In my opinion, wrestling is one of the most physically demanding sports. Many people are not mentally tough enough for this sport. The practices are very hard and are meant to prepare you for a six minute match. Some things that go on in practices are running, shooting, down blocks, sprawling, and standing in your stance. Running is to get your conditioning up so when you’re in a match you don’t get as tired. Shooting helps make your shot better and more smooth so it feels more natural when you’re in a match. Down blocks help when someone shoots on you but you don’t have to go all the way down to the floor so you block their hands and hips from penetrating very far. Sprawling helps when someone is far in on a shot and you need to get your hips back to not get taken down for two points. Standing in your stance will help you feel more natural in your stance and help you stay in a good position when in a match.

Most wrestlers have to stick to a strict diet to maintain a weight. Some wrestlers are more disciplined on their diet then others. Typical diets consist of cutting out sugars, not eating many carbs, and cutting down portion sizes. Young wrestlers seem to struggle the most with eating habits. Cutting weight is what most people hear about wrestling and how it’s the worst part of the sport. Cutting weight for some people is really hard mainly for the people that have lower body fat because they don’t have as much fat to lose. Some people try to cut weight by just not eating which is very bad and it would be better if they were to just cut down meal sizes and up water intake so they don’t get dehydrated. Another thing to drink when cutting weight on the day of the meet after weigh ins, drink a Pedialyte. Pedialyte is high in sodium which will help replenish the things that haven’t been in your body as much since the cut. 

Wrestling is not the most desirable sport but some enjoy pushing their limits. Wrestling is also very mentally draining and requires a lot of mental toughness. Some athletes that wrestle have peers around them think they are depressed because of the way they look during the season. I would not recommend wrestling if you are not very coordinated or just want to do the sport for fun because you have to be dedicated to the sport to really compete with other wrestlers that take the sport seriously.