Post by Professor Adam Nicholls

“𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝗢𝗞. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁. 𝗡𝗼 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲” Wrestling coach Keelon Jimison is teaching this young athlete far more than wrestling. At first, his words might sound tough, but listen closely to how he delivers them. He shows belief, encouragement, and genuine compassion. He tells the young wrestler: “You got it. I believe in you, baby. Come on. You’re tough. It’s up there.” (Pointing to the wrestler’s head.) You’re tougher than anybody in the world.” Rather than allowing the athlete to stop when things became difficult, he helped him discover that he was capable of just a little bit more. That moment matters. The next time this young wrestler feels exhausted or wants to give up, he will remember that he has more to give than he first thought. This is how resilience is developed, not by avoiding discomfort, but by learning that our perceived limits are often not our actual limits. Great coaches don't just build better athletes. They build stronger, more resilient people. As Dr. Becky Kennedy said that getting used to “being comfortable with being uncomfortable is hard, but also very important.” Dr Kennedy also said: “Being resilient doesn’t feel it all, it feels messy. Resilience and success come from the length of time you can tolerate being in this space (learning space). The longer you can tolerate being here the more you will ride this.” As someone who has trained in another combat sport, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, for more than nine years, I know this feeling all too well. There are moments when you genuinely believe you have nothing left to give. Then you find a little bit more. Over time, you begin to realise that your mind often reaches its limit before your body does. Each experience of pushing through discomfort expands your confidence and changes what you believe you're capable of. That is how resilience is built, not in moments of comfort, but by repeatedly discovering that you can keep going when you thought you couldn't. Coaches such as Coach Jimison play such a vital role in helping us believe we can do more than we thought we could, through encouragement and reassurance. (🎥: mugzybulljunk)

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