Every fall, wrestlers across the country look at the preseason calendar and immediately circle the biggest events.
Super 32. Fall Grappler. National-level opens. Showcase tournaments loaded with ranked wrestlers, state champions and future college athletes.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to test yourself against the best. In fact, for the right wrestler, those tournaments can be extremely valuable.
But there is also a question that more wrestlers, coaches and parents should be asking:
Is this tournament actually helping me get better?
That answer is not always yes.
For some wrestlers, traveling across the country to a major preseason event makes perfect sense. If you are consistently placing at the state level, winning high-level tournaments, competing nationally and looking for the toughest possible matches, then an event like Super 32 can provide exactly what you need.
But if you are traveling to those same tournaments and consistently going 0-2, 1-2 or 2-2, there may be a better way to spend your preseason.
The Goal Should Be Development
The purpose of preseason competition should not simply be to say that you competed at a big-name tournament.
The goal should be to become a better wrestler.
That means getting meaningful mat time, working through positions, developing confidence, learning how to score and improving your technical skill set.
If you are wrestling opponents who are so far ahead of you that you spend the entire match trying to survive, how much development is actually taking place?
