Issues in Training
To reach your athletic goals, you need to remember there are nine peices of the training puzzle that must be manipulated into their proper place to achieve athletic success. These are the key peices to complete a successful training program.
TIME: The one sure thing you have in common with your competition is time. Don't waste it; if you use your time more effeciently than your competition, you will be better prepared then they are. It isn't the hours you put in, it is what you put into those hours. TRAIN SMART!

CONDITIONING: You can never be in too good of shape! Stress the heart aerobically, stress it anerobically. Develop speed, quickness, and endurance. Be a machine!

GOALS: Set specific goals for each workout. Use technique practices to refine technique and solve specific problems. Write up a "scouting report" on yourself - identify problem areas and work hard to improve those areas.
TECHNICAL SKILLS: Sharpen all the areas of your game. Make your weaknesses your strengths. Be a complete competitor in your sport.

AGILITY: Agility is the ability to change directions while maintaining balance, body control and speed. Agility is a trainable motor skill, having good feet is probably a better asset than having blazing speed. Agility work can be incorporated with specific sports skills, or with conditioning drills.
FLEXIBILITY: The typical athlete must be able to produce and absorb forces under conditions where your muscles are "ballistically" stretched and loaded. Lack of dynamic flexibility can cause injury and limit your execution of technique. You should stretch often and very aggressively. Your warm up and cooldown should be a priority, using good stretching methods in each.

NUTRITION: Nutrition might seem unimportant, but it is actually one of the most critical aspects of a training program. You must be constantly aware of your diet, and what kind of training effect it will have on your competitive preparation. Keep your weight under control. Keeping a daily journal or a record of what you eat will give you a great knowledge of what makes you feel "great," and makes you feel "tired and sluggish."

DAILY JOURNAL: Keeping a daily journal is probably one of the most effective ways to improve your training methods and aids in developing your plan. Recording information about your training such as food, hours slept, training activity, how you feel, etc. can really benefit you in identifying certain trends that can greatly affect how you feel during competition. This information can help you customize your training methods/plan, this will aid in your confidence of your plan of attack. Because everyone is different, it is especially important to find out what makes you feel fresh, hungry, and powerful.
REST: The fundamental part of the training process takes place during the nights sleep. During sleep, changes ocurr in the core of the brain, reducing the excitability of the centers in which the various senses are located: hearing, sight, touch, etc. Sleep brings calm and rest for the brain cells, replenishing their work capacity, enabling the accumulation of nervous enery for future activity.
Adapted from the Greco-Roman Training Plan and Journal, USA Wrestling, Colorado Springs, CO, 1996-97.
To The Next Level (c) 2000, 2001 Reprinted with permission.