2x NCAA Wrestling Champion Shares Secret to Success
Today I came across a tweet that provided a subtle but critical hint to one of the most important secrets to success. This tweet was from Tommy Rowlands, a 4x NCAA All-American, 3x NCAA wrestling finalist, and 2x NCAA wrestling champion.
He tweeted the following:
The single leg. A sword that you sharpen every day! pic.twitter.com/qabq7lhExm
— Tommy Rowlands (@TommyDRowlands) January 31, 2019
The key success takeaway from this tweet is that Rowlands identifies the need to have a daily ritual to sharpen a skill EVERY DAY! But not just any skill, a skill that leads to a high percentage success rate.
As it turns out, analysis was done by Arizona State wrestling coach Zeke Jones back in 2015 of the moves with the highest success rate at the NCAA wrestling tournament. The results were that 82% of the successful takedowns were the result of 4 moves:
- Single Leg,
- Go behind,
- Double leg, and
- High Crotch
Others have done similar studies of Olympic and world wrestling and also found similar results.
Your Success Depends On You Defining Your One Thing
Therefore, if you are a wrestler at any level it’s wise to focus on these 4 moves above all else. However, it’s even wiser to focus daily on one as
Rowlands as well as the famous Bruce Lee quote suggest.
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
What’s more, this sage like advice goes well beyond combat sports. No matter the endeavor, it’s wise to find your one thing that you will sharpen daily. For me, 218 days ago I decided my one thing is writing. Since I made that decision I have written and published at least one article a day for 218 days in a row.
Without doubt I believe if you can find your one thing, your road to success will be significantly easier.