Considered as one of the oldest sports in history, wrestling is a martial arts that relies on leverage, strong balance, explosive power and technical knowledge to control and take down an opponent and maintain a superior position.

The legendary Olympic wrestling champion Dan Gable is known for saying “Once you have wrestled, everything else in life is easy.” This statement rings true for anyone who has trained wrestling, a challenging martial art that teaches its practitioners many valuable lessons about being an athlete and about surviving daily life.

9 Reasons Why Wrestling Is The Perfect Martial Art:

1) Because it teaches you the meaning of personal accountability.

Although you have an instructor to guide you, it is completely up to you whether you want to win or lose. You learn that you have to take responsibility for every single thing that happens on the wrestling mats. The amount of hours you’ve put into training, making weight, working on techniques, all boils down to your performance and yours alone.

2) Because you learn the importance of humility.

Because it is a 1-on-1 sport, you quickly learn that there is no one else to blame for your performance but yourself. This teaches you to accept failure more readily than others and gives you the ability to move forward quickly. Instead of dwelling on your mistakes, you realize that you should just learn from them and improve next time around.

3) Because it is a great base for Mixed Martial Arts.

What do most of the UFC and ONE Championship superstars have in common? A background in wrestling, of course. Because of wrestling, they have developed an unrelenting spirit that keeps on pushing them to drive forward and place immense pressure on their opponents. Wrestling also taught them the importance of being explosive, a much needed trait in MMA.

4) Because it helps you develop basic athletic skills.

Wrestling is a total body workout that is not only physically demanding but builds the basic foundation you need to excel in other martial arts or sports. Strength is developed from the constant pushing and pulling and maintaining a good stance. Flexibility and good core strength are also both needed to defend against an opponent’s takedown attempts and maintain balance while explosive strength is needed to secure a takedown.

5) Because it helps you develop endurance and strength like no other martial art can.

As mentioned above, the strength developed from practicing wrestling on a regular basis is incomparable to others. Both functional and explosive strength are needed in order to succeed in wrestling. Since wrestling utilizes all the major muscle groups in the body, the heart works more efficiently as does the lungs to accommodate the explosive movements needed in those six minutes of non-stop action.

6) Because it teaches you respect.

The more you train wrestling, the more you appreciate all the hard work that all your teammates and even your opponents put in. Imagine, each time you step on the mat, it’s all about you and your opponent and all the effort, training and weight cutting it took to get there. Due to the physical and mental demands that wrestling requires, there is no doubt that you’ll develop mutual feelings of admiration for fellow wrestlers, especially your instructor.

7) Because it is a great way to defend yourself.

The skills you learn in wrestling: pressure, explosiveness and control can be utilized in self-defense. You develop the instinct to defend yourself, neutralizing whatever threat may come to you quickly. Imagine having the ability to take a man down and control him –- more than half the battle is already won.

8) Because it is a great way to lose weight.

Any wrestler will tell you that wrestling training is intense. From the short, explosive bursts of energy you use each training session, more calories are burned in a shorter amount of time as compared to a regular workout. In fact, one six-minute wrestling match can burn up to 400 calories!

9) Because it teaches you mental toughness.

Every wrestling match puts your mental and emotional strength to the test. Imagine all the effort and strength you put into each match, pushing you to the brink of physical and mental exhaustion every single time. Through wrestling, you’ll learn how to work through failure and disappointment and use your mistakes as a platform for learning.

There’s no doubt that the benefits of wrestling are plentiful. From athleticism to life lessons learned on the mat, wrestling is truly an amazing sport that gives people the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Link to the article: https://evolve-mma.com/blog/9-reasons-wrestling-perfect-martial-art/