Post-Bout Stretching and Emotion Journal
A cool-down that pairs gentle stretches for the areas most loaded in wrestling with a short written journal about how the bout felt. It helps students handle the frustration of losing and the high of winning, and reflect on how they treated their partner.
How to play
- Individual stretches for hips, back, forearms and neck, 20-30 seconds each, with slow breathing (3 min).
- In pairs, very gentle assisted hamstring and chest stretches; the person stretching rates tension from 1 to 10 and never goes above 5 (3 min).
- Each student answers three questions on the sheet: how I felt losing or winning, how I treated my partner and what I'd do differently next time (3 min).
- Closing circle: volunteers share one sentence, and the class ends with the respect bow (1 min).
Rules
- In assisted stretches, the helper stops as soon as the partner asks.
- The journal is private; no one has to read it aloud.
- Comments in the circle are about yourself, not about what someone else did wrong.
Variations
Easier
Only individual stretches and a single question on the sheet.
Standard
Individual and assisted stretches with a three-question journal and closing circle.
Harder
Students compare their journal with earlier sessions and note whether the way they handle losing has changed.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: adapted chair stretches and the same journal as everyone else.
- Dyslexia or writing difficulties: answers with drawings, single words or a voice recording.
- Autism: gets closed answer options (faces or a scale) to identify emotions.
Learning goals
- Recover after exertion with safe, appropriate stretches.
- Identify and express emotions felt in one-on-one competition.
- Reflect on respect for one's wrestling partner.
Equipment for a class of 25
- exercise mats: 28
- worksheets: 28
Teacher tip
Collect the sheets at the end of the unit: they are good evidence for assessing fair play and emotional self-management.
PatioLab has "Post-Bout Stretching and Emotion Journal" and 5176 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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