Quest for Success
Jacob Wright | 4x NCAA Wrestling Tournament Qualifier at The University of Wyoming and Fresno State: Unwrapping the Journey to Elite Wrestling and the Vision to Shape Future Champions
Get ready to grapple with the intricacies of wrestling as we engage in an intense conversation with Jacob Wright, a four-time NCAA Wrestling Qualifier at the University of Wyoming and Fresno State and the proud owner of Wright Wrestling Academy. If you've always wondered what it takes to reach the pinnacle of wrestling, Jacob's insights, drawn from a lifetime of dedication to the sport, promise to illuminate the path to success. Wrestling, for Jacob, is more than a sport; it's a discipline that shapes individuals, and you'll learn just how it does that.
The narrative takes us back to Jacob's high school wrestling career, charting his journey from a small-town wrestler to a Fresno State commitment, despite the injuries and setbacks. Listen as he shares intimate details of his training regimen, the shift in wrestling fundamentals at the college level, and his transition to the University of Wyoming. Through his story, you'll comprehend the importance of adaptability and resilience in the face of adversity.
But this isn't just a tale of personal triumph. Jacob's vision extends beyond the mat. He discusses the opening of Wright Wrestling Academy and his goal to expose more individuals to elite level wrestling. Recognizing wrestling's potential to shape youths, Jacob emphasizes the need to foster relationships with high school coaches and get more kids involved in the sport. The conversation also delves into the vital role of nutrition in wrestling and the benefits of proper weight management. Join us, as we pin down the essence of wrestling with Jacob Wright. His passion for the sport is contagious, and you'll come away inspired by his dedication and commitment.
Quest for Success Links | https://linktr.ee/questforsuccess
Get ready to grapple with the intricacies of wrestling as we engage in an intense conversation with Jacob Wright, a four-time NCAA Wrestling Qualifier at the University of Wyoming and Fresno State and the proud owner of Wright Wrestling Academy. If you've always wondered what it takes to reach the pinnacle of wrestling, Jacob's insights, drawn from a lifetime of dedication to the sport, promise to illuminate the path to success. Wrestling, for Jacob, is more than a sport; it's a discipline that shapes individuals, and you'll learn just how it does that.
The narrative takes us back to Jacob's high school wrestling career, charting his journey from a small-town wrestler to a Fresno State commitment, despite the injuries and setbacks. Listen as he shares intimate details of his training regimen, the shift in wrestling fundamentals at the college level, and his transition to the University of Wyoming. Through his story, you'll comprehend the importance of adaptability and resilience in the face of adversity.
But this isn't just a tale of personal triumph. Jacob's vision extends beyond the mat. He discusses the opening of Wright Wrestling Academy and his goal to expose more individuals to elite level wrestling. Recognizing wrestling's potential to shape youths, Jacob emphasizes the need to foster relationships with high school coaches and get more kids involved in the sport. The conversation also delves into the vital role of nutrition in wrestling and the benefits of proper weight management. Join us, as we pin down the essence of wrestling with Jacob Wright. His passion for the sport is contagious, and you'll come away inspired by his dedication and commitment.
Quest for Success Links | https://linktr.ee/questforsuccess
Alright, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Quest for Success podcast. Today we have on a four-time NSA qualifier, has over a hundred wins in college wrestling, enrolled for Dainuba High School, also got a full-ratch scholarship to Fresno State, where you committed to and then you went and transferred to the University of Wyoming. He currently owns Wright say it again, wright Wrestling Academy Wright Wrestling Academy that he started, and he's also coaching one of the high schools as well.
Speaker 2:Nope, nope, just sticking with the Wright Wrestling Academy, just with the private wrestling academy, just able to work with everybody, yeah.
Speaker 1:Awesome Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the podcast, Jacob Wright, we're super excited to have you, yeah thank you, glad to be here.
Speaker 3:Yeah, man, thanks for joining us. So before we get going, we'd like to start off with the mental minute.
Speaker 2:Get the juices flowing.
Speaker 3:Just rapid questions give us the best response that you could give us to the questions. So first question why wrestling?
Speaker 2:It's the greatest sport on earth. When people describe when they're battling with emotions or choice, they say I'm wrestling with this because they know it's the hardest thing to do. We talk about hard things. We know hard things. They push us, they make us better. So I believe it's the best sport because it's one of the hardest things to do. You hear UFC fighters like man wrestling is the hardest thing to do over boxing, jiu Jitsu kick. They know it's the hardest martial art. Someone say rather not do it, it takes too much energy. So it's the hardest thing and I think it makes you the best person because it's the hardest thing.
Speaker 3:Through those challenges. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. I like that response.
Speaker 1:So I didn't originally have this question on there, but I see you have a Dave Schultz shirt on. So who's like one guy, like as a kid you look up to in the wrestling world that you're like, dang it, I want to be like that guy.
Speaker 2:Oh, man growing up, probably any of the Iowa guys, metcalf, probably number one, brett Metcalf, just because he would just walk guys down and just I mean, if you think about it like football is like you just run the ball down your throat and just physical style. It's that way in wrestling he would just run you down insane pressure. Great lefty, high crotch man, I just loved it, loved watching it. The mentality, the physicality brought. It's like gosh. I want to be like that.
Speaker 3:Right A wrestler to different man, you guys are man, you guys have a different mindset. Man, it's like I always say that we say, so far we've had Tim Vanny right. He's been and also coach short.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 3:He did some wrestling and those are so far Joe Soto, joe Soto. Joe Soto and each you guys are just like all fit. I don't want to call you guys crazy or anything, but, man, it's like the way that you guys handle your training and the but, you guys are also and what I mean by you the whole sport of wrestling. You like some of the most respectful people in the world.
Speaker 3:Your guys is community man. It's just, it's amazing. It's truly amazing. So the next question would be what would you say is one trait that every successful wrestler needs to have to have a successful career?
Speaker 2:Discipline has to be discipline. Discipline. I mean if you, like I said, if you just do whatever makes you motivated people talk about motivation. I mean that runs out. Man. It's like some days you're going to feel like I mean, I'm super motivated, watch something inspirational, or you know, I'm doing good lately, cool, you're going to be motivated, right. Some days it's not going to be going good.
Speaker 1:I'm not motivated to get out of bed, yeah.
Speaker 2:Right, I think of Conor McGrary. He's probably not that motivated getting off of your yacht.
Speaker 3:You don't have discipline.
Speaker 2:Right, you have discipline. It's a lifestyle, and that's one something I even learned more every year of college. I mean Steiner's one I really got this from because this guy has every surgery he could possibly have and he got up at 430 AM or 5 AM and was getting after it. Right, and it's because it's discipline. He doesn't need to do it anymore. He's done competing, but it's a lifestyle choice. This is how I am for the rest of my life. Now, right, it's not just for competing. This is what I know is going to breed success. So it's discipline. That's what's going to keep you going and drive you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so Steiner was your head coach at Fresno State, at Fresno.
Speaker 2:State, yeah, and he was an Iowa guy so I respect him a lot, love that guy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm going to go kind of on the same direction as Aquit, but I'm going to go the opposite. So what's a mistake wrestlers need to avoid to have success and also give them the best chance to get recruited and get looks.
Speaker 2:I love this question, okay, so a lot of people talk about what to do and talk about not to do. A lot of people I know they do work hard and a lot of people when they go out there, I believe they do want to win, but it's not just showing up. It's not enough to just show up. So I talk about discipline. Some people will grind themselves in the grindstone and I'm showing up, but are you getting better? Right, and that's a key thing. So a lot of people aren't, especially wrestlers fall victimized a lot because we just want to grind and just get everything done through work and effort and that's great. You got to have that. If you don't have that, you don't have anything.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:But you need to still have a very. I mean, there's no such thing as all the best wrestlers. They're smart wrestlers, they're not dumb.
