Cael Sanderson on being nervous

If you don't know who Cael Sanderson is, he is an Olympic Gold medalist, and the ONLY UNDEFEATED 4x NCAA CHAMPION. Thats pretty major in a sport as tough and rugged as wrestling.Cael wrestled for Iowa State University. Grappler's take notice.

Don’t be afraid to get nervous.  You should be nervous.  Being nervous is a gift.  You will be sharper mentally, quicker, and stronger.  The problem is when people try to fight being nervous because they think it is a bad thing.   It’s not.  The phenomenon is that the more you try to contain and suppress a thought, the worse it becomes and the more you think of it.  So the trick is to just accept that you are nervous and be ok with it.  Don’t try and change it.  I used to tell myself when I was nervous, “I am ready.”  I did that thousands of times.  The more you say the more you believe it.  You train your mind.  As soon as you accept that you are nervous and don’t fight it, being nervous will be a good thing.
Practice, practice, practice.

For more on Cael, check out his website at www.CaelSanderson.com, where he talks about a lot, and answers a lot of really important questions as it relates to grapplers period.