Avoiding Burnout

There is a lot to be said for keeping a routine in sports. It offers predictability, focus, and an easy way to measure progress.

But routine also has its drawbacks. Over the course of a long wrestling season, doing the same things day after day can get tiresome. Workouts can get stale. Motivation and interest can wander. The stresses of school can pile up. And in many states, the dreary, cold winter months add another layer of mental weariness that can cause a wrestler to fall into a rut.

That’s why it’s important to mix things up frequently, says Steve Thorpe, head high school wrestling coach in Sweet Home, Oregon. To achieve this, Thorpe, who is also State Chairman for Oregon USA Wrestling, advocates switching training or practice partners, adding new workouts or drills, and—a favorite tactic of his—blasting 80's music during practice. "No joke, they like it," Thorpe says.

Staying Goal-Focused

When you're in the middle of long, grueling training period, it's easy to lose focus on what's important and how you plan on achieving your goals. That’s why wrestlers should remind themselves every day in training why they are doing what they are doing, says Dr. Alan Goldberg, a sports psychologist who is also director of Competitive Advantage, an Amherst, Massachusetts-based performance-consulting firm.

"Get back in touch with the main reason for training and competing," Goldberg explains. He suggests you start by asking yourself: "How is what I am doing today going to help me get to where I want to go?"

Coaches also need to help remind their athletes about how they’re working towards end-of-season goals. This, plus explaining why they have athletes doing certain drills or exercises is important for maintaining an athlete's motivation. Coaches who have a dismissive attitude, like: "You do it because I say so," don't get it, says Goldberg. "You have to create relevance for the athletes and never hesitate to explain why they are doing what they're doing," he says.

Vary Training Times and Practice Focus

Mike Clayton, Manager of USA Wrestling's National Coaches Education Program, also emphasizes the importance of mixing things up for both athletic and personal benefit. One way to do this: try a morning practice instead of an after school practice. "Kids will appreciate the free time to work on homework, SAT prep, or even can spend extra time in the [training] room if desired," Clayton says.

Other ideas include a strength-only day, where one day a week over the course of a month the focus is on strength, flexibility, or endurance. "Technique takes a lot of mental energy and a 'strength-only' day can help your athletes feel strong, confident, and give them a break from daily technique," Clayton notes.

As the season goes on, consider shortening practices but maintain high levels of intensity. When those are done, focus on recovery. Coaches have a lot to share with athletes, and can always find something a team or individual can work on. But remember, says Clayton, young athletes only absorb so much of that. Don't let practices drag on. "Have a great practice plan with a clearly stated objective—no more than two to three key points," he says.

Build in Rest and Recovery Periods

As the season goes on and things get tougher, getting stale can also be from other factors, including what wrestling trainer Robert Forster calls the primary metabolic killers: Overtraining, lack of active recovery techniques, dehydration, and caloric restriction. Forster runs Phase IV Science and Health Center, a Santa Monica, California-based health and performance center. Forster has worked with a who's who of elite Olympians, has taught USAW Wrestling Silver College training courses, and recently worked with many top USA Wrestling athletes.

The most important aspect of training methodology to keep athletes fresh and avoid overtraining, Forster says, is to always reduce overall training hours when intensity increases. "Intensity and volume are always inversely related," he explains. Not recognizing this link is the biggest problem in amateur wrestling, he adds.

So coaches, and athletes should focus on the importance of feeding the metabolism through a diet of high protein and healthy fats, without restricting calories. Athletes also need to maintain proper hydration and develop training plans that include certain days that focus on mobility and recovery techniques once a week, says Forster. 

Listen to Your Body

Getting into a performance groove without getting bored is key to surviving and thriving during the season, says Aubrey Watts, a Performance Center Coordinator/Assistant Strength Coach with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Goldberg agrees. Introducing elements of the perfect practice helps, says Goldberg. This is where coaches integrate some of the pressure elements that wrestlers will run into during competition. "By introducing these competitive elements, it will help combat the drudgery."

"Variety keeps kids sharper and more interested," Goldberg says. "Repetition without creativity bores them. Coaches shouldn't be afraid to introduce unexpected, fun, cross training techniques/drills and conditioning towards this end."

Below are more tips for helping to keep your workouts fresh and your competitive focus during the wrestling season:

- Listen to your body: If something hurts, take care of it. If you are feeling burned out, take a day off. After you finish a competition and you’re famished, eat a great meal.

- Create balance in your workouts: You don’t always want to do the same exercises over and over. Think about those that complement each other as well. For example, if you’re working on bench press, a pushing exercise, add in sets of rows, a great pulling exercise.

- Create good body awareness: Incorporate some simple gymnastics exercises and routines into your practices. This will build balance, footwork, body control, and power and add some much-needed variety. “Doing the same workout, in the same gym, at the same time every day will become boring,” Watts warns.

- Add competitive challenges: This provides a different physical and mental stimulus and will add a team building aspect to workouts that will keep things fun.

- Switch training partners: "When I see guys getting into a rut or I notice too much comfort between training partners, I make them mix it up," Thorpe says. "I have them change who they wrestle during drilling and live competition. I will also have guys match up experience with inexperience to better improve technique."

- Incorporate new workout routines: Thorpe likes to add a 22-minute workout that includes running intervals and sprints, followed by up to 20 minutes of stretching and yoga, followed by a relaxation period. "I do this once or twice a season and my guys love it," Thorpe says. "They feel refreshed and they get a good workout in."

- Station-to-station drills: In addition, Thorpe breaks the workout room into three stations. Each coach is assigned a technique or drill to lead, and provides individual instruction and motivation at each station. Wrestlers practice for 20 minutes at each station, then rotate. They then spend the last part of practice in short,live wrestling situations, where wrestlers can incorporate the training and drills they just learned.