Speaker 2:You got to have a very high IQ, right, Right, the type of we hear about football IQ. You got to have a high wrestling. You got to be able to break down. When am I going into the room today to get? How am I going to get better? I can't just go and go through the motions and just work hard. Yeah, I sweat it and I. It's not just, it's not a physical workout routine. This is to get better at a sport.
Speaker 2:It's still it's an art, it's a craft, so you have to perfect your craft. How am I not good at wearing anything to get better? So I'd say it's the biggest, although it's a lot about discipline, it's a lot about working hard. If you're not getting better, what are we doing? You got to got to be intentional, that's what. I talk about being intentional, what you're trying to do.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you got to strategically plan your every move right. You can't just go in there carelessly or blindly?
Speaker 2:No, not just banging your head into a wall. We need to know what we're doing today. We're trying to get out of it Exactly.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean that's a big deal right there, because I mean, just like we were saying on our last podcast is that you know you don't get time back.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean when you're trying to chase the very top and be the best that you could be, and whatever it is that you are trying to do. You ain't got no time to waste, so that's a good way of putting it right there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean there's a lot of you know, you look at different people quotes, you see I think John wouldn't have had a good one. I can't remember the exact quote, but he says, like don't mistake, what was it? Don't mistake, like just doing for, like achievement or something like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I heard something.
Speaker 1:I can't remember the exact quote, but it was something to that effect is like, yeah, you might be showing up and go into the motions, but, like you said, are you getting better? Yeah, are you actually seeing results from it?
Speaker 3:Right, yeah, so let's now. Let's talk a little bit more about you. When did you first get on the mat? When did this all start for you?
Speaker 2:Probably grew up on the mat, probably a couple of weeks after I was born.
Speaker 3:So my dad was born right on that baby yeah.
Speaker 2:That was a coach coaching at Hanford at the time and I was just I remember I was always there and that was my babysitter, was high school wrestlers just getting a hold of me, beating me up, constantly holding me down, taking me to the gym. So I'm always. I was just around it all the time.
Speaker 1:So you literally grew up in a wrestling room.
Speaker 2:Grew up in a wrestling room so, yeah, always around, always loved it. My, you know, I just looked up to the guys. Whoever my dad was coaching in or whoever I was around, yeah, Did so your dad, he so your dad got you in there.
Speaker 3:Boom yeah. So tell me your relationship that you might have had with your mom. How does she support you through all this type of stuff?
Speaker 2:So my mom was the main one because obviously my dad would have a high school coach and my mom would be the one waking up 6am, 5am, driving me to Wayans and stuff. So really when I was growing up going to kids tournaments and stuff, my mom was the one taking me. And it was funny cause she would like know a little bit of wrestling not a lot but, and at first she was probably annoyed by it.
Speaker 2:Man, I got to wake up early, take this kid everywhere all over the state and yeah, and I'm probably not the most, I'm always running late or whatever. So, yeah, she probably didn't enjoy a lot, but then she wanted to win, probably even more than my dad. I mean, my dad started joking Every year once I got into college too. She was like even more competitive than dad. I was like geez relax.
Speaker 1:She's all in.
Speaker 2:So it's funny. She started off probably not the craziest about wrestling, but then more and more guys.
Speaker 3:And I'm going to take a wild guess, but they supported you fully right, yeah, absolutely, they've been the best. Biggest fans yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so wrestling is intense, right, obviously, and parents could be very intense in wrestling, and you see different dynamics of parents just really pushing their kids, and some kids just take the initiative and their parents support them and they're just all about it, they're all in themselves. But what was the dynamic with your parents, your dad and your mom? Did they push you, did they? Or did you have that kind of self discipline, discipline too?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I always had motive. Yeah, I was always just self motive. I always wanted it. So it was never an issue. They knew I wanted it, but my dad was great about it because he knew he was like okay, once we're back at home I'm not coaching where I'm dad, I don't want to talk about wrestling, but if you do want to ask me how to get better, I already told you I have a wrestling video upstairs you can watch. You should go on runs. I'll take you here to go wrestle, I'll take you there, you know. So he'd still give me the choice. There are guys and I appreciated that too because at first I wouldn't want to do that and I would complain about my results. I was like what did I tell you? Because I'm not going to tell you more, I'm not going to be the dad that's going to annoy you, and just, you need to do this, you need to do that.
Speaker 3:He's like a baby.
Speaker 2:Yeah, kids hate that, and that's when they get turned off by the sport. So as soon as he heard me complaining, he's like I already told you and I'm like, so then I would be the annoying one. All right, let's go. When are we going here? When I'm going to go run, you know. So then I just figured out. Okay, you're right, you know I got to start doing it. Yeah, high school, I figured that out.
Speaker 3:High school.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he figured out the harder you work, the luckier you get basically yeah, that's how to say it Exactly.
Speaker 3:Because you had an amazing high school career right At Dynuba.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah, it's funny. People were like man, you got a lot better in college. I'm like I think that was pretty good in high school. It's probably super. I got hurt a few off season so I never got to go on the national scene my last year as a high school. So I was, I was getting. Obviously it got better every year but yeah, so wasn't necessarily a blue chip because I didn't get some of those national terms, but I was. High school career is pretty impressive for being at a smaller school.
Speaker 3:Right, you know. So real quick, though what injuries are you talking about? What kind of injuries were you dealing?
Speaker 2:with my high school career. I had a couple of wrist breaks, hand breaks, shoulder surgeries. How did you deal with?
Speaker 3:that mentally.
Speaker 2:Um yeah, and I've had tons of injuries and a lot of people can get down about that. Man, I'm just not. I just this is not for me. They can get down about me.
Speaker 2:It's just recover. I mean, honestly, those were some of the times I got probably got better. My dad we would always joke about it he's out again for another six months, but they're like some people would be like, good, he gets better when he comes back. Because I would just be, because I'm a mat rat and I'd be like finally he's just going to relax and he's going to be obsessed. He wants to get back hungry again, wants to prove and I would just watch film all the time because they could get on the mat. I would just be watching film all day. So yeah, most of the time I would honestly come back better, but right.
Speaker 3:You didn't play the whole victim card, right? No, why never partying again?
Speaker 2:No, you have to deal with the cards that you've been dealt and you got to get better. Nobody cares. The opponent doesn't care and I've wrestled plenty of kids. I heard after oh, they were hurt. I don't care. I've been you know same thing with me. If I've gone through something, people beat me. I don't, no one's going to care.
Speaker 3:No, you're exactly right, Work harder right. Nobody's going to care. Work harder.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's kind of. Have you guys seen that Jocco video?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, everything is like you know you've been knocked down is all good. So it's kind of like that mentality, absolutely the opposite of a victim mentality is like, okay, let's find the, let's find the good in, you know, having an injury and let's see what we could do to get better.
Speaker 3:There's a silver lining in everything. You just got to be looking for it. You know what I mean. So absolutely, that's cool.
Speaker 1:So successfulized career despite the injuries. What did the kind of that last year in high school look like? You're obviously going to get some offers. You're going to end up going and committing to Fresno State. So what did that last year look like in the recruiting process and what offers did you end up having on the table?
Speaker 2:So I had several colleges recruiting me and I probably would have just kept getting more and more but I ended it pretty early because Steiner crew I mean I said I was an Iowa guy growing up because my dad's originally from Iowa Look up to Iowa people all the time college, you know. So once I had that relationship with Steiner and I was going to the RTC there. That's where you could practice with the college and stuff. So I just immediately fell in love with him and what he was about and lifestyle that he was preaching and so I just committed fast. So I ended a lot of the recruiting period pretty quick. So yeah, I didn't really seek out too much. I had several schools interested but I cut it off pretty early. And then it was just all of a sudden just about ending off this career in the mind was like already on college. So yeah, go ahead. So what was that? That's either first or was that the first year of the program?
Speaker 1:I was the first.
