Ask Cael: March 3rd, 2005

Story Published Monday, September 15th, 2008

Lance from Atlanta, Ga.: Take us through your match preparation, please. What aspects are you concentrating on, how early before your matches do you begin to prepare and is there a routine you’ve developed?

Cael: “I apologize for the delay in answering this week’s question. This has been an incredibly busy week. I believe that every individual’s ideal match preparation will be a little different. Wrestlers need to learn from their own experiences in preparing for matches. If you feel great or terrible – take note. Continue to learn until you find the routine that will make you feel your best.

First of all I think it is very important to realize that everything isn’t going to be perfect before you compete. Expect problems and adversity. Don’t let them affect your performance. Don’t rely on anything, because sooner or later you’ll forget your lucky pair of socks or sports drink. Know that you will do your best with what you have.

My physical match preparation isn’t much different than anyone else’s. I like to eat 4-5 hours before I compete. If I have a match at nine in the morning, I set the alarm to eat breakfast at 4 am. In a college/ high school match situation where you compete an hour after competition I make the preparations to eat my meal (sandwich or whatever) 4-5 hours before match time. I would work out accordingly to be able to do this. Usually about an hour before my match I try and get a good warm up by running/sprinting for 10 or so minutes. Then I would stretch and drill for about 10 minutes. I finish up by blowing out my lungs with something like three one minute full-speed drill cycles. I would then play it by feel, by staying loose, relaxed and focused.

One great way for coaches to help their athletes find their best warm-up is to have practices where they simply tell their athletes that they have a match at a certain time. It is the athletes responsibility to arrive, warm-up and be ready to compete at that exact time. Coach Jackson had us do this several times this summer in preparation for the Games. Coach Jackson also increased the intensity and took this experience to the next level with some creativity. Prior to our matches, he had all of the bystanders in the room loudly chanting to create the experience we’d be facing during competition from opposing the countries’ great fans. This small addition made a huge difference in the success of the practice.

The goal in my mental match preparation is to keep my thoughts as simple as possible. Concentrate on the few things that will help you wrestle your best match. Focus on the fight (doing your best.) You can always do your best, regardless of the circumstances. Focus on performance instead of the results. Just like with your physical warm up- you should learn from your own experiences. Know that you are in control of your thoughts and feelings. Use them to your advantage.”

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