Why Every Girls Wrestling Team Should Keep a Training Journal

A team can share a practice room, a schedule, and a uniform. But every wrestler is on her own journey.

One athlete is trying to master her first shot. Another is learning to recover from a tough loss. Someone else is figuring out how to balance practice, homework, friends, and everything that comes with growing up.

Coaches see pieces of those stories every day. A training journal gives each wrestler a place to put the whole picture together.

We're not talking about assigning more homework. We're talking about giving athletes a useful, personal tool for setting goals, noticing growth, and remembering what they learned—on the mat and off.

Here are six reasons a journal could become one of the most meaningful things you give your team.

1. It turns big goals into practice-day actions

Almost every wrestler wants to win more. But "win more" isn't a drill, a technique, or a decision she can make today.

A journal helps athletes break bigger goals into smaller pieces:

• A goal for the season.

• A specific skill to work on this week.

• Something to ask the coach about.

• One way to know whether they're improving.

Those notes give athletes a little more ownership of their development. Instead of waiting for someone else to define success, they can learn to describe what they're working toward.

2. It helps wrestlers see growth that scores don't capture

A wrestler can have a losing tournament and still make meaningful progress. Maybe she defended a position that used to overwhelm her. Maybe she wrestled more aggressively. Maybe she finished every match with a better attitude than she would have a month earlier.

Those lessons are easy to lose when the weekend ends and the next practice begins.

A short match reflection—what worked, what didn't, what's next—helps athletes hold onto useful details without making the result their whole identity.

3. It gives quieter athletes a voice

Not every wrestler wants to process a tough practice out loud. Some need a little space to think before they can explain what's going on.

A journal offers another way to reflect. Athletes can write down questions they want to ask, situations they find challenging, or moments they're proud of.

The important part: a personal journal shouldn't become a mandatory private diary that coaches collect and inspect. Coaches can invite athletes to share goals and wrestling takeaways while making it clear that personal reflections, mood check-ins, health details, and anything sensitive belong to the athlete.

That respect is part of building trust.

4. It encourages healthy habits alongside hard work

Young athletes are learning how to train, recover, and take care of themselves. A thoughtful journal can make room for optional check-ins about sleep, energy, nutrition, hydration, stress, and recovery—not just matches and medals.

The goal isn't to score a teenager's health habits or monitor her body. It's to help her notice what supports her well-being and recognize when she needs support.

Wrestling also has a history of pressure around weight classes. Coaches should emphasize adequate fueling, hydration, and growth rather than unsafe weight-cutting practices. The American Academy of Pediatrics' wrestling resources offer helpful guidance for families and teams.

5. It builds a stronger team identity

Imagine handing every wrestler a journal at the beginning of the season with your program's colors, mascot, schedule, and a personal note from the coach.

That says something different from handing out another worksheet.

It says: You're part of this team. Your progress matters. We're excited to see who you become.

The journal becomes a shared piece of team culture while leaving room for every athlete's individual goals. New wrestlers feel included. Returning wrestlers have a place to build on last season. And everyone gets a tangible reminder of the work they put in.

6. It becomes something worth keeping

At the end of the season, there's the record everyone can see: wins, losses, tournaments, podium photos.

Then there's the record only the athlete really knows: the hard practices she didn't quit, the first move that finally worked, the teammates who helped her through a rough day, the confidence she didn't have in November.

A journal can hold those moments.

Years later, it may mean much more than another notebook. It can tell the story of a season and remind an athlete how far she's come.

How coaches can introduce journals without adding more work

Keep the process easy:

At the first team meeting: Give athletes their journals. Ask them to write one season goal and one thing they're excited to learn.

Once a week: Leave three to five minutes for an optional wrestling reflection: what improved, what still needs work, what's next.

After a tournament: Encourage a quick note about one moment they're proud of and one technique to revisit in practice.

At the end of the season: Invite athletes to look back at their first entries and notice how their perspective has changed.

No grading. No forced personal disclosures. No pressure to fill every page. Just a simple routine that supports the coaching you're already doing.

Make it theirs

A custom team journal feels different when it actually looks and sounds like your program. That's why our MAT GRRRLS Custom Team Girls Wrestling Journals can be personalized with your school or club logo, colors, season schedule, and a message from the coach.

The minimum custom order is 10 journals, so smaller teams and clubs can participate, too. After ordering, you submit your team's details and approve a design proof before printing.

More girls on the mat. More stories worth remembering.

Explore Custom Team Wrestling Journals — or read our guides to tracking wrestling progress and making the most of the off-season.