When a Wrestler Doesn’t Deserve to Go to a Tournament Like Super 32
All high school wrestlers dream of winning big tournaments like Super 32. However, just because a wrestler dreams of winning major national tournaments like Super 32, doesn’t mean they deserve to go compete in it.
To compete competently at a tournament like Super 32, a wrestler must be mentally tough. Moreover, one of the six attributes that define how a mentally tough athlete trains is avoiding “wishful” thinking. The research shows that mentally tough athletes avoid wasting time on wishful thinking like the plague. Instead, mentally tough athletes focus on reaching extremely specific performance milestones by a concrete deadline.
When a wrestler is being wishful with their goals, it has nothing to do with the goal itself. Winning Super 32 is not wishful thinking in itself. Being unrealistic about what it takes to win Super 32 is the problem.
Wishful thinking is a product of how a wrestler prioritizes time. Remember, a goal is about the future, a priority is about the present. If a wrestler doesn’t link their future with their present, then this is what not only makes their goals wishful thinking, but it also weakens their mental toughness.
Furthermore, you can build mental toughness by showing discipline in aligning daily priorities with specific goals that have concrete deadlines. The fact is a goal is not something you work on once a week, or once a month, or whenever you feel like it. A realistic goal is something you make time for every single day.
So, to decide if a wrestler deserves to go to a tournament like Super 32, start by analyzing their daily priorities. If their priorities don’t align with what it takes to compete at that level, then that wrestler does not deserve to go.