Horsetooth Hybrid Grappling Club

Unfortunately, the idea of meditation (or mindfulness) can be off-putting to young wrestlers. All the tropes and stereotypes of sitting underneath a waterfall and chanting mantras seem like the antithesis of our beloved combat sport…

But to excel at wrestling, you’re going to need to learn new tasks over time. Here’s a few reasons to consider meditation and mindfulness training as part of your daily regimen.

• Meditation techniques are intended to relax the athletes’ bodies and minds while increasing their ability to focus on performance. These benefits combine to really improve awareness and retention while learning new physical skills.

• Meditation can have a tremendous impact on our nervous system and our health. A practice allows us to observe our thoughts and feelings, and the result is changed attitudes and behavior that not only benefit us but those around us. Our relationships with family, friends, coaches, and teammates will change for the better.

• Meditation can put you in the ‘flow channel’. Flow is a mental state where the mind tunes out all other distractions and focuses solely the task at hand. Research shows that meditating for 20 minutes each day is enough to level for athletes to quickly return to this flow zone state and optimize their performance.

• Athletes who practice meditation consistently can help their bodies recover quicker from training, wrestling, and even injury. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Health found that those who practice meditation experience fewer acute respiratory infections and a shortened duration and severity of symptoms from the common cold.

• Meditation has been shown to help calm the amygdala – the brain’s fear center, even when not meditating. Consider the benefits of a calm mind when you’re preparing for a match against a tough opponent!

Many excellent on-line resources exist to help build a mediation/mindfulness practice. Do a search, give it a try, and after a week or two, you’ll definitely notice the benefits!

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