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Always Leave Them Wanting More…
By Ted Sikowski
For Wisconsin Wrestling Online
Always Leave Them Wanting More…
“Always leave them wanting more.” The expression speaks for
itself. It matters not whether the expression is referring to a
movie trailer, a college philosophy course, another Packers victory,
or the ending of a youth (or varsity!) wrestling practice or season;
the best directors, teachers, coaches and leaders know how to keep
their audience motivated and excited about returning next time.
Several weeks ago, members of our youth wrestling club met to
discuss the needs and goals for the program. The parents were also
interested in developing an understanding of my varsity high school
wrestling/coaching philosophy and my vision for the overall program,
so that the middle school and youth programs might follow suit.
Some believe an emphasis on offseason training is necessary for
improvement; others believe in getting as much competition as
possible. And while points like these become more and more
necessary as an athlete ages and develops tangible goals, I know
that several parents were slightly confused when I described my goal
for our youth wrestlers: fun.
I explained that as a 1st grade youth wrestler, I
attended every practice, and perhaps 1-2 tournaments, each season.
I wrestled for three years before ever winning a youth tournament;
it wasn’t until fourth grade that I brought home my first
championship bracket and began asking to attend more tournaments and
camps. My younger brothers also began wrestling at a young age, and
began attending many of the tournaments and camps I attended. At
one particular tournament, I remember one of my brothers crying
after losing a match. He was perhaps 8 years old. I recall my dad
looking him in the eye, and saying something like, “If you are going
to cry, we are not going to continue coming to wrestling
tournaments.” His message was not that my brother needed to
“toughen up.” He went on to explain that we were there because we
enjoyed wrestling, and if it was no longer fun, then it was time
(and perfectly acceptable) to pursue something else. I was young,
but I am proud to say that my parents and coaches were able to
figure out how to keep the emphasis off of winning, and on learning
technique, developing an appreciation and love for the sport, and
having fun.
As I met with the youth parents several weeks ago, I told them that
I would like to see our season go for six weeks, two practices each
week, leading up to and focusing on the youth tournament we host in
February. My emphasis as a coach and leader for our youth wrestlers
would be on technique, appreciation, and FUN. Not on competition.
I would not be bringing information to parents on area tournaments,
kids Regionals, etc., unless it was specifically requested by a
parent.
This philosophy is not lost on me as a varsity head coach. I worked
with each of my athletes to develop objective goals related to
on-the-mat success, and my number one purpose is to help them
achieve those goals. But I have also developed personal coaching
goals, one of which is to help all my athletes enjoy themselves, and
the journey they are on. It hurts to say that I had wrestlers quit
the sport early this season, but I don’t and can’t dwell on this.
Wrestling, by its very nature, is difficult! I am as guilty as any
coach of being hard on my athletes, designing tough practices,
pointing out weaknesses instead of strengths, getting on their case
when they are dragging, etc. But that doesn’t mean I don’t find
ways to help my athletes both succeed and still find situations to
have fun. It is proven that students learn more when they enjoy
what they are doing, and vice versa: increased enjoyment should
naturally decrease the learning curve and improve success rates. Why
can’t the same be true for athletes?
As I design practices for my youth wrestlers, I focus on finding
exciting and challenging ways to improve their body awareness. We
spend much more time on dynamic warm ups, balance challenges,
partner strength activities, and coordination games, than we do
actually wrestling. And odds are, if my youth wrestlers enjoy it,
my varsity wrestlers do as well. I look for internet resources or
attend clinics that provide wrestling games. I research physical
education games that work on developing body awareness. I use
gymnastics as an avenue to improved strength and flexibility. I
design competitions that pit athletes against others on their team,
other individuals, or against themselves. Even as a college
wrestler, we would condition one or two days each year by going for
a long run outside, playing an ultimate Frisbee or dodgeball match,
or going in the pool (check out the Wyoming Cowboys belly flop
contest on flowrestling!). When incorporated into a high school
practice schedule, these types of activities break up the monotony
of hard training and improves the lowered moral that so often
accompanies late-January high school wrestling. By making these
activities the focus of my youth practices, my athletes leave the
wrestling room thinking about how much fun they had, and how excited
they are to return next time.
My point is, not every activity has to look exactly like wrestling;
it simply needs to be active, challenging and enjoyable for an
athlete to derive some benefit from it. Think of it this way: there
are no professional football players, professional basketball
players, or professional baseball players. There are only
professional athletes. Find ways to keep your practices
engaging by providing variety and focusing on technique,
appreciation, improvement, and fun. Find ways to make your
wrestlers hungry to return next time. Always leave them wanting
more.
Writer Ted Sikowski Index |