How do you prepare mentally and physically for a match. Coming into regionals does that make a difference?

i like to eat beef jerky 15 to 20 mins before a match, Mike Miller listens to the backstreet boys, The great and powerfull Prant used to slap himself repeatedly before a match( It was funny to watch).

i like to go up to a wall and pound my head against a wall but and i drink mt. dew like 15 minutes before the match

i listen to the inches speech from any given sunday. it is very inspirational and gets almost anyone pumped.

i listen to a mixed cd of mine that has disturbed and godsmack on it. jump around a bit. before my match starts i give myself a few good slaps all around my body. and before all this i usually say a little prayer for saftey and good competition

Noble, what's your record this year?

14-11, we wrestle in two days right? ya i have to wrestle tommorow, i think were at ellsworth

Uh...have 5 daiquiris?

i poop until im so sore i can hardly walk and then i go wrestle
jk

i have no idea what your talking about

Well MM I don't believe I asked how you make weight. TMI in that department. I was really curious about mental preparation, how to tune out the crowd, how to get focused and centered etc but I guess it must be a secret or something.

i really dont pay attention to anybody else. lol, i also am selective hearing

its just my way of gettin things done.

Lets see, run as team and start thinking of what you have to do to get it done, stretch and think some more, moves ideas etc., then warm up on your own w/ a partner, drill takedowns bottom work top work over and over, then turn on the music, i myself have a lot of espn music/survivor/rocky songs on my mp3 player so i usually get it done, jump rope for about 5-10 minutes to get the sweat rolling then take a break and watch a few matches, then jump rope for another 5 minutes before my match and move around a little bit. The main thing i do to get ready is to just picture what i want to do and how i'm going to get that done, put up your hood and just think about it...it works for me?

I drink 3 shots of vodka, smoke 5 cigarettes, then start wrestling.

TEAM:Instead of running around in circles before tournaments start...I take my team on little "exploration jogs" where we run throughout new "territories," etc. Then we stretch in weird positions and make noises that are most defineatly inappropriate. After being dumbasses we then proceed to attempt to wrestle.

PERSONALLY: Make sure I don't have to poop, then listen to some music , walk on my hands, stretch, get PUMPED up and then take all my clothes off (except singlet of course) in front of as many ladies as I can.

Another good topic- I perosnally had to have plenty of time because I felt it was important to go through the entire match in my head. I would do this as I started with shadow wrestling and stretching a bit while I went through my first 4 or 5 takedowns. Visualizing not the kid I wrestled but the figure. By the time I was down I would have a sweat going and that was a benefit to me because I felt ready. I always watched as many matches as I could and second guessed the wrestlers and talked to myself about what I would have done in that situation. Right before I was to head to the mat I would do the bouncing around and slapping myself. When I got to the mat I ran out to the center picked up my band and went to the out of bounds line by my coach and listened in case he had information for me that I need. Then I slapped or shock the coaches hand and told him good luck to get a smile and then when the ref called for meI went to the middle. Alot of kids put their leg band on at their coaches so it was like I was distracting from the match- just the thing we did in that time

I posted this a few days ago on the Kids page but it seems very appropriate for this discussion.

The key thought to remember ... is that all kids are different. A couple of questions to consider are: does your kid wrestle well and does he know how to prepare himself for a match?

A lot of guys in my clinics have heard my analogy before but if I may, I will share it.

There are two brothers; same mother, same father. One, was an absolute “train wreck” before he competed. 45 minutes before a match he would run 15 to 20 winds sprints in the halls. 30 minutes before a match his routine was, (for lack of a better analogy) “beat himself up.” 15 minutes before a match, he was “head banging” and started bouncing. When it was “go-time” he was ready. He was a 3-time State champ and only lost 2 matches, both to Doug Speer of Effingham. He also had 125 takedowns his senior year and had a 90% pin percentage.

His brother was different. 45 minutes before a match he would be doing his Calculus homework. 30 minutes before competition he was doing his Physics worksheets. 15 minutes before a match has routine was to get out his GameBoy and play Tetris (an early 90’s game). About 3 minutes before a match, he would saunter out of the bleachers; do a couple of ballerina stretches, bounce a bit, and go wrestle. As a senior, this brother was a State champ and scored 250+ takedowns in one season. (the Kansas record)

I would be hard pressed to say that either brother was wrong in his approach to a match. I would have a tough time watching the younger but that is placing MY ideas to HIS preparation.

Pre-match preparation is a matter of coaching. If a coach hasn’t talked to a wrestler about what he/she should do, then my feelings are that the coach is not doing his/her job! A wrestler needs to find a routine that works form him and one that works without direct input from a coach.

I like to read a good book and listen to some air supply.

during team warm up....our team would lay around as long as possible...then when other teams sat down to stretch we would get up and run through there stretchs....when they would get up we would go lay back down....before every match...i liked to take a nap until they called me mat side...then i would listen to take my breath away, safety dance, anything from dirty dancing, or ghost....then i would put on my head gear....make sure i am awake....then go out...