Parsons 1

Alec Parsons
Professor M. Campbell
Uwrt-1103
September 14, 2015
Wrestling and Life

Wrestling was the first sport in which I felt like I was learning a whole new language of
rules, calls, penalties, and techniques. Wrestling is one of the few high-school sports that an
individual truly only gets out of it what he or she puts into the sport. This means that in order to
be successful in the sport they must be 100% self-motivated and they have to have confidence in
their own talent and skills as a wrestler. My own wrestling experience began my freshman year
of high school. However, before I get into that I am going to share with you a little of the history
leading up to my decision to start wrestling.
The coach at my high school was also the coach at the middle school. His name was
Rinker or as I normally called him Rink. During my seventh and eighth grade years of middle
school he tried to talk me into coming out for the team, because he knew I had a background in
jiu-jitsu and like watching mixed martial arts competitions. He tried telling me that it was a lot
like jiu-jitsu with a different uniform and different rules. The real thing that stopped me from
wrestling in middle school was my self-consciousness about wearing the uniform or singlet. So
freshman year I ran cross country and had to wear shorts shorter than my boxers and run 3.1
miles through the woods. I figured if I could do that the wrestling uniform wouldnt be that bad,
so when I heard about the open mat practice for people interested in seeing what it is all about I
immediately signed upand that is where it began.

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At the open mat practice I was instantly amazed at the complexity of technique and the
difference in style between weight classes and from speed to strength to technique wrestlers. At
the practice they taught us basic takedowns and ground moves. I struggled with takedowns at
first, they tried teaching me a single leg takedown called a shot. A shot is a move from the
standing position in which you lunge forward dropping your level lower than your opponent and
grabbing one or both legs and lifting up. I struggled with the shot because of my slower speed
compared to most people my size and I just didnt understand the concept. So one of the senior
wrestlers came up to me and helped me work on the move. He introduced himself saying his
name was Levi:
Levi asked if I had ever played football.
Yes I replied
You learn how to tackle in practice? he asked
Yes you wrap around the waist and drive through I said
Alright Levi said Try doing that but wrap around the legs instead of the waist and keep
your head inside
Alright I said
I began working on this technique called a double leg take down and soon decided I preferred it
to the standard single leg takedown. Levi helped me work on that technique and then helped me
work on my sprawl which became my favorite move from the standing position. A sprawl is
the counter move to a shot. When an opponent tries to take a shot you kick your legs back away
from them and push your weight onto their head and neck using a hand and your hip which if

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done quick enough will stop the shot. From this position you have four options. I learned these
one by one by having them demonstrated to me during practice, the first and preferred option for
any wrestler is to cross face, bring your wrist across their face forcing their head to go out to the
side and where the head goes the body goes, once you do this you would spin around behind
them and into back control. Option two wrap one arm around their head and the other through
the armpit and around to their back and flip them by rotating your shoulders and moving to the
side of their body that you have your arm under the armpit. Once you flip them they should land
on their back with you on top holding them in a basic half-nelson pin. Option three is that you
both stand back up and worst case scenario option four your opponent drives through and
finishes the takedown.
The rules of wrestling are relatively simple as I came to learn. First and foremost your
goal is to pin your opponent on their back for a win. This is not the only way to win though,
points are awarded for different accomplishments. Both takedowns and reversals are worth two
points, an escape is worth one point, holding an opponent on his or her back without their
shoulders touching the mat is called a near fall and is worth one point per second up to three
points. You can win by pinning, having more points than your opponent at the end of three
rounds, injuring your opponent or techfall. A techfall is the wrestling term for a mercy rule, this
is achieved by getting 15 points ahead of your opponent.
During my first year of wrestling I focused more on learning techniques than I did
winning. Despite this the night before the biggest tournament of the year, the Tiger Classic in
Chapel Hill I wrestled off with the starting senior for his spot in the tournament. Rinker came up
to me and asked if I wanted to wrestle in the tournament.
Yes I replied, but BJ has that spot.

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So why not wrestle him for it? He asked

Can I tonight? I asked
Yes, right now He said
Rink called BJ over and had us roll out a mat and take positions. We went back and forth for
almost three rounds, we were both tired and I could feel my limbs going numb with fatigue as
the adrenaline rush I always got during a match began to fade. BJ was winning by two points and
he took a shot going for a single leg takedown. I sprawled and brought my knee up into his head
(an illegal move I had perfected to where a ref couldnt even tell I had done it) and lifted his
body up slamming him on his hip. He went limp for a second or two and then he came around
and grabbed his hip. We couldnt move him without causing more pain so we called an
ambulance and his mom. Rinker came over to me after he was gone and told me I had won. I
went to the tournament and ended up losing my first match, winning the second, and losing the
third. Even though I did not place in the tournament it was a good lesson in patience and learning
from mistakes.
Once we returned to school the next week BJ came to practice and told us he had a
concussion and a cracked hip and would not be able to wrestle anymore that year. The number
one thing I learned in my first year of wrestling was to put in work both in and out of practice in
order to improve and be the best I can be in both wrestling and life.
During my second year of wrestling a started off the season with a few back to back wins,
but then I hit a rut. I had lost four or five matches in a row and I was beginning to lose my
confidence, I had ended my first season a decently skilled wrestler having earned a starting spot
and placing in some tournaments. However, I just couldnt seem to get into a good state of mind

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and get some wins to build up my confidence. Well I was getting ready for a match and all I
could think of was the matches I had lost and how this was just going to be another loss. I was
psyching myself out before the match had even started. My coach came up to me and asked how
I felt.
I said Well Rink not so good I feel like it is going to be another loss
Rink said Parsons everyone on this team myself included, has confidence in you and
your abilities as a wrestler, but the one person who needs to have confidence in you does not. Do
you know who that is?
No who is it? I asked
Its you He said, but if you cant find that confidence to win Ill have to find someone
else for your spot.
This gave me a reality check and a deadline. I still didnt have my confidence, but I was pissed
off now. At my coach, my team, the other team, my opponent, and most of all myself for getting
into this situation. Well my match came up and I popped my neck, rolled my shoulders, and
walked out on the mat. My heart was racing and my body was shaking as I shook my opponents
hand. He was a couple inches taller than me about 511 long arms and stocky. As the ref got
ready to start the match I felt that familiar weightlessness that came from my adrenaline rush.
The ref blew the whistle and I shot forward grabbing my opponents neck and arm immediately
executing a perfect duck under coming around behind him. I grabbed his left wrist with my left
hand and then went between his legs grabbing his left wrist with my right hand as well. This is
called a cow-chain, I lifted him up pulling his own arm between his legs and using my
shoulder as a lever to lean him forward and slam him to the mat. Once on the mat I was in the

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zone, before I realized what had happened I had compacted him into a cradle and pinned him to
the mat with his weight balanced on the base of his neck. The ref blew the whistle and smacked
the mat, the match was over. I looked over at the clock and saw only 40seconds had passed. I
looked at my coach who just nodded his head. As the ref raised my hand I felt a weight lift off
my shoulders. As I walked back to my team Rinker walked up t me and asked how I felt.
Well how do you feel He asked
I said Good and hungry, I also feel like a weight has been lifted
Rinker nodded his head and said That is because you got your confidence back Parsons.
All you had to do is go out there thinking you cant lose.
The rest of my second season went in a blur, I made regionals and was one match away
from making states. During this season I learned the importance of having confidence in myself
and my ability to win matches even when I am the weaker or slower or less talented wrestler in a
match. Just like a quote from one of my favorite mixed martial arts movies it doesnt matter the
situation, you can always control the outcome, just have to find the right move.