Speaker 2:so, yeah, when he recruited me, they officially he had the job, but there was no team, he was just recruiting, so I was the first recruit actually ever to. The Fresno State was the first one. You were the first one ever first one first house visit, first one, he right committed off with the new, with the rebirth of the program. Yeah, so I was the first one to commit, so yeah.
Speaker 3:I want to go back in time, though. I'm going to reverse it just real quick. Were you like on any like so? So I have a couple of kids that I'm training right now. They make the commitment and they drive all the way down to Clovis, I think, is the throne. Yep, were you on any of those type of things growing up, or was it just you and your dad?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we would go to um yep to throne every once in a while, when I was in junior high, where you go to Dave Schultz, Elite a lot, but just to wrestle with different partners and just reps. Yep, and it was just really about. Well, from being from a small school, it was really only me and one other kid who were really at that level, elite level and he was a couple-way class smaller. So my dad knew, like this kid needs more partners and you need to get exposed to more, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because you're just not gonna become better being the biggest fish in the pond right, you got to go Gotta go get challenged right.
Speaker 3:So you encourage then. Which is why?
Speaker 2:kind of probably why you're opening up your own facilities, exactly exactly, and it's why it's not just for one high school and it's not just for, you know, the big schools. I want the opportunity for everyone to come together and get with and get out of it right now for that kind of training where everyone's come together. It's really just for um, my k through, like eight right, and then for high school kids and so they're training with their own schools and stuff. I just do privates and stuff with them.
Speaker 3:Nice yeah, okay nice.
Speaker 1:So Going kind of moving back forward again, you are gonna commit to Fresno State. Why, why Fresno State? Was it like? That was the hometown you wanted to be a bulldog.
Speaker 2:Well, I was always looking forward to moving away. Actually, I was always like naturally just independent and stuff, um, but, like I said, just the relationship with Steiner. We liked him immediately, um, and then, yeah, you're getting the whole excitement. You feel the excitement around you in the whole town like, oh, wow, this program's coming back. Everyone is excited. So, top of me, lover loving the head coach. The excitement around it was really cool and I was trying to envision being the first all-american with the program back. So there was just a lot of drive there. I'm like, yeah, I want to be here. What about Steiner Did you like? Like I said, I sought from him his lifestyle. He was still 50 something, getting after with this, getting on the mats, and I'm like Jesus guy is an animal. I'm like he has no reason to train this hard. A lot of kite coach like that They'll. They'll let the assistants take care of that. The physical manual labor, you know. And this guy just got after my man. He really lives what he's preaching.
Speaker 2:That's why I try to do it man, when you A lot of people they try to do you know, do as I say. You know, right, not as you, but he lives it. So it's like gosh. It just motivates you and you see what needs to get done, you know yeah, so what?
Speaker 3:what kind of coaching philosophy are you trying to instill into your Athletes that are coming to you? What is it that you are trying to accomplish?
Speaker 2:It's fine. A lot of we talked about that first mental minute. Right, it's a lot of discipline at the same time with discipline and after. No, all stuff's great. But that's like your bottom, that should be a given, that's like prerequisite. You know, we got to have that.
Speaker 3:If we don't have that, right, we're not going to go anywhere.
Speaker 2:Right exactly, but that's not gonna get you where you still got to be intentional. We still got to protect our craft. We still got to be very Um, like I said, high rest IQ. We got to figure out how to get better good intentions, so you know yeah. I said we can't just banger head into a wall. We got to get better.
Speaker 3:So Tell us, describe to us right that you get that k through eighth Uh-huh. Tell us about our practice.
Speaker 2:How does it go? So we usually start with a warm up and I try to Build these like because I see this, um, that's why I do a lot of stuff. I I tell people I just steal a lot of the best stuff I see around. One of the things I see with all these different countries they do a lot of um Different just acrobats, and especially with the younger kids we're doing a lot of tumbling and stuff and you hear all the time oh, gymnastics, great kids first start off, learn how to move their body. So I include a lot of tumbling in a warm up.
Speaker 2:Oh really, and I challenge these kids and they know we're near being able to do Round off back flip or anything of that sorts, but I get them going, do a round off backward roll. Okay do this, do that, um, try a front hand spring. If you can't do it, do a head spring.
Speaker 3:If you can't get there we're.
Speaker 2:We're every day a challenge. I'm okay, Just do a forward roll for now. Next week you're gonna try that hand spring, you know. So we start with that and they like it, you know.
Speaker 3:Go from there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we're getting some of that athleticism, some of those intangible stuff you it's hard to teach later on, right? Um, because that's just so good to be able to know how to move your body, um. And then we, we have our base, we have our everyday drills, I call them. So that's our stuff, that's our bread and butter, right, some of our stuff that we're gonna, we're gonna do every day. And then I always pick two to three areas to really work on Um. But it's a slower place.
Speaker 2:Like I said, it's not really about a lot of kids. I know a lot of clubs who they love having a lot of kids in the club and they're it's all about the live and they love it is the quickest way to get better for kids Is just to compete right and get a bunch of matches and then grind them down and you're gonna see the best rise at the top and you have like 20 kids who are really good but then they're gonna plateau because these kids have never gotten better. So for our practice, like I said, we have our everyday drills, two to three new techniques. Live is probably the only last 10 minutes of practice. I'm probably only wrestling eight of that. I mean a lot of that's. I'm talking and we're going back hey, this is where we're messing up. So I'm really in no rush to Like I know these parents want to win and they're invested money.
Speaker 2:But I'm like, guys, we gotta play a long game. These kids. I'm not trying to squeeze all the juice out of them and make them you know kindergarten state champs or national champs, I don't care, I really don't care about that. They can lose. That's what's frustrating. I'm like I know it feels like I'm trying to make. I'm not trying to make your kids lose, I just they need to get better. And right now it may feel like, jeez, you don't care about winning right now. It's like not really, we're trying to get better long term, not, not right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like you said, playing the long game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so some things that we're doing right now. It's like, yeah, we're not gonna see results. You know long term, but you know, or short term, the long term we are and, like I said, I could teach a bunch of junk moves and stuff that's gonna win. Look all cool and yeah, it's like dude, baseline basics, that stuff wins, that's gonna work when you're in college? Yeah.
Speaker 1:I hear that all the time.
Speaker 2:And that's why I don't say, oh, this is gonna be high level, this is gonna be an easy basic stuff, because I'm already shaping what they're gonna think about that technique. Right Right, I just teach this what we're teaching today, because I just want, because really the basics are high level. That stuff is really hard. We people always say in sports, oh this is just the big. No, the basics are hard. The best, the best guys, the NBA players but they do the basics better than anybody, right, anybody, exactly. So I get them to understand that, man, I don't, like I said, I don't tell them this is basics, but that's really what I'm trying to get them to do right, yeah, I mean, that's super.
Speaker 1:I like how you said just having like tumbling and those gymnastics involved into your practice, because that's gonna help them not just become better wrestlers but better athletes, right, absolutely. And the best wrestlers are they're good athletes, yep, you know, um, they're good athletes in high school. And you look at the Kyle Snyder's, you look at all these guys, you know they're just really good athletes, yep, and they know how to move, they know how to do the little things, right. Yeah, talking about not just a physical aspect, but how do you kind of instill and teach these kids mentally? Because we talked earlier about you have to be a very intelligent wrestler, you have to have an IQ and be able to, you know, be two steps ahead of your opponent all the time. So what's the kind of mental aspect that you're able to kind of teach and instill into these kids?
Speaker 2:Yeah, to allow them to.
Speaker 1:Make those moves and a mentally.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So we do a lot of. I mean have a lot of that stuff ingrained in the practice. So we do a lot of when we're learning new techniques, when I'm teaching it, I do a call and response a lot and I'm like, if you can't even say what I just told you, I doubt you can go and magically do it. You can't even just say I just said Cross face and get your hand in the elbow. Where am I putting the hand on? They'll go elbow Sorry, and someone doesn't say. I'm like what is it? You know? That's why. It's why I'm sure they're getting all the details and even if they say it, they're gonna go out there and forget it. I already know that.
