With Jordan Burroughs
There's a psychological battle that goes unseen from the outsider's perspective when two wrestlers are in the circle.
Everything that you've done up until that point is going to be revealed on the mat. But most importantly, you have an opponent that's standing directly across from you, and you’re unsure about what they've done in preparation. Are they ready? How much video have they watched? Are they privy to your tendencies?
The match within the match begins at the first whistle. My goal is always to take the first shot. I want to be the person who initiates the offense, brings the tone, and sets the pace of the match. The nerves go away instantly. That first collision, the first time your heads meet, it's almost like a shockwave that wakes you up instantly.
Instead of thinking about the all-encompassing match, getting your hand raised, executing your techniques, it's all about the little tendencies. There's no such thing as a fearless wrestler. Only courageous wrestlers. You fight fear with faith. When you find yourself in these difficult situations where there's a big crowd and the circumstances are big and the magnitude is massive, you start to recognize that in those small moments are where the matches are won. Move your feet, heavy hands. Concede nothing. Fight for everything.
These are the battles that happen within the match that most people can't see.
I think oftentimes we see the execution of the moves, and the wrestlers are only concerned with the movements that put points on the board. I'm concerned with the movements that wear them down. That takes away from their energy, their power meter. That makes them unsure, uncertain. That creates disbelief, and that continues to chip away at their confidence as we go through the match. That's the goal. It's a psychological battle. It's heavy hands, moving your feet. Lateral motion is used as a threat. Creating chain offense, chaining your sequences together, and being stingy.
If they get to a leg, commit to making it as hard as possible for them to finish. They finish, solid defense, eight to ten seconds back to your feet. Initiate your ties and your offense right away. The wrestler who is willing to wrestle in the next position the hardest is the one who owns the momentum. It's not the person who scored last, it's the person who's going to try hardest to score next.
The next time you get an opportunity to compete, remember the small victories happening within the contents of the match. Think less about the outcome and more about the performance. Lastly, initiate your offense right away. Set the tone, control the pace throughout, and fight for everything; concede nothing.
