What makes a wrestler great?

How does a wrestler transform himself (or herself in a rare instance in Utah) into one of the best? Obviously, it takes talent, not just anyone can decide they want to be a champion. But beyond the physical skills, what else does it take? After talking with nearly every individual champion at the Rocky Mountain Rumble last weekend, a tournament that some consider much harder to win than even a state championship because of the size of the field, the number of quality teams and the fact that every good wrestler at a single weight class goes for the same title regardless of classification, there were three main reasons that became apparent to be successful.
The first thing necessary is hard work. No wrestler ever won on talent alone. They need to be in top physical shape. They need to be in the ideal weight class, and that can only happen by working out and keeping the pounds off, and they need to be able to sustain a top level of performance for three full rounds and not tire out an lose it down the stretch. Plus, without hard training, the moves become too mechanical and don’t flow freely. Repetition of moves over and over at practice make them second nature and can be performed at precisely the right moments.
‘I know that I spend so many hours in the room working on my moves that I don’t have to think about them anymore,’ said Alta’s Carson Kuhn. ‘It gives you a big edge when you can do them faster than your opponent.’
The second and third things don’t always come together, but at least one is almost always necessary. A good coach, and good training partners. Is it any coincidence that of the 14 individual winners eight of them had a fellow teammate capture a title as well?
I think not.
With the three winners from Wasatch, they get daily instruction from a wrestling icon in Utah, Steve Sanderson. I think he has something to do with how well the Wasps are performing this year. But besides having a good coach, training partners can fuel a competitive surge. Bingham’s Ryker Vandertoolen and Kade Moss captured the titles at the 112 and 119 weight classes. The fact the two are so close in weight, and both very good at what they do only helps them.
‘It is great to have someone to train with everyday,’ said Vandertoolen. ‘Kade and I really push each other to get better. I don’t konw if I would be where I am without going against him everyday at practice.’
Certainly, there are many other intangibles that go into making a wrestler great, but these were some of the obvious ones to me. Any other training tips or philosophies out there to improve?