Speaker 2:Like so that's the first step be able to at least repeat it. So I know you're engaged, your lock in your focus. Yeah. Um, so you're not lost when you go out there and then we do a lot of things by yourself too. I'm like that's big in wrestling. Like if you can't do this on your own, like in shadow wrestling, just take a shot by yourself. How are you gonna do it with another person, right? You're not right.
Speaker 2:So, those fundamentals aren't naturally just gonna fix itself because you're shooting on a person now. Um, so first it's right, first with the, the speech they're doing callbacks, and then it's If they can't get it down with a partner, you go hey, do it by yourself real quick, let me see what it looks like. See, you already know and they already know, and then then we fix it from there. Okay, let's go back with the partner you got it down. So a lot of that. That stuff seems technical but it's actually mental, right, you know, making sure they're focused, yeah and then if these kids are and I'm like hey, you're confident.
Speaker 2:It's about confidence when we talk about we do everything right here. I don't let you guys get away with a bad rep. We're locked in, we're focused. You be confident because you're training, we're doing it right here. We're doing it right here.
Speaker 3:You're building.
Speaker 2:Good, yeah, yeah, you're building be confident in your training, and that's where the mental stuff comes in. You should be confident because you're doing everything right.
Speaker 3:It's all in preparation. Yep, exactly. So you talked about the tumbling, okay, man, and that how that benefits a wrestler, right? Yep, you're sitting in my gym. Were you a weight room guy Did?
Speaker 2:you do a lot of weight. I love weights, love weights yeah.
Speaker 3:Well, tell us about that. What was your training like in high school and then in college and things and leading up into that?
Speaker 2:Yep, so luck. My uncle was a bodybuilder, but it's funny, he's still no, not to train. Obviously, I'm not trying to be a bodybuilder, right so. But he would train me a lot when I was in high school. Um, we started great, good, good weight room and high, so I would get lift in there a lot. We had weightlifting classes, but I and but I always knew wrestling is not going to magically make you a better wrestler. It's not. That's not what it's for. It's for it's just to enhance yourself. As you know, it's part of it is like we talk about confidence in your training. I am confident myself, like I don't want you tell us, I don't want you to go out there and look at a kid who's freaking, he's stacked, he's built and you're not cutting out your scared to wrestling right, you got you should.
Speaker 2:You should have that confidence too. You should be in the weight room, so when you see that I lift too right. I'm fine. So this part of it's a big confidence thing. It gives kids a lot of confidence. Weightlifting does um and then it just I think it is great for injury prevention and and it does in those fundamental positions when I'm in a shot and I'm building a good posh, make that's all like You're just weightlifting good form my chest is up my head.
Speaker 2:You know all those little things. You're building that with resistance in a weight room. So no, it doesn't make me better my sport, but just supplements a lot of good things in there.
Speaker 3:That's perfect. I mean, I'm glad you said that you know, because I never claimed to tell people that this is going to make you better at your sport.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sport is going to make you better at your sport.
Speaker 3:This is just going to enhance the longevity?
Speaker 2:of it, man that's awesome.
Speaker 3:That's good. That's good, and it's good that you're sharing that too. You know as as as now, a gym owner, and you know somebody who's been there done that, so that's cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what was I mean when you step into? I kind of want to go back to you a little bit, back to your college stuff. When you go from high school to college, you're going to be wrestling Some of the guys you probably wrestled um, since california such a stat, you know wrestling has such a stacked wrestling pedigree Yep, um, but flying my flying my face.
Speaker 1:Um, when you step on the campus at Fresno State, okay, what is it like? Cause now you got guys from all over the country, got some guys best guys in the country from California or state of California and everywhere else. What's that kind of level like when you step into the room? Yeah, so Did it raise a little bit.
Speaker 2:So it probably helped me and hurt me in some ways. So, like I said, with it being a new program, we didn't have a lot of the older guys and that's really what you hear stories guys going to a program that man couldn't even get a take down. I had no success at first. These guys are so tough I had to raise my competition level.
Speaker 2:Like there was a couple of good guys there but we didn't have that returning all-American or even NCAA qualifier, anything like it was a new program so luckily did have some RTC members, so guys that were trying to train for the Olympics. So I did have some really good guys. My coaches are really good Jason Chamberlain, ncaa finalists, stud so yeah, I would get beat up definitely still by some of those guys. But as far as guys on the actual team, like, we're all kind of at the same level, either freshmen or some of them are transfers, still registered freshmen, so I was at their kind of level basically. But that kind of helped me because I saw their accolades. I'm like geez, I was never state champ. This guy was a multiple time state champ. This guy won this national tournament. This guy did this and I'm like I'm right there with them, like these guys don't even train hard.
Speaker 2:So that's why I say it was really good for me, really bad for me, because maybe I didn't get those licks in from some of those better guys who were returners and veterans. But I did see a lot of guys who were same recruiting class and were really good on paper, made way bigger blue chips than me, way higher on the recruiting board. But I was just outworking them and I was like, oh yeah, I'm gonna be better than these guys, just off of work ethic alone.
Speaker 3:So coming from Dainuba, a small little town, right, going to Fresno, it really wasn't that big of a transition though, right, because I mean you were exposing yourself everywhere up and down the state, right, so maybe probably even out of the state. So then going to Fresno State, that was just like all right, no big deal, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, not really huge jump in anything culture shock wise or anything of that sort. So, yeah, it was a great transition. It was a great place for me to start off.
Speaker 1:What was it like? I mean you talked about you were the first recruit. New program was it? Did Steiner do a pretty good job of just locking in because, being a new program building it, sometimes it could be just culture shock for everyone trying to figure things out. He had obviously been at the biggest programs in the country, so how was that kind of? First year like starting that new program.
Speaker 2:He was an amazing coach and he made no excuses for and he would probably like people would probably laugh at him when they told him the goals that he was trying to accomplish. He was like, yeah, we want to be a top 10 team, we're going to shock Illinois our first duel. And he was just saying crazy things, this guy's crazy.
Speaker 3:Especially the top baby. But he had those expectations and he lived it.
Speaker 2:And you're like, geez, this guy's a leader man and everyone want to do it. And what do you know? I mean the team was top five in the big 12. I mean it's really hard to do that to Tom Frenzy. It's tough, for every year in wrestling he's getting multiple guys on the podium. Ncaa he's like nobody. There's new programs that came up. They can't accomplish what he accomplished. It's insane what he did. Mountain qualifiers he'd get two, three all-Americans. I mean he did really amazing there. For the lack, really the lack of support for administration he had and overall with what he had, I mean was insane.
Speaker 3:He's a great leader man. That was going to be my next question. How did you take it when you found out the Fresno State was losing the program?
Speaker 2:Devastated, because when I was a kid it got cut and I was like well that won't ever be an option. So it's like are you kidding me? So now it's really sad Some bad leadership there. Like I said, when things get tough they blame it on COVID or whatever. But really dumb, I don't think they had the money bringing back at first play. It was a dumb situation. But yeah, when things get tough you don't cut. Then you figure it out. So I just think poor leadership and unfortunate.
Speaker 1:So that was your sophomore year or the end of your freshman year.
Speaker 2:That was going into my red shirt junior. So yeah, I just finished my sophomore season. So it would have been my third year starting, and so when I found out the program was cut, they told us they could stick around and for that season. It'll be cut the year after. But I'm like, I'm transferred, I know I'm going to be out of another school, I need to get there, I need to get with the program.
Speaker 3:No time to waste, yeah.
