOLEY, AND SAY A WORD OR TWO FOR ME.

hey dooley...i thought u did a really nice job wrestling madden last night..u got beat by like 8 or nine but that is not what it looked like from the stands

I also think that a wrestler should be able to do whatever it takes to get themselves ready for the match they are about to wrestle.

Unfortunatly prayers in themselves won't help you win a match, I doubt very much that winners of matches are those who pray the most. But if it provides you the motivation than by all means do what you will.

Dooley did a fine job against Madden. Ask the wrestlers what they think about praying on the mat. I have 4 and they all say "it is no big deal." Now the people in the stands might have a different opinion. I felt at one time it was fine until the leg band went on and then I felt it was time to wrestle. It's not about me. People need to realise prayer is not selfish. Anyone who wants to pray before a match at any time is welcome to do so in my books. It is not a "mind game" technique as I have heard it called in the stands by some.

i do it alot of time before my i check in to the table. go for it dooley

Its a PR nightmare waiting to happen, the day day when someone is told they can't pray before a match. I give them 3 or 4 seconds after they pick up their leg band.

All some wrestlers have is a prayer. I do beleive those with a strong faith will be rewarded for their short prayer befor a match. I admire it.

Well I really don't want to go any deeper into this topic at the risk of knocking other people's faith, but honestly it doesn't work like that. You don't get extra help in sporting events because you pray to a particualar diety. As I said before though those who believe in it strongly enough are provided motivation from the simple belief itself that maybe God will entertain their notion that day. It praying to your higher being makes you beleive you are going to win, and you do, that works out fine, but what happens when you lose? Does that mean that "Well maybe it wasn't in his plans for you to win?" Its silly conjecture, I see the pre match prayer as nothing more than a motivational warmup and that is the sole reason why I think it should be allowed. There are more important things in life to pray for than winning a wrestling match at (insert random tournament here), like health and family. I say keep on praying if thats what you believe can help you win.

When warming up, before you are to go out there that's when you should pray. Once on the mat it's wrestling time. I would watch the mat that I was supposed to next wrestle on at tournaments and would do a quick prayer before going out there to the mat.

I give people more respect for praying. That takes courage, and lots of wrestlers get categorized as christain freaks if they pray. What's so wrong with them giving someone else the glory for their ability to wrestle? I think it's an awesome thing to see, and I wish there were more wrestlers that did it.

I don't think praying is a bad thing, but you have ample time before stepping on the mat to do it. Some people do get carried away, we aren't there to watch someone pray, slap their legs, or whatever for 10 seconds after they have already put on the band.

In my book it slows down the tournaments in the long run if you have 1000 matches in a tournament and everyone takes 10 seconds extra after reporting and putting on bands, it would take forever...do your thing before reporting, I can still appreciate you praying matside then running out to wrestle.

I agree with you Aaron.

I usually pray before I go to bed. But when I step onto the mat I put my legband on and then proceed to bite my kneepad ... and it stinks! I really don't know why I do that?

Nigel, I hope you are mistaken in believing that people are praying to win. Prayers are not like lists to Santa. I like to believe that wrestlers who praying are asking that God be with them and let them wrestle to the best of their ability, not, "Please God, let me win this match." But of course, I could be wrong.

I usually pray before a match. its a psych thing. i don't pray to "win" a match i ask him to protect me and my opponent in everything they do. i also ask for protection for friends and family. so it could be a lot more than just praying to win.