could i have beat this kid or was he just better than me???

not really, I jut feel much more confident wrestling people I am better than, but in a way its worse because im worried to loose if im wrestling someone not as good as me and if im wrestling someone better than me I have nothing to loose.

 

Pride goes before a fall?

As said before, I've given competition favourites a run for their money and I have lost to those who were considered as beginners.

Personally in competition tournaments, I say you have everything to lose in every match. Should be going all out in competitions.

Let the "confidence over beginners" be left on the practice mats.

 

im ussuly perfectly fine with a loss, if it was a close match I could have won I get over it in a few days. this isnt just any loss though. this was for third in jv county's which makes it 10x worse.

 

Didn't you write earlier something like having OCD when it comes to losing and that you have a hard time with it?

 

There are two points I think relate to this.

One is that the more "lethal" or higher risk, the more conservative people get. So it is natural in a life and death match to be very conservative. On the contrary if you feel less risk of bad consequences, it is easier to be very bold. I believe this is what WrestelingIsfun is experiencing. To break this, think of all matches as life or death and you shouldn't have a problem with being conservative against any opponent.

The other point is that while being conservative is in our DNA as a survival instinct, what we are looking for is conservative with DECISIVENESS. In other words, whether defense or offensive, any actions are decisive.

I think what you said aaradia is a good sign because you are exploring different levels of caution on a conscious level. You could even imagine that your opponent has knives and see how much more cautious you become, yet you have to be just as decisive. (Well probably don't do this is competition but maybe in training).

There's a strategy in here somewhere. Something like when in a dominant position, try to slow things down and methodologically break down the opponent's defenses while maintaining the superior position (avoiding making mistakes). If in an inferior position, try to speed things up so that the opponent panics and makes mistakes (going faster means you will make mistakes, but hopefully the opponent's mistakes will be worse for them).

 

With this match I do, because it wasn't just any match it was for third place. I don't really have regret and ocd about a loss in an exhibition or something like that but this match was a much bigger deal to me.

 

that's a good way of thinking about matches. I'll try that.

 

Oh I agree that if I'm in a dominant position with seconds to go and I'm points up. Then I'll just hold and ride out as I've probably got another match coming.

In wrestling you win by either pin or you score 10 points ahead. Which is a Technical Win. So in this case you HAVE to go full out anyway as you're not keeping score. (More worried about a Belgarian brute rolling all over me)

I've lost when I was 3pt up, 45sec left and got pinned. Obviously gutted but didnt know I was ahead. Also 3 points is nothing in wrestling anyway (its just a trip/throw).