Did you have a routine, or superstition?

[Viratas]

Mine was that I would always to lay flat on back before a match or tournament and count the lights. I figure if you got it out of your system before the matches started, you were good.

[nhs67]

I was born a few months after the '67 riots and had family hurt, grievously, on both sides.

We didn't move to Novi until ~1975?  Some if my superstitions were quite dark for some time.

My nephews and grandkiddos, though? 

I have one that listens to only shuffle dance electro during warmups.  He lost to some kid he had never lost to before when his ipod broke?  Swears it cost him the match.

I have one who has different colored shoes with matching leggings.  He alternates them depending on home/away and doesn't wash his socks once the season starts.

My grandaughter wears a purple singlet under her blue and reds.

I remember an old high school teammate wore a shoulder brace even though he never had any shoulder issues.  His grandfather swore by it that it helped with throw defense and he believed him 110% all through high school.

[Fadzaev2]

On 11/4/2022 at 8:05 AM, Viratas said:

Mine was that I would always to lay flat on back before a match or tournament and count the lights. I figure if you got it out of your system before the matches started, you were good.

There's no way Rip would have done that!!!!

 

[Hammerlock3]

anyone else pee a lot...

[Wrestleknownothing]

I know a wrestler whose routine is to not have a routine. That way if his routine gets messed up it won't mess up his routine.

[ionel]

26 minutes ago, Hammerlock3 said:

anyone else pee a lot...

 

1 minute ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

I know a wrestler whose routine is to not have a routine. That way if his routine gets messed up it won't mess up his routine.

Wkn, please tell us your routine wasn't to pee in the pool before the start.   

[Wrestleknownothing]

8 minutes ago, ionel said:

 

Wkn, please tell us your routine wasn't to pee in the pool before the start.   

Before the start? No. Never before the start.

[flyingcement]

I would always eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich after weigh-in, forcing it down because the stress of the moment always killed my appetite.  

I would then play beatles greatest hits on my red Sony Walkman to calm myself. 

I really hated when people were chatty or overly sociable prior to the match.  I wanted focus and quiet.  

My team growing up also had a stuffed Tasmanian Devil toy, and we would all rub its head for good luck before wrestling.  

[Crablegs]

I’m college I was very routine.  I would eat the exact same thing, warm up the exact same way with a pre-weigh in workout and a post weigh in warm up.  
 

I was a 125 and absolutely hated when they drew weights.  My routine was all about performing exactly 1 hour after weigh in.  Could never figure out quite how to get it right if I was the 4th or 7th match of the night.

[Viratas]

11 hours ago, Fadzaev2 said:

There's no way Rip would have done that!!!!

 

True Story

[Yellow_Medal]

I’m college I was very routine.  I would eat the exact same thing, warm up the exact same way with a pre-weigh in workout and a post weigh in warm up.  
 
I was a 125 and absolutely hated when they drew weights.  My routine was all about performing exactly 1 hour after weigh in.  Could never figure out quite how to get it right if I was the 4th or 7th match of the night.

I was the same way as a 103 in high school. I started stretching and other warmups too soon after weigh ins; very regimented, but also very high strung. As a 125 in college I learned to have a very different routine. I took it easy, didn’t get amped up or nervous until a reasonable amount of time before a match. My performance improved for it.

[flyingcement]

2 hours ago, Yellow_Medal said:

I was the same way as a 103 in high school. I started stretching and other warmups too soon after weigh ins; very regimented, but also very high strung. As a 125 in college I learned to have a very different routine. I took it easy, didn’t get amped up or nervous until a reasonable amount of time before a match. My performance improved for it.

Good for you.  I never grew out of that (pre match stress)

[FearTheTurtle]

First thing I put on was my headgear and it was the last thing I would take off for each and every practice after I arrived on campus and met someone with cauliflower ear. I wore it on the scale, on the bus, while running, everything we did, I did with my headgear on and snapped up. 

[ionel]

43 minutes ago, FearTheTurtle said:

First thing I put on was my headgear and it was the last thing I would take off for each and every practice after I arrived on campus and met someone with cauliflower ear. I wore it on the scale, on the bus, while running, everything we did, I did with my headgear on and snapped up. 

