COACHES CORNER


How do we move from good to great in Greco?


We must choose to be great, and we must be disciplined in our effort to go all the way


By Steve Fraser, U.S. National Greco-Roman Coach Our World Greco-Roman Team finished in 10th place at the


2013 World Championships, held in Budapest, Hungary on September 20-22. Our best performer, Spenser Mango (55 kg/121 lbs.), had a


good performance by placing fifth. He just missed winning the bronze medal, losing to a tough Armenian wrestler by a hair (5-4). The loss was a heartbreaker for Mango as well as our team.


Mango worked extremely hard this past year - doing all the right things that got him in position to win a World medal. As always, wrestling at the World level is most often a game


of inches. The question is… how do we go from “good to great”? The way I see it we have to do two major things. We must CHOOSE to be great, and we must be DISCIPLINED in our effort to go - all the way. Why settle, in this wonderful life that God hath given us, for


“good” when we all have the potential to be "great"? My experience tells me that it comes down to this – a bit


more effort. This "bit more" is what a lot of people just aren't willing to


do. So, it is a matter of choice... Do we choose to be good or do


we choose to be great? Once we choose then we must find the discipline to commit


to the principles of becoming great. What follows are a few principles that author, Jim Collins,


wrote about in his bestselling book, Good to Great. Focus On Discipline


Discipline in achieving success is the key. Think about it.


Doing the right things, over and over, in a relentless fashion is what it takes to achieve something. Doing something over and over takes discipline. Having


great discipline at learning, drilling and practicing our wrestling skills will keep us improving each and every day. Take Responsibility


The day I started taking full responsibility for my career and


holding “me” accountable for my daily actions was the day I became a professional athlete. No more blaming others. No more complaining. No more waiting for magic to happen.


34 USA Wrestler This was the day I started to


search out the knowledge for myself, and find what I needed to get better. I trained with the best partners. I got the international experience that I needed. I found the money that it takes to travel and compete. This was the day I took control


of my destiny. Make A Decision


Making a conscious decision


where I would train, who I would train with, and what my workout routine and schedule would be, were all crucial decisions in my quest to improve my skills. One of the most important decisions I made in my career


Fraser


was when I decided - without fail - to get out of bed every morning around 6 a.m. and run 3 or 4 miles to start my day. Many days, I hated the thought of this. Many days, I was so, so tired I could cry. And many days I


just did not want to do this. However, I sucked it up, got out of bed, and took my tired,


crabby self outside and got moving! The decision to get out of bed and hit the road, even on the


most frigid cold of Michigan winter mornings was one of the best decisions of my career. My cardiovascular and mental conditioning strengthened tenfold. This decision initiated the most dramatic and noticeable improvement in my entire career. Action to Goals


Little by little, action is what it takes. We often hear the end


story for successful people. We don't usually hear the day-by- day effort. Brandon Paulson is a World and Olympic silver medalist. On October 19, 2013 he was inducted into the Alan & Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions in Minneapolis. At the banquet, during his speech, he said, “It's not about winning. It's about being great!” He went on to say, “It's about trying to be great each and


every second of every match, each and every moment of every practice!” Brandon's mindset was to become great. So each and every day, with all of his might, he did just that.


He wasn't satisfied with just winning a 2-1 victory. He wanted to crush everybody, every minute of every oppor-


tunity. This mindset is the mentality that it takes to reach the top of


the podium.


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