Speaker 1:So what was that kind of process? Like they told you you could stay if you wanted to one more year. You're obviously going to take the road to hey, I want to make a change. I want to be on a prior program that's going to be there for the long haul that's going to be established. So what was that process like of seeking out? Where are you going to go next?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was different Because this time I kind of took my time Because I'm like man and it was a weird time because I couldn't even go visit these schools COVID Because of COVID and then. So basically I almost limited my recruit and some schools didn't even know that I was trying to transfer so fast they're OK for next year. They didn't kind of recheck and they kind of didn't reach that. So you weren't on the radar.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so yeah. But some other schools were really interested and there were some troubles with. I was like I want to go in and wrestle right away. Some schools couldn't get me eligible right there at the spring semester, so a lot of that stuff going on. But basically I was only looking at the Big 12 because those were the most schools I already visited, because I wrestled against them.
Speaker 3:I was like I already seen their facility.
Speaker 2:I know what they got going on, I know the coaches. So that was really the only school I was looking at, like I said, because I was familiar with them. So that's kind of how the process went.
Speaker 3:How was it? Now you know you're leaving the state, your parents, Scary, scary, scary what advice would you give to an athlete that is possibly going to be leaving California to go venture off into a different program outside the state. What advice would you give them and how they can transition into that a little bit smoother?
Speaker 2:I mean just being honest with yourself, I mean, and using the resources probably around you and just really leaning on your teammates and your coaches. But I mean, for the most part, you just got to be a big boy. It's hard to say, but you just got to be there. It's tough, but bottom line is you got to be a big boy, suck it up and you have goals and that's bigger than anything else. This is what's important in my life. There is no turning back. It's just that decision. And it's hard, but you got goals to accomplish.
Speaker 1:I love those big boy pants, yeah.
Speaker 2:So it's a little bit of that. You know we could say all this stuff with the bottom line is you got to be a big boy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, time to grow up. Yeah yeah, that's a good way to put it.
Speaker 1:So you said you got to look at all these facilities when you're at Fresno State and you're going to eventually make the choice to go to the University of Wyoming. Why Wyoming?
Speaker 2:So a couple of things it kind of shocked me with, because you probably just don't assume I mean Wyoming, you probably don't assume anything out of there, you know, but I saw some of their facilities and it was impressive. They have impressive wrestling room, they have weight training room in the wrestling room, they have great locker room and great facilities and then even the Olympic training weight room. That's available. They have high altitude performance. They show me on a Zoom all the high altitude performance center where they have altitude chamber. They just have everything.
Speaker 2:I mean it's only one university in that state, there's no other. So all the money goes to that university. So their facilities are on par with any of these big schools. So they have the facilities there, they have the support. And then I also looked at the coaching staff there. They built, I mean, a great program. Branch built consistently good, and I think that's important, not just being able to recruit good guys and they just go out there and perform.
Speaker 2:He recruited a lot of guys who were that kind of diamonds in the rough. They weren't really blue chippers and accomplished some great things. You know Bryce Meredith and Branson Ashworth, archie Colon who's firing out but they were guys I saw that I never even heard of them before and they were competing in the NCAA tournament. I'm like geez, how is this? But I was always in the top 15 team in 2005. 15 or something like that. 18. Montorey Bridge, another one. But he had a lot of these guys that it could tell they developed there and that's just. You could tell that's from coaching A lot of credit to those guys.
Speaker 2:So those guys are studs and who were committed. I said, have all the intangibles we talked about, but that's also a lot of coaching.
Speaker 1:Right. Who was the head coach there, mark Branch, and what was his background?
Speaker 2:So from Oklahoma State wrestler John Smith. He was a four-time NCAA finalist. I think he won it twice. His story is pretty cool. He started off, he was not even seated. I think he had a losing record going to the NCAA tournament and he wins it as a true freshman. Really cool story. So, he'd always tell us that in the postseason.
Speaker 1:That story, geez, you're always inspired.
Speaker 2:He's like you're zero and zero in the postseason, nothing new did matter. He's like guy come in here and that's why he's another guy, great leader, great person.
Speaker 3:So now, going through it all, looking back at it now, would you have done anything a little bit different?
Speaker 2:No, no, regrets man.
Speaker 3:None at all.
Speaker 2:And I didn't achieve my goals and I'm upfront about that. I mean, still I have nightmares about that NCAA tournament. Man, I've beaten guys in the final placing pretty high. It was close matches with guys in the finals.
Speaker 1:Because you upset Justin Thomas, right? Who's your seeded tent? In your first year at Wildely.
Speaker 2:Yes, yep, be a guy as well as a Wildely one. Be guys like Peyton Robb Be really good guys in my weight and it was just going to get that tournament together. But even if I won, would my life be that different? No, probably not. Still be doing the same thing I'm doing right now, so we can pretend I'd be. I'd probably be happier for three more months.
Speaker 2:That's probably all that would happen. That would end. I still got to get on with my life. There's life after wrestling. I can be upset about it and be mad at myself or mad at people. Whatever I got to live with that, but bottom line is I got to learn from it. So I've learned from it and now I'm bringing that to coaching. I know where I made mistakes.
Speaker 3:That's a great way of putting it. You only win and learn.
Speaker 2:Yep Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 3:So that's really cool, man. You know, when you're talking to these kids now as a mentor and a coach, when you see kids we talked about it already a little bit early in the beginning and they're getting a little discouraged, maybe they can't figure out the move, or they're getting their ass beat on the mat from whoever's across from them and things like that you know what type of encouragement do you give them at that time, in that moment? What do you tell them? How do you help them get through something like that?
Speaker 2:I mean that one's tough man, but it's really just we got to focus on, like I said, win and learn you can't focus on losing man Right, even results overall.
Speaker 2:We can't focus on results, like I said, because even if I would have won at NCAA tournament, would have placed, gone, stand and been happy. Like I said, what's next? What if I was coming back next? You still have to get better At the end of the day. That's all he's talked about these kids' tournaments. I'm like I don't care if you pin everyone's all the way through you still I'll go find something for you to get better at. You still have to get better because the next match is the most important match, exactly.
Speaker 2:So, you can't have that winning hangover. You can't be stuck on losing.
Speaker 3:Never high, never low Right.
Speaker 2:You just have to focus on getting better. And that's why I was talking to him on another podcast and I was talking about it. And it's like if you're focused on results, you're going to be shocked when you face that person who's just obsessed with the sport, loves it, just loves the process of getting better, and you're like you're going to face something that you've never faced in your life. Like where did that guy come from? Right, there's people out there obsessed with their sport, dedicate hours, and they just love it and they live it, and I think that's totally different than someone's just driven by results.
Speaker 3:Results yeah.
Speaker 1:On the other aspect, we talked about your parents at the beginning of the show. As a coach now you've competed at the highest levels in college. You've seen it. Now you're training these young kids right. Obviously, wrestling's very involved sport with parents. Because you're going on the weekends Some kids are traveling all up and down the state, Some kids are traveling all over the country, so the parents are always there for the most part with these kids. What advice would you give to parents to best support their kid and give their kid the best chance to succeed?
Speaker 2:That's a great question because wrestling is. If you ever know someone that's wrestled or fought because wrestling still fights at the end of the day it really feels like that it's your kid against someone else's kid and it's the most emotionally involved sport ever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%.
Speaker 2:Right, if you ever seen your friend fight or someone you remotely kind of know, you're just your heart beats going. You're just so invested. So it's hard because I've met parents who just love the sport and they want their kid to win. So bad and they think that support and it's great. It's great wanting your. Course, we all want our kid to win. But you can't want this for your kid, right, they got it's their sport. You got to let it be their thing. They got to want it, then they it's them. That's got to train, them's got to lift, then they got to run. They got to do that. They have to win. It's up to them. So all you can really do is just say support you. You got to just be mom and dad and love you, no matter what. You know, just support them.
Speaker 3:Trust it Just as much as you want them to trust the process it's such a hard thing though, because it's.
Speaker 2:It's an I'm saying that, but I'm probably going to be a crazy wrestling dad but you know I know my emotions are, but you just can't let your emotions get the best of you. Like I said, you got to let it be their thing.
