Do you think successful athletes take a rest when the temperature drops outside? For wrestlers, in particular, they need to train during the colder seasons because wrestling is a sport people do all-year-round. Do you know that scholastic wrestling is a winter sport? So, that means student-wrestlers are training even harder during fall and winter.
This isn’t news. How do you think wrestlers from the cold states of Colorado, Minnesota, and Wisconsin take care of their bodies and prepare for the wrestling season? Wrestlers from all over the world continue training during the winter. They log miles of run time even when the temperature drops. In fact, for many wrestlers, they could even be logging in more running time than professional distance runners.
Running During Winter
Have you tried running during the winter? Some athletes actually prefer to run during the colder seasons because the weather is less taxing to the body. Running in hot and humid weather is more exhausting than running in cold weather. The colder the weather, the less heat the body has to suffer from. This is also the reason why most marathons happen in October and November. There are fewer incidents of heat exhaustion and heat stroke when the temperature is lower.
Wrestlers run through snow, ice, and mud. They run on incline and decline. These make the run a bit more challenging for them. There are little drawbacks to running during winter. What little evidence there is against this activity cannot compare to the benefits it presents.
But Safety First Always
The streets are a bit more slippery during winter, especially after a particularly snowy day. This means that even the best athletes can still slip and fall while they run. Coaches and trainers will advise wrestlers to put on protective gear. They can, for instance,wear a Giro MIPS ski helmet. These helmets come in a variety of sizes and colors. You can also get a goggle shield to protect your eyes if it gets too cold on the incline.
And since it’s the winter, wrestlers still dress in layers. Those muscles will not protect them from frostbite, so don’t even think about going out without a shirt the way wrestlers do on the ring. When you see wrestlers run during the winter, they are still clothed in layers.
Wrestlers also wear winter-specific running shoes that have a better grip. Ordinary running shoes have an awful grip on the snow, so don’t try to run wearing those. Get warm socks, too, so you don’t hurt your toes because of the cold.
Participating in Fall Sports
Many coaches, especially for scholastic wrestlers, require the athletes to participate in fall sports such as cross country, golf, and football. These sports will keep the wrestlers’ competitive spirits alive in months that it gets a bit too hard to get up from the bed. Coaches want wrestlers to compete outside their comfort zones because this keeps them on their toes.
They can also learn a lot from cross country training and football. Facing cross country runners will make wrestlers want to train more to be faster and beat these distance runners. With football, they will work out on their footwork, balance, positioning, stance and technique, hand fighting, and strength. They can work with offensive and defensive linemen who can challenge their strength, durability, and balance.
But the benefits of joining fall sports goes beyond preparing for the wrestling season in winter. Academic wrestlers need to participate in school activities, so they can be more involved within the community. They have to contribute to building up other student-athletes. Other coaches, in fact, organize team-building activities with the rest of the other school athletes to develop the skills, confidence, and sense of belonging of the athletes.
For professional wrestlers, it’s also important for them to participate in training with other sports especially during fall and winter. It builds their camaraderie with other athletes, which is important for their roles as models to the youth. It also readies their bodies for the season ahead and prevents being burned out from doing the same routine all-year-long.
The discipline it takes for wrestlers and other athletes to succeed in their respective sports is astonishing. They have to work all year to develop their skills and make their bodies stronger. The cold weather and dropping temperature of fall don’t stop them from training hard. This is what makes these athletes special and a cut above the rest. The dedication they continue to show is an inspiration for many who can’t even manage to run five minutes on the treadmill.
