28 State Champions are crowned each year in wrestling. These champions in many cases started as young prodigies, but not all. In fact plenty prodigies never become state champions. The reason why some become champions and some do not is goals. Amazing thing about a goal is that regardless of what it is, the methods are the same and the methods can be transferred to all things.
So what does one do to become a state champion? Well you analyze what it takes to be one. You look at state champions and study what they do and then you look at yourself with brutal honesty.
Now if you are a freshman or a sophomore you would think that if you were to break down the goal you would say: I will place at CIF and then I will place at Masters and then I will place at State and then I will win at state. But that’s not the path. Many state champions never win Masters or CIF. What is most important is how you wrestle and so the goal to state is not about how you place, but how you practice.
So let’s say you analyze yourself compared to state champions and you say that their shots are better, their defense is better, their top and bottom are better. So then you say: I’m going to get much better at shots. So you work shots and they improve and when they are sufficient you will say now I need to work on shot defense, and then on top and so on.
So the goal is not state, the goal is to become a great wrestler and to become a great wrestler you have to work on being a good wrestler.
However, this is not enough. You need to understand why you want to be a state champion. Be brutally honest and whatever the ansewer is, it’s ok. Just be real and be true to yourself and pursue the goal as long as it takes. Whether you attain it or not, it is the path that is most important.
Henry-Wrestling 