Speaker 1:Right, you're completely right, because when, if the kid doesn't love wrestling and they're not into it, eventually, yeah, the parents could push the kid to a certain point. But to go to, to have success in high school and to go to the college level, like at some point, the kids got to want to intake the initiative themselves.
Speaker 2:And I saw that a lot and that was really common in wrestling, because wrestling is a sport that's very family oriented sports. A lot of people get in a wrestling oh, my dad wrestled, my uncle wrestled so a lot of people get in it for those reasons and then makes something in the college oh, they're not around to push me, they're not around to take me here, and then it's always like what do I do? Yeah, they just don't have that accountability and self motivation or discipline at all.
Speaker 3:It goes back to what you said it's time to grow up. Yeah, yeah, put the big boy pants on. Yeah, okay, again you're in my gym. I'm gonna ask this question, just like I asked everybody else what was your take on nutrition? Did you have a very strict nutrition in high school and in college and then, as you, continue in advance, or did you kind of just eat whatever you wanted and then just went on to the mat?
Speaker 2:I mean high school, probably more of that. I'd probably just be in a calorie deficit just to make the weight but, I, probably wouldn't care.
Speaker 2:I mean our try. Especially starting toward my junior senior, I tried to start eating healthier, but every year of college I started perfecting it a little bit more. I realized what food feels good when I put in what I need to eat at this time. But, man, nutrition is so important. It's another thing. Is it going to make you wrestle better? Is it going to give you magical powers? No, because I've seen kids who eat garb. That doesn't mean to do this. Yeah, I've seen kids eat garbage, but they perform because then they got to execute Right. But 100%, you are going to feel better and you don't want any doubt in your mind. I didn't do anything wrong, I did everything right. So that's really what the nutrition is about. It's another thing that should give you confidence. You know you did everything right. So, yeah, nutrition is so important. It's something I always played with and I realized that, yeah, I feel better doing this and that.
Speaker 3:What's your whole take on extreme weight cuts and things like that? It's dumb.
Speaker 2:Especially in sports, you have to perform. And wrestling, I mean, I'm so mad because college, of course, once I get down to wrestling, they change the rule. But during the college season we do duels and there's only one hour away and so after you're waiting, you have one hour to wrestle. After you're right in. Right, you could not mess around with that. You would be hurting if you cut in too much weight. Now it's two hours, but people think that hours not that much, but it's a lot.
Speaker 3:It's a big difference. Just use it.
Speaker 2:I mean, even if you weren't cutting weight, to have the time to use the restroom, eat food, get the warm up in, get what you need.
Speaker 3:Stop being a rush, yeah not being a rush.
Speaker 2:I mean, imagine that you get there one hour and you got to go. So, you had weigh-ins and all those room checks. So, yeah, I mean it's short, so you can't mess around with weight cutting. It just can't be a factor. I do believe there is a weight class that is the right weight class for you. I don't believe in just being big just to be big.
Speaker 2:I think you're seeing it in football there's a lot of smaller, wider C, especially with skill positions. They used to just be big to be big. I'm like why you can't move. It's not going to help you all of a sudden, play faster, be more explosive, so I'm just not into, yeah, the weight's going to make you perform any different. It should be something that's not even an effect on your performance.
Speaker 3:So when did you find your weight? Tell everybody what was your wrestling weight In college. In college, 157.
Speaker 2:And in high school I went 120, 132, 138, 145.
Speaker 3:Okay, so you jumped up from there to there Is that just you growing into your body, of course, growing.
Speaker 2:I would never say I don't want to, ever. And I hate when people say, oh, I cut weight. It's like you make weight because you should never cut what you make weight. You have to be this on a certain day. You have to just make it.
Speaker 3:You shouldn't be cutting weight, I mean that's horrible. Like I said, that means you're just putting your body in the ass. But you see it all the time. I mean, it's still going to happen, right? What would you say? It is Because of lack of knowledge, lack of trust. What is it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. I mean, yeah, lack of knowledge, and people think that, for whatever reason, they're going to be stronger or better at a certain weight. But, like I said, then you got to perform and there are some people that do it, and do it effectively Without the risk of you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and there's ways to do it right, but then a day man, you really have to. This is a performance sport and if you're not and I talked about already with the wrestling IQ stuff if your brain's not working and you're not if you're, yeah, you have to you can't play around with that stuff.
Speaker 3:If you're in the deficit, yeah, you're going to be foggy.
Speaker 2:And even the practices. That's when I really learned to learn this a lot from Stein. Like you need to have the energy and practices. He's like I don't want people treating my practices like fat camp. He's I'm not in charge, I'm not your weight loss coach, and that really taught me. I'm like what? Like some days we would be like, geez, I hardly got to sweat in this practice. I'm going to be all mad and I'm like.
Speaker 2:He's like this isn't a weight loss practice, this is a get better practice Right, kind of changing the mindset he's like that's, that's up to you. You're training, you need to be disciplined, be at the weight, you need to be so learn that a lot cause. A lot of people treat wrestling like that and their practices are just to get a sweat and it's like, no, it's to get better. You know.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and sometimes, you know, at the high school level, coaches' hands are tied behind them Because you know we can't. We would like to expect the kids to come in in shape, but that's just not the reality of it. Yep, you know what I mean. And so sometimes, yeah, their hands are a little bit tied. But to your point, I totally get it, I totally understand.
Speaker 1:So what do you think, and I guess I could ask you the same question how did you best manage the I guess weight throughout high school and in the college, and what I guess advice would you give to kids in high school? Yeah, to best manage weight, to stay healthy and not kind of push yourself too hard.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so really you kind of need to. And people I see they balloon up and they're just like man. You got to live at the weight that you're competing at and that's what I learned this from Steinertree. He's like you're wrestling 157. Why are you weighing, you know, 171, whatever he's like, because when you get off the scale you're not weighing 170. You're weighing 163. Max, 64, max, he's like. So that's where you should kind of live at.
Speaker 2:And you say I'm a big sweater, I lose four or five pounds. So then after practice that's kind of what I weigh. I'm already at my weight. So you want to get to that point and I would struggle with that. I mean I probably in the last couple of years probably should have went 65s, but for lineup reasons and for reasons I just thought I could beat a lot of the guys the way I had to make sacrifice and be at that weight. And that's totally a thing too. People they can't go whatever weight and wrestling, because it's like it's positions. You got to go where best for their team or where is your best opportunity to start.
Speaker 2:So there's some of that going on, but ideally, yeah, if you can live at the weight you're actually going to compete at, yeah, that's where you, that's where you're competing, so why are you at any other weight?
Speaker 3:Making the line style. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Because we see this in like MMA.
Speaker 2:It's like such a big topic all the time, and there's new roles, coming in and out all the time.
Speaker 1:But you know some of those gaps from like in, like the UFC, for example, you have like go from 55 to 70. That's 15 pounds.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there should be a 65 plus. There should be a definitely 65 plus 100%, especially at the average weight of like a male too. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because I mean some of those like you got a 185 guy. When they're walking in they're weighing over two 205 pounds, yeah. And then you got guys like getting done and in between training camps blowing up, yeah, it's crazy, that's weird, that's wild.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so student athlete that's what you were right. We're talking a lot of the athlete right now. Yeah, you weren't no strength. I mean you handled the books very well, right, 4.0 in high school, like you were. You were well committed into the books. Yeah, okay, I want you to give some advice as to how you balance the sports in school for student athletes. Yeah, how did you?
Speaker 2:do both. I didn't treat them like they were two different things. Like I said, I'm not just trying to be a good wrestler or whatever. Like I said, I always kept that in mind, like at some point wrestling's over. But it's really just like that stereotypical you know phrase you hear you know how you do anything's how you do everything. It's so true. I mean, you can't just and that's why I see it from guys and I can tell I see talent all the time and they don't work that hard or they don't try it hard in school. I don't care about it, it's not a big deal, it's like it is a big deal.
