Collaboration > Self-focused

Teamwork makes the dream work.  This phrase is used so often in education, youth sports, workplaces, in the family, in addition to so many other atmospheres.  I think at times, it can be said so quickly and flows off the tongue so smoothly that it can lose its power and impact.  At the same time, I often ponder how much we focus on the self-expression in our local communities and environments in which we live.  We hear it all the time: “do what’s best for you.”  What happens when “do what is best for you,” rubs up against “do what is best for the team?”  At IWA, we believe in collaborative efforts within our team and our local community and region, while at the same time, placing a lot of focus on giving the individual what they need for their development.

Having a collaborative mindset does not eliminate opportunities to improve one self.  And, I would make the argument that those who are most collaborative can build a culture that benefits them the most in the long run.  The sport of wrestling is beautiful – it teaches you so much about your internal drive and pushes you to face challenges head on, while at the same time we understand that we need others around us to overcome those challenges and achieve at a high level.  Let me paint the picture of a wrestling team, with twenty kids, aged 8-10 years old.  And now, let me paint two scenarios.

Scenario one (self-focused culture) is one in which kids come to practice to get better, focus on developing their own skillsets, look for the next best partner and opportunity, and have a lot of self-focus.  What tends to happen is that you typically have 4-6 kids who are a bit more physical, have a better understanding of the sport, and possibly a little further along on the developmental path than their peers.  With this self-focus culture, these individuals tend to get bored in the wrestling room.  They will quickly turn off their brains because they are always seeking for how the situation can benefit them best – and when that doesn’t happen, they disappear and go looking for the next best opportunity.  You can’t fault them for that!  And at the same, those kids who are not in the upper echelon - they tend to get discouraged by not measuring up to their peers and develop a fear of some of these teammates.

Scenario two (collaboration) is one in which kids come to practice and are encouraged to see the opportunity in every situation.  When they wrestle with someone who is at their skill level, they tend to have a really great practice and are encouraged.  Next week, when they practice with a peer who has a lower skillset than them, they see OPPORTUNITY.  The opportunity that lies in front of them is one in which they can help teach their teammate and work together with them to understand the skillset better.  They are practicing patience in that moment.  They are building a valuable skillset in that moment – the skill of being able to teach others clearly and effectively.  Their ability to teach the technique well is actually making their wrestling better! They are building relationship in that moment. What do you think happens to that kid (or maybe 10 kids) in scenario 1, who was getting beat constantly in the wrestling room?  Instead of seeing their peer as someone to fear, they start to look up to that peer because he/she is taking the time to build relationship and work with them through the sport.  Over time, that kid who was at the bottom 10% of the group is now in the upper echelon, and likely modeling the same behavior to younger and less experienced wrestlers. What do you think happens in 4-6 years?  That group of twenty turns into twenty 16-year olds that are absolute hammers!  Not only are they hammers with multiple high quality practice partners to work with, but they have been building the character traits that are going to make them successful in the long run.  And that type of culture is attractive and contagious!  When new, inexperienced wrestlers walk in the wrestling room, they feel at home and welcomed – not because of the coaching and wrestling accolades, but because of the culture of collaboration and work ethic that these twenty young men/women have built.  They feel the love and impact of these peers.  That’s empowering to a group of teenagers – to see the fruits of their labors and be reminded of it by their coaches and mentors. 

The beautiful thing about scenario 2 is we believe that it not only pushes a collaborative effort that benefits the team, but it also is the environment that benefits the individual the most in the long run. 

Enjoy the process!

Is this really a major key to developing? We at Impact Wrestling Academy believe that if kids learn to enjoy the process, and fall in love with wrestling, they will get the most out of themselves in the long run. However, it takes more than just saying, “enjoy the process.” We take great responsibility in trying to create an environment where kids learn to fall in love with the process.

At the end of the day, if all we do is teach wrestling moves, we have not given these kids the tools to succeed far beyond the mat. I care greatly about kids getting better at wrestling and I truly believe we can produce college All-Americans and National Champions – however, our foundational mission as an Academy can’t be lost – “to create growth-minded individuals who are eager to tackle any challenge in front of them.” In addition, these kids will start seeing success on the mat because of their ability to tackle the challenge each and every day of finding ways to improve.

One of the ways we aim to create this culture is by building a relationship with the kids. If kids don’t know we care about them, it will be very difficult to help them grow as a young boy/girl. Relationships are everything in life and we hope to pour into the kids in ways that are tangible and real.

Another focus in building this culture is to be calm, confident, and truthful with the kids. As a kid, I had countless number of coaches who would scream and yell when I wasn’t performing or when I wasn’t meeting their expectations. I’ve also had a number of great mentors/coaches who I would trust my kids and family with, who were insistent about being the “calm to my storm”. They understood where I was as a kid (or took the time to understand), and were patient, but, at the same time, honest with my wrestling/development. These mentors still speak to me today when I am looking to tackle challenges and opportunities in my life.

Another major piece to the puzzle in creating this culture is having a heavy focus on attitude and effort and a small focus on results. We practically aim to do this by recognizing when kids give great effort and great attitude.

We believe every kid develops at varying rates and our goal is not to get them to win wrestling matches when they are young – it is to move them along this developmental pathway, to the point where they own it, where they buy into the growth mindset principles and fall in love with the process because they have made the choice to attack each day with great vigor and joy. Our job is just to be patient, honest, fill their mind with the right feedback, and provide them with what they need to get to that point.

The amazing thing that I have witnessed and data shows, is that those individuals who live their life by being process-focused v. results-focused are those that actually achieve the best results in life – sports included. The focus on winning youth state championships is very detrimental to a kids long-term development (although it may garner them a lot of short-term success); where as the focus on developing the growth mindset, falling in love with the process and sport, leads to winning at the highest level in the long-run. This is our aim at Impact – to give kids the tools to win at the highest levels in their life.