Mastering Your Go-To Move in Wrestling: The Power of Repetition

Wrestling is a sport that requires a lot of skill, technique, and strategy. Knowing your best moves is essential for success on the mat. Wrestlers need a go-to move that they feel confident they can score on anybody. But how do you find your go-to move, and how do you master it?

Last week, I was surprised when I asked a wrestler, "What is your go-to takedown?" and he responded, "I don't know." He told me he had been wrestling for nine years, which troubled me deeply. Not having a go-to move after all that time can hold you back in the sport. If you can't answer the question, "What is your go-to takedown?" then you're not training with purpose and may be wasting your time.

It's important to make a change in how you practice and drill. Focus on finding your go-to move and mastering it through repetition and practice. Don't be afraid to incorporate it into live wrestling situations to test your skills and refine your technique. By doing this, you can become a more confident and successful wrestler on the mat.

To find your go-to move, you need to pick one and repetition is the key. You need to do it over and over again until it becomes second nature. You need to do it so many times that it becomes like an involuntary response. As the saying goes, "Repetition is the mother of skill." This is so true. By practicing your go-to move thousands of times, you can develop muscle memory and refine your technique. But can this make you one-dimensional on the mat and easy to scout? I think it makes you dangerous.

I love this quote by Bruce Lee that perfectly illustrates the importance of mastering one thing rather than having surface-level knowledge of many things. "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." Similarly, in wrestling, it's better to have one go-to move that you have practiced thousands of times and have mastered, rather than just knowing a little bit about a bunch of different moves.

A wrestler who has truly mastered their go-to move is a dangerous opponent. So what if they know what you're great at? You need to think, "Try and stop me!" Have complete confidence in your ability to execute that move, no matter who your opponent is. The better you become at this move, the more confidence you will have. You need to be able to read your opponent's movements and react quickly, without even thinking about it. This level of skill and mastery is what sets the best wrestlers apart from the rest.

If you're a wrestler looking to improve, focus on mastering your go-to move. Practice it thousands of times until it becomes second nature. Practice it until you start having dreams about practicing it. Drill it and incorporate it into live wrestling situations to test your skills and refine your technique. Tell your practice partner you're going to do it, and make them stop you. Remember, it's better to be a master of one move than a jack of all trades. By mastering your go-to move through repetition and practice, you can become a more confident and successful wrestler on the mat.

So, if I ask you, "What is your go-to takedown?" you better have an answer...