Speaker 3:Everything's a big deal, Right.
Speaker 2:You know, you write your names on it, you stamp it. That's the evidence of your work and you're not going to let it be a reflection of you, right Like so. I just take pride in anything I do, and if I'm not proud of it, I mean it disgusts me, I mean internally it's got a buggy.
Speaker 3:So you took your philosophy to the mat, to the books, exactly, yes, yeah, you didn't treat them any differently. And I'm competitive, I'm still competitive.
Speaker 2:I mean, you have these smart kids and they don't do anything. I'm like I'm tough for these kids. You know I just think they don't have that edge, like me, you know, and it's being a competitor bringing that exactly to the school and then, like these guys don't have that, you got to take that eventually, business role, like I'm going to run over these guys because of my work. So it's just being a competitor and having those expectations for yourself, right.
Speaker 1:So you won over a hundred matches in wrestling right, a hundred wins in the NCAA. How did you deal with both winning and losing? Because we talk about, you know, not ever getting too high, not getting too low, but you're talking about your competitor, right, and no competitor likes to lose. But how did you take winning and losing? What did you do after that to you know, not get too high or too low?
Speaker 2:Yeah, typically a lot of film study. I mean, like I say you gotta learn from it, gotta learn from why you lost. But I mean I wish I would have done more of this is just realize why I won two and just look at both. Like I said, both you can't be too high or too low. You can't go away All right, everything. And that's what winning sometimes is not good for you, because you could be doing a lot of things that you're not gonna look at your performance.
Speaker 2:When you win, you're like I'm doing everything right at one, but you gotta go look at that Like what was I doing good? Where can I still prove Like I'd probably just win because it's better than that guy? But a better opponent is gonna take advantage of this position. This is where I need to do better here. So still a lot you can learn off a win. Same thing in loss you can be down yourself. Man, I suck, and there's probably some things you're doing good in there Like you gotta watch it. You gotta really evaluate it from outside perspective and not just that bottom line to win or lose.
Speaker 2:Because, there's some lot in there.
Speaker 3:There's a whole story to it there's no success without failure. Yep period. You have to lose, it's you need to lose. Let's put it that way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and, like I said a lot of times, you are gonna learn more from those failures. So we always talk about there's no losses, just lessons. No losses, just lessons. Absolutely that's important.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so you are now. I mean, you literally just came from giving a lesson and you ran right over here. You're going, you're learning something new and we're talking about how you treat everything more or less the same, just from your wrestling career into the books. And now, obviously, you're going into the business, you're learning it, you're trying to excel in it and you're trying to make sure that you perfect it the best way that you physically and possibly can. Ok, so let me ask you this If you you're, you're trying to find a location for your facility to be your own right.
Speaker 3:So once that facility is being made, where you're looking at it for Visella, the Visella location, right. And in the beginning of the podcast you're, you're talking about how it's kind of in the middle. Yep, right, you got Fresno, you got Hanford, you got the Visella, you got Tulare and all these things right. So, being who you are, from everything that you've gone through, what makes you remember this is new Right, being a business, this is complete. You can have the same attitude, but it's a whole different. It's not school, absolutely. So are you a little nervous about it?
Speaker 2:Are you a little? Yes, yes, I know Like I'm taking that same approach, but also because I know it's a different animal and I need to go the whole different I need to go at the rate that I need to go.
Speaker 2:Like I said, I'm not going to honestly go on this big financial risk and get a building when I don't have the numbers. I have these financial goals and these numbers and you hit before I take these next steps. So I take the same approach. I mean, I wouldn't put a kid who's just starting off wrestling and go put them in the world championship. You don't do that. You're not ready for that. So I'm taking the steps because this is a new bit. It's not just me, it's the entity, it's the whole things, a whole, the kids that are in it, the financial part of it. So I'm going.
Speaker 3:Calculated risk. Yes, I'm going.
Speaker 2:Yeah, calculated risk, and I know part of this is taking a risk when I went. Things you are done, that is a thing, but being realistic and taking the steps that are necessary, right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I guess what my question was. I mean because, like you said, businesses, you could have the same mindset, you can have the same approach, right, but it's still something new. So, basically, what's the biggest take, though, that you're getting from this, from starting something new? That was going to be my question. You know what I mean, because wrestling it wasn't new, you were born on the map. So what's the biggest thing that you're learning through this process, you know, of opening up this facility, of it just being so new to you. You know what I mean. And after that question, why should and I guess he kind of already answered it in the beginning but if I was to bring my son to you, what is it again, other than the fact that you're going to take it a little bit slower for my kid, right? What is it if a parent is listening and they're trying to make a decision on where they want their kid to be thrown? Yeah, or Jacob, what's the difference?
Speaker 2:One. I'm fresh off the college scene. I mean that's huge. I'm up to date with the latest technique and just philosophies towards wrestling Best shape of my life. I'm just gut off competing and I'm on the mat with these kids.
Speaker 3:Right your hands on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and, like I said, I'm not saying just do as I say, not as I do. I'm doing it with you, right? So I mean they have a role model. I mean that's huge. Like I said, I'm on the mat with them, I'm taking it slow. I've seen, I've been with them, I've been in high level wrestling, I've been to the Olympic Training Center, been around some of the best coaches and I'm bringing all that to these kids and that's pretty unique. And that's what I, when I was wondering what I should do. Should I just go with a stereotypical mold like mold and just go into high school coaching and just stick with them, like I think I have so much more to offer than just getting one high.
Speaker 2:that's already been done. People have already done that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, right.
Speaker 2:I've always stopped bigger than whatever I'm doing and tried to evolve the sport. And that's what grows the sport when you do more than just what's been done.
Speaker 2:So I'm like what is this area missing? And in a lot of these areas like Minnesota has pinnacle young guns. In Pennsylvania they have these huge clubs and on top of that they also have regional training centers, college and nearby. Except we lost Fresno State, so they don't have that anymore. They have no high level training around them. So I'm like there's a gap that's got to be filled here. And I'm like I think I'm that guy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know I am with my knowledge, lifestyle I live, and I think just the location of it is great, because some people why don't you go into Fresno, why don't you go into Clovis? And I'm like they got a deep throne, they have. These people have place. What's going to be great about where I am?
Speaker 2:I'm Vicella, like I said right in the middle we're all going to meet up and this is what the Saray needs. Like I said, iron sharpens, iron. We're going to pull all these small towns and then you're going to get Fresno and Bakersfield. They're both an hour from Vicella and that's where, because those schools have the best wrestling in the area Clovis and Bakersfield, so I just see it as just a great hub for these wrestlers to come together, blending them all together.
Speaker 1:Making it a hybrid. Yeah, yeah, I love how obviously your intelligence have been able to recognize, like okay, there's a need for this. Yeah, right, like that's number one. Yeah, there's a need for it, there's a want for it and there's a business for it. Yeah, and it sounds like you're the guy to do it. So I'm like super excited to see what you're going to do and you're right.
Speaker 1:I mean you have you're up to date. I think that's so important. You're up to date on the latest wrestling technique because it's always evolving, it's always changing right, absolutely Like that's priceless because, yes, you got guys that have been around the sport for 20, 30 years, but you're fresh out man.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You've learned under some of the best in the world With Steiner and at Wyoming, so like that's priceless.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that it really is. You see a problem and you got a solution. Yeah, that's exactly it. So that's Speaking about problems. I always like asking this question and now that you bring it up like you're, so you're, I mean, you're still young, you know. You literally just left the game. Yeah, I always like asking this question. And Did you have any effect with social media? You know, cuz kids, man, they, they're distracted by it and it's become More of a problem than a blessing for most. Did you have any of that type of issues with you, you know, going through the scene and with your wrestling career or anything? It was just like I have a social media, but it's whatever.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I had social media. I'm really not into it. I mean I look I don't ever really post that much. I'll post that. Keep my family updated stuff, you know, or Whatever. I know people like that, a lot of family in different states and stuff. So it is cool. I get the best thing about social media really cool. You know, I get a post what's going on in my life and people get to see that and get a share experience with them.
