Hello everybody. One quick reminder before this week’s article begins. Greco-Roman wrestling kicks-off tomorrow, Sunday, August 5. Be sure to follow and support USA wrestling!

Let’s talk a little about fear and regret, two emotions that coaches want athletes to avoid. In reality though, both can be used to produce great results. Fear of failure can be a great motivator, however most young athletes allow fear of failure to motivate them in a different way. Because there are no guarantees that all the hard work, sacrifice, and commitment will eventually pay off, there will always be the fear that if goals are not achieved, others will mock you for all the hard work that you put in for naught. And it is this fear, - the fear of being made fun of, laughed at, or even ostracized that dooms most young athletes who end up using excuses like “Well I never really worked that hard at it anyway,” or “It was never really that important to me in the first place,” when they come up short of their goals. But all too soon regret sets in, and those lines quickly turn into “Well, I could have if I just worked as hard as so-and-so, or if I really cared about it, I would have done this.” Instead of being afraid of what people will think of them if they fail, athletes should focus on the fear of living the rest of their lives with the question “What if?” lingering in the back of their mind. Take it from me, that is a scary, scary future.

You see, the thing about regret in athletics is that you regret what DIDN’T do, not what you did. Never in my life have I heard an all-state or all-American wrestler utter the phrase “I really wish I hadn’t put it in all that time, work, and effort.” I have however, heard (and even said myself) the line: “I wish I had been more disciplined and dedicated. I think I could’ve … (insert goal here).”  And this is what most young athletes fail to realize. Ten, 15, 20 years from now, you’re not going to regret skipping that party, being disciplined with your diet, waking up early for workouts, and committing yourself to a long-term goal. You have your entire life to eat as much junk food as you want, enjoy time with your friends, and relax, but your time to become a state champion, all-American, honor-roll student, and get into the college of your dreams is finite – it is disappearing as you read this.

Watching Olympic swimming this past week, I saw an interview on NBC with Australian swimmer James Magnussen, who had had been telling Australian media for months that he was going to win Olympic Gold and set a World Record at the London Games. A reporter asked Magnussen if he regretted making those statements because of the pressure that was being placed on him.

His response?

 “Not at all. If I don’t do it, the only thing I’ll regret is not swimming my best.” 

Magnussen won’t regret all the time and work he put it in if he doesn’t reach his goal. He may be disappointed with the result, but at least he’ll be able to walk away with the satisfaction of knowing that he gave it his best shot.

So when you are preparing your goals, deciding whether or not to get that extra workout in, or attempting to push yourself during a difficult practice, ask yourself this question: which are you going to end up regretting, the work you put in, or the work you didn’t put in?  

Coach Heff