Confronting Fears by Coach Eric
“The point of maximum danger is the point of minimum fear…on the other side of your maximum fear are all of the best things in life.”
Will Smith
We are born with only two innate fears: the fear of falling and loud noises. All other fears are either taught or learned and therefore can be unlearned. When I was in high school, I experienced my first airplane ride from Wisconsin to Florida and I immediately wanted to parachute from it. I was traveling with a childhood friend and his dad for a fortunate vacation to Disney. I was fascinated by a notebook of goals my friend kept that ranged from perfecting his Bruce Lee one-inch punch to getting an A on his next University of Wisconsin course assignment to getting accepted into Harvard Law School. On the plane ride, he was updating his goals notebook to become a lawyer. I looked up to Chris, who could convince you that the Trivial Pursuit answer on the card was misprinted or wrong and it was still his turn. When I was 20 years old, Chris died in a car accident. Shortly after his funeral, an acceptance letter to Harvard Law School was received. He would’ve been a great Lawyer.
This was a defining moment in my life. At the time, I was accepted to the School of Education and studying to be an Elementary School Teacher. I decided to start my own goals notebook and #1 on the list was “jump from an airplane.” I did not elect the tandem jump, where you are attached to a professional instructor. I chose the static line, where you choose to exit the plane on your own and face the fear of falling head on. After 2 hours of simulated training, I found myself in a little Cessna Plane and flying what seemed like a mile above the ground. I opened the door, as instructed, to experience the loud noise of rushing air against my face for the first time. I was about to jump out the door of a flying airplane.
Well, actually, you fall away from the plane. After the door was opened, I had to hang from the plane wing support beam with both hands, look up at a small red circle on the bottom side of the wing and simply let go. I had to let my white knuckle death grip relax and let go of my fear to fall. More importantly, I had to trust my parachute was properly packed and the static line connected to the plane would deploy my chute, as I began to loosen my grip. I had to believe in my ability to transfer the morning simulation training into action, as I released my grip further. I had to accept that my personal choices led me to this moment of hanging outside a flying airplane like 007, as only my fingertips kept me connected to the plane. I had to face the fact that the instructor shut the door and a moment later I seized the opportunity to watch the plane shrink in size as I fell away.
The blissful serenity that follows your parachute opening as you drift down to the Earth can not be explained. The ultimate combination of fear, joy, endorphins and adrenaline is experienced after only the most extreme situations. Wrestling offers opportunities to experience a similar feeling to jumping from an airplane. Looking back, that feeling is simulated when you beat that wrestler “you’re not supposed to” and achieve the big goals like winning Regionals, qualifying for State, or being crowned a State Champion. I am referring to that “sense of accomplishment” you feel at the moment you proved your fears of failing wrong and achieved a goal that took years of consistent sacrifice. Those moments you get your hand symbolically raised along your life journey.
Intrinsically motivated people are drawn to the sport of wrestling. That person who sets their own goals and chooses to step into the circle. Every time I jumped from an airplane or helicopter I was more than nervous, I was scared. However, I did not let fear control me and I exited the plane 100% of the time. Every wrestler is at least nervous, if not scared, prior to shaking hands. When you shake hands, agreeing to the rules of wrestling combat, do not let your fears of failing prevent you from being victorious. Do not allow doubts of your ability delay or freeze your feet from taking calculated risks to score more points. Do not allow your opponent to conquer their fears and achieve their goals, while crushing your dream.
Your mind is very selfish and will do whatever it takes to protect itself. Your mind’s strongest, most dangerous and most effective tool is FEAR. Instead, trust that your coaches have prepared you for this moment. Instead, believe in your ability to transfer practice room habits into earning points during competition. Instead, accept that your coaches, parents and friends are already proud of you for accepting the opportunity to compete. Instead, realize that if you don’t let go of your fear to lose or make mistakes and score the next points then your opponent will. Instead, do not be content with hanging outside of an airplane and let go to realize your Champion potential.
“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
Wayne Gretzky
“He who wants milk should not sit in the middle of the pasture expecting the cow to back up to him.”
Unknown