Am assuming you wore it on dates.  

[TexRef]

5 hours ago, FearTheTurtle said:

First thing I put on was my headgear and it was the last thing I would take off for each and every practice after I arrived on campus and met someone with cauliflower ear. I wore it on the scale, on the bus, while running, everything we did, I did with my headgear on and snapped up. 

Is that you Wes Wesley?! RED ALERT! 

[Fadzaev2]

5 hours ago, FearTheTurtle said:

First thing I put on was my headgear and it was the last thing I would take off for each and every practice after I arrived on campus and met someone with cauliflower ear. I wore it on the scale, on the bus, while running, everything we did, I did with my headgear on and snapped up. 

You could've gotten a cauliflower ear from the headgear wearing them that often/long.

[BerniePragle]

5 hours ago, ionel said:

Am assuming you wore it on dates.  

Those were the best kind of dates.

[mspart]

I only wrestled HS but was asst coach in HS for a long time.  In WA never had an issue with cauliflower ear.   In MN, practices were tougher and my ear started to hurt.   All of the kids wore headgear but I did not.   I think it was their headgear that got my ear.   Anyway, I have a nice little puffy in my ear that is not too noticeable but there nonetheless. 

mspart

[FearTheTurtle]

56 minutes ago, Fadzaev2 said:

You could've gotten a cauliflower ear from the headgear wearing them that often/long.

Well I didn’t but I also am losing my hearing pretty fast as I age. So there’s that 

[Fadzaev2]

9 minutes ago, FearTheTurtle said:

Well I didn’t but I also am losing my hearing pretty fast as I age. So there’s that 

What did ya say....lol....just kidding.  Fear the Turtle ....did you wrestle at Maryland? 

 

 

[BerniePragle]

The last time I wrestled was HS.  I always blew my nose right after warmups.  Our 112/120 pounder was a very good wrestler, but he got very nervous before he wrestled.  When the previous match was starting, I'd always get up and start messing with him when he was behind the chairs warming up.  I'd always try to get him in a headlock and give him a noogie.  It helped to get the ants out of his pants.  Our UNL was also very good, but lacked "the killer instinct".  I always got in his face just before he wrestled and got him wound up, even if I was totally wiped from wrestling earlier.  Good memories.

[flyingcement]

55 minutes ago, BerniePragle said:

The last time I wrestled was HS.  I always blew my nose right after warmups.  Our 112/120 pounder was a very good wrestler, but he got very nervous before he wrestled.  When the previous match was starting, I'd always get up and start messing with him when he was behind the chairs warming up.  I'd always try to get him in a headlock and give him a noogie.  It helped to get the ants out of his pants.  Our UNL was also very good, but lacked "the killer instinct".  I always got in his face just before he wrestled and got him wound up, even if I was totally wiped from wrestling earlier.  Good memories.

That's too funny.  I was typically the guy with ants in my pants trying to dodge the noogie lol

[FearTheTurtle]

2 hours ago, Fadzaev2 said:

What did ya say....lol....just kidding.  Fear the Turtle ....did you wrestle at Maryland? 

 

 

No just live in Maryland and a giant wrestling fan hoping they can be good again. 

[jross]

I was nervous when looking at other kids records.  Then my coach told me, what do you think he is thinking about you?  Because he had previously coached the kid I was worried about, my nerves of failure became nerves of excitement.  I listened to Kid Rock, System of a down, Rage ATM, and Tool. Otherwise jogged In place, watched the match in front of me, then went to work. 

[BerniePragle]

26 minutes ago, jross said:

I was nervous when looking at other kids records.  Then my coach told me, what do you think he is thinking about you?  Because he had previously coached the kid I was worried about, my nerves of failure became nerves of excitement.  I listened to Kid Rock, System of a down, Rage ATM, and Tool. Otherwise jogged In place, watched the match in front of me, then went to work. 

I was with an old buddy at the NYS tournament quite a few years ago (his two boys were wrestling there).  We were watching a match where the brackets showed one kid was 46-0 and the other kid was something like 22-12.  The 22-12 kid was pretty much having his way with the #1 seed.  My buddy said, "Apparently, that kid doesn't know he's 46-0."  I still snicker about that.