One aspect of wrestling that makes it mentally tough is the aspect of making weight. I thought of this as I watched the basketball players arrive and warm up on the court. There was such relaxation about it. They arrive, they warm up, they go. This is in stark contrast to wrestling where the anxiety and preparation can begin days before when a wrestler has to check his weight, make sure they don’t over-eat and over drink and then they wait all day, often not eating so that they check their weight and are on weight. Then, they have one hour to eat, warm up and finally wrestle.
This whole procedure is incredibly tough on every wrestler, even those who are two or three pounds under, are still weary of being over. This is because a large meal or lack of practice or even an uncalibrated scale can cause them to miss their weight, making them miss the match or wrestle somebody above their weight.
Missing a match is tough. I have seen seniors who did everything in their power to make weight, be on weight on the scale in the room and then miss the weight on the foreign scale. I have also seen wrestlers miss their weight and wrestle kids at the next weight and be completely over powered. This is because 5 pounds of muscle can actually be five to ten times the strength and power, making competing very difficult.
Of course, part of this is just the nature of the sport. It is what makes wrestling and wrestlers unique in their mental toughness. On the other hand, there is one thing that the sport as a whole can address: scale calibration and precision.
Inaccurate and imprecise scales by nature create an unnecessary burden for wrestlers. Making sure that all scales are calibrated and certified annually, especially those used for competition would ensure that wrestlers are not disadvantaged by faulty equipment. Another thing is to consider one aspect of scales that is given little attention: precision and accuracy. Accuracy and precision are scientific terms for the ability of the scale to accurately every time. Scales have a precision and accuracy rating. Most scales are either +/- 0.1 or 0.2 pounds. This means that if someone is .1 or.2 pounds over, they should still be counted at that weight. That tolerance of a scale has to be considered to ensure that the weigh-ins are fair for the wrestlers.
Wrestling is tough in many ways. The requirement to weigh in on day of competition is a big aspect of the mental toughness and discipline that a wrestler must have. Fear of missing weight is an anxiety that comes with the sport. Hopefully in the future, that anxiety can be lessened by rules that the sport can review and change.
Henry-Wrestling 