Transferable Skills

Stretching is such a vital component to staying healthy, fit, and ready for the field. Yet it’s so often overlooked. Especially with younger athletes. 

That was especially true for my son when he had a growth spurt. Suddenly his legs and arms were longer than the day before (obviously, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, I think). And, he was thinner, more sinewy than ever before. He started complaining about aches and pains that weren’t there before. He was tighter before and after games. We kept expressing the importance of stretching. And not just “going through the motions” stretching. When the team lines up to stretch, we implored him to actually do the stretch, to feel something. Don’t just swing your arm across your chest. Truly feel the stretch. 

I’m quite convinced that the shoulder injury he complained of for the better part of the year was connected to the lack of good, deep stretching. The doctor wouldn’t expressly state it, but he did agree that it’s a good practice. (That didn’t go nearly as far as I hoped it would with the kiddo.)

Then, he joined wrestling. This might be the best thing he’s done for himself in all of his sporting endeavors. Wrestlers workout hard. They workout for extended periods. They don’t take days off. It’s intense. Wrestling practice made football workouts looks like a walk in the park.

Fast forward to a winter Saturday of 7-on-7 passing league football. The team arrives an hour before their scheduled start only to find out the tournament is a good 30 minutes behind schedule. Most of the kids sit down and watch the game on the field they’re waiting to play on. I turn around looking for my son, and my guy is on the ground doing a pigeon pose, stretching out his glutes. He then moves into a cobra pose. The kid is doing his thing, stretching and truly limbering up for the game. He’s playing a lot of Strong Safety in this league, which means quick change of direction and some great opportunities to go vertical. Being loose and limber certainly helps.

I was skeptical of wrestling at first. But the kid finally gets the value of stretching, and he’s implementing it. Even if no one else on the team is putting an emphasis on stretching, he is. And it’ll help him in the long run - stay healthy, get back on the field faster, and perform at his best. 

He’s also so much tougher, more physical after one season of wrestling. That is going to help him in football, and it’s already helping him at the plate in baseball. He’s more confident in his physicality. And I get it. 3 minutes of hand-to-hand combat, up close, seeing in the eyes of your competitor, just you and your opponent lined up, toe-to-toe while the whole gym watches the action at that one mat. It’s grueling, mentally and physically, more so than I ever imagined. But watching it for the few matches we had this year gave me a new appreciation for what wrestlers do, and the challenge the kid took on. 

Sports continues to be a metaphor for life. But it is also giving him the chance to step up into the human he will become…taking on challenges, not backing down, persevering even when it feels like too much or you’re overmatched or too tired.

Keep stepping up to the challenge, kid. It will benefit you in ways you can’t even imagine! (Just like stretching!)