The whistle blows, the crowd roars, and in minutes, months of preparation are put to the test. But before a wrestler steps onto the mat, there’s a routine of weight cuts, conditioning, strategy sessions, and nutrition plans to work with first. Girl’s wrestling coach Lindsey Prozanski explained what she believes to be factors of success.

“Mental is just as important as physical,” Prozanski. “Technique and conditioning are important, but if you’re not calm and composed before your match you’re not going to have the mental toughness to succeed. Confidence comes from focusing on our effort, attitude and aggressiveness on the mat.”

Boy’s wrestling assistant coach Taylor Decker shared his beliefs about consistency with training.

“Athletes thrive with consistency,” Decker said. “Our practices are structured almost the exact same way each day, so that athletes know what to expect. Winning and losing in wrestling can be decided by a split second reaction.”

Senior Justice Thornton added that for him, staying composed is key.

“In wrestling, you want to be calm; you don’t want to be emotional,” Thornton said. “If I’m worked up, I am overly nervous and I wrestle nervous, but if I’m calm I wrestle confident.”

Beyond technique, weight management plays a role in training. Boy’s assistant coach Adam Wolka explained how weight management can affect performance.

“The weight cut plays a huge role in your performance,” Wolka said. “We encourage our wrestlers to eat a healthy diet throughout the season. If you’re conscious about your weight early and progress naturally, you’ll be better prepared than those that have to cut a lot of weight a day or two before competition.”

Thornton explained his experience with cutting weight.

“I hate cutting weight, and I will dread it if I’m over [weight] the day before,” Thornton said. “Preparing for wrestling duals or tournaments is decently difficult but to add cutting weight to it makes it so much worse.”

To ensure safety, teams monitor weight changes through official guidelines.

“At the beginning of each season, the IHSAA requires each team to complete a body fat test and a hydration test,” Wolka said. “Based on those numbers, coaches are given a report that tells us how much each wrestler can lose each week and what weight classes they’re eligible to wrestle. Our wrestlers weigh in before and after each practice, and based on those daily weights, we have conversations about what our athletes need in terms of diet or exercise.”

Thornton shared how he manages his diet.

“For the most part, my diet is clean [and] I watch my calories and all the non-natural foods and what’s in them,” Thornton said.

Wolka explained various pre-meet rituals and traditions.

“The entire team does a breakdown before practices/meets where they remind themselves to be thankful for the opportunity to wrestle, be aggressive and confident, and not to give up,” Wolka said. “The guys have pre-match rituals, whether it be handshakes, certain movements, or buzz words.”

Thornton shared his own approach to preparing for meets.

“The night before, I’ll relax, try to heal up my body as much as I can, and get a good eight to nine hours of sleep,” Thornton said.

Prozanski explained her belief in using affirmations.

“We have mindset principles that we include at the end of practice or before a tournament,” Prozanski said. “I am thankful for the opportunity to wrestle. I am aggressive and relentless. I have confidence in my abilities. I never ever give up. This helps remind ourselves of our team goals on a regular basis. We can’t control the outcome of a match, but we can control our mindset.”

Prozanski shared how she coaches during meets.

“Every single match I celebrate their growth and strengths and remind them of where they need to work more.” Prozanski said. “Wrestling teaches resilience in that it’s not just about wins, but pushing past what we think we are capable of and working towards getting better each day.”

Thornton added that for him, commitment extends beyond competition.

“I stay motivated throughout the hard things because I find that it’s what pushes me to be the best that I can be,” Thornton said. “I celebrate my accomplishments by getting a cheat day of eating something not so clean for my diet, [but] then it’s right back to putting in the work.”