Wrestling stretches back its roots to ancient Greek and Roman times. The sport was created to allow men, the chance to show their skills as well as display their disciplined nature. Wrestling is a sport that combines both mental and physical discipline in order to succeed against an opponent. Discipline and self-reliance form the pillars that wrestling is founded upon.

Many factors come into play that requires discipline, in a world that relies heavily upon it. “Discipline is being able to stay calm and think while you are in the heat of the battle. Being disciplined is a crucial aspect of wrestling, as one wrong move could end it all,” says Jhett Ostrom, a wrestler at Dodge City High School. Watching their weight to wrestle is important, many athletes new to the sport fail in their first year mainly because of the strict diet they must maintain. They have a hard time recovering from starving themselves in order to make weigh-ins that they tend to “pig out” on junk food that is hard on their digestive systems. Wrestlers after making weight need to focus on foods that will help recover and won’t adversely affect their performance, which is what new wrestlers don’t know about. According to the Dodge City High School Wrestling Coach Lars Lueders, “Discipline is required in wrestling mostly in the form of self-discipline in order to be successful in the sport.” Athletes wanting to become more successful in wrestling are encouraged to do extra conditioning on their own, thus using self-discipline. According Jhett, “Wrestling has helped me tremendously in becoming self-disciplined. Now when I am under the gun, I can still stay calm and think because it is such a big part of wrestling.” Dedication is also necessary because it uses self-will, in going to practice even when the wrestlers are drained of energy. Being dedicated to a sport as demanding as wrestling, allows for young athletes to become self-reliant and put it to future use in their lives.

“It is just a sport that will have no impact on the future of wrestlers,” many parents claim, upon realizing that wrestling is not a sport but becomes a lifestyle for their children. Teenagers entering into wrestling do so at first with the mentality of it being just a sport but it quickly becomes a part of them. “They learn quickly that life offers no shortcuts and they must work hard to overcome problems.” Lueders says, “Everything in life becomes easier once you have wrestled, since wrestling is a hard and challenging sport.” “When you step on the mat, it is just you and your opponent. You must rely on all of the work that you have put in, if you want to come out on top,” says Jhett. Wrestling also helps athletes form health conscious lifestyles when they become adults. Wrestling teaches young wrestlers to be able to work as an individual but also as part of a team.

Wrestling is an individual sport that presses on the idea of self-reliance, more than any other sport. It pushes wrestlers to the brink of their limits but also helps them push past their limitations to succeed. It helps young athletes become mentally tougher, when they are physically drained, pushed, prodded to the edge of their strength. They become self-taught in the art of becoming self-reliant, which only they can be taught from experience.