Speaker 3:That's the cool part never a distraction.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the negative part, but you don't want to get too folk. I mean, you got to attend a, you have a job to do, your work, your focus on competing, you got to focus and sometimes you be looking at what other programs are doing, what other programs have, and that's where it can be a distraction.
Speaker 3:You know you got a worry about somebody else.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like you got to focus on what you're doing, so I try never let it be a distraction. I don't think it ever was If I had advice kids, you know it's just that you did, it's not. It shouldn't be a distraction.
Speaker 3:They can choose you time wisely, but I mean, use it for what it's good for.
Speaker 2:And I mean, I know, with the new NLI stuff, and I'm like I was never into that Stye, and to me I don't think that's a good idea. I deal, you have to spend. I know it's, people have those personalities, but I don't think it's a cool and I deals where I got a post and vlog 40 times a day and now I'm worried about my post and all this stuff. To make a couple hundred dollars Right, easier ways to make money yeah, you need to focus on your sport. I think my opinion the best and a lot of dreams of ones where you don't have to do much and, yeah, you get paid.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we talked about I guess we talked about your new training business, what. What's like the deep I I guess idea and vision and goal that I guess that you have, like why you got done with wrestling, finish your wrestling career, was teaching and coaching always something you wanted to do. You had in the back of your mind, yeah, and like what's your real, real deep purpose of wanting to do that and spend your time and make a living at it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, so I'm just as right now, I'm just coaching. So, yeah, I mean coaching my passion and I've been passionate. I mean I'm a son of a coach and I've just always kind of thought like a coach. I've always empathized with them and I could tell athletes we don't always look in the eyes that they are. We Kind of look at things selfishly. Why are they doing this? Why are they playing this player? Why are we only giving the spotlight to this guy? Or you know, there's a lot of ways we could think selfishly as athletes. Well, when you look in the mind of a coach man, it's so hard and I have a lot of respect for them all the time they put in. They have families too and they don't need to put all this time in with other people's kids right.
Speaker 2:You know. So I always have a lot of respect for them and I just know the knowledge that I can give these kids and Stuff that I've learned from my career and I mean nothing. It Makes me more passionate about helping other people. You know, even when I was wrestling, I just always realized that too, I can't be the best wrestler I could be if I'm not helping my teammates and they're not getting better, better either.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:I don't want to just be to my teammates and not help them get better. So, right, as funny branch told me, he thought that was so weird. It was like a week away from my first rust off and I first came there to Wyoming and he said he heard me teaching my partner leg defense. He's like why is he helping him? He should just shut up and just let him not be, not know and kill him with that in the middle in the rust off. But I'm like, no, if I'm not, if he's not good enough, then I'm not gonna be good enough. So right, I've just always thought like that and it's probably just kezzel, the son of a coach. But but I'm pat, like some, it's the passion for sport and excited to pass on that knowledge.
Speaker 3:Shoot, I think you're. You're a great ambassador man. I'm not, I'm not much of it. I don't know too much about the sport. Yeah, it was, I was a baseball guy. You know what I mean, but I'm you make me want to put my son in wrestling.
Speaker 1:I'm not even kidding you, I'm serious like I think you're gonna.
Speaker 3:You're gonna kill it, dude.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I think you're. You giving me chills more than probably five times already. Yeah this podcast by just the way that you think, your mindset, your philosophy, your goals, your visions, your, your experiences and all these type of things so Appreciate it parents get over to this guy, you know, if you want your kid to, you know, get to another level and stuff like that.
Speaker 3:But seriously, man, I truly think, like you're gonna be a great pioneer for the sport. Thank you, because I mean, the sport doesn't get enough love. It really doesn't, and for the, for the Athletes that it creates, it needs to get love, absolutely, like it's just one of those things, like I get chills talking about it cuz, like I said, I've been blessed to train Wrestlers. You know ones that have gone to, like I had a girl got to go to Augsburg and you know I got these two little boys. You know they're killing the scene doing these things and you guys deserve all the attention. Yeah, the training, the mindsets, the, the injury, like all this type of stuff. So, man, I'm really glad the sports got somebody like you man, yeah, I appreciate that for sure for sure Going off that.
Speaker 1:I want to talk about a quick topic, real quick, and this goes back, obviously, like Fresno State Lasted a couple seasons and you know mismanagement of that program leadership it's gonna fall. We've seen wrestling at different levels. Different college programs Cut their programs. What do you think the future of wrestling is and what needs to happen to, like Zach said, give wrestling the credit it deserves? You're I mean I think it's gonna be people like you. I'm getting out of wrestling and continuing to put back into the sport. But where's the wrestling at right now, since you just kind of got done? You know wrestling in college and where does it need to go in order to continue to grow?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so. So I'm never gonna be a poor us guy. Like I said, just don't have that victim mentality. And, oh man, we get our programs cut, poor us. Yeah, there is title nine. Yeah, there is a lot of things that are against us, but then a day, the only one's gonna help you or us is you. We got to support it. Yeah, we got to be passionate about it. Right, I'm not gonna wait for someone else to support our dreams. We got to support each other.
Speaker 2:So it's funny, you know a lot of retired wrestlers or a lot of, yeah, x-rest, X-Fight, a lot of people who do, oh, I love the sport and then I want I start. I'm excited, oh, cool, someone else likes sport. Let's start talking about oh, I don't know any of the guys anymore. I don't really follow up that much anymore. I'm like why, oh, once my career is over, ah, it's just hard to think about. You know, it's like right, I'm like dude, you got to support the sport because who is right? You got to know the guys. You got to watch the college jewels you got to be up to date with. So it's funny because who, where? Who's the common? You know, you have your common UFC fan. You know they call them. What do they call them? Your casuals.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right your casual UFC fans are watching after Connor, right. We don't have our connor Gregor yet, really. So it's like you're not gonna have a bunch of casuals. The people are gonna support their sports, the people who they have a kid in it or they've been in it, right. And if they're not supporting it, there are no casuals. So we got to do a better job of supporting our sport and getting our passion out there about it and it just cuz not your kid wrestling. You got, we got to watch, we got to take our kids to go, we got Cal State Bakers for that. That's program, that sport enough. Yeah, we lost Fresno. We need to go get butts in the seat and go support them. So right, yeah, like I said, I'm not gonna be poor victim guy. We need to do better in sport.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and support it. I think, yeah, and I think what you are about to do and what you already are doing is Definitely gonna be a good funnel for that yeah, absolutely you know what I mean because, again, like you say, it starts with individuals like you and the way that you want to approach it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know, because it's like it's contagious. Yeah, you get around somebody like you and then you put three more people around you, like that it's you could take over the world. Yeah, you know what I mean. Like, you're not trying to be in a room full of people who just want to talk. You're trying to be in a room of you know, with people that want to walk with you after they have the conversation. So, yeah, I think it's just a matter of time for you, yeah, and the vision and where you want to take it. So, yeah, man, I mean. So, to go back to the social media, you know, do you have an Instagram?
Speaker 2:Yep, you have a business page.
Speaker 3:Do you have anything like that?
Speaker 2:We're just going with Instagram right now. I thought about getting Web server now. I'm like what would I accomplish with the website? I'm like everything you could want really right down Instagram. Right, I mean they can get my number and we can just schedule that. I try to keep it simple simple, easy. No, I'm not sure, here or Facebook said I'm going at the rate not yet. I'm like I'm trying to go at the rate where I can keep up with. I don't want to stretch myself so thin.
Speaker 3:I have all these different things to keep up with and.
Speaker 2:I'm not keeping up with even one.
Speaker 3:So right.
Speaker 2:I said, I try to kill it with one thing first and then next move on to the next one.
Speaker 3:I'll try approach it cool. So people want to get a hold of you. They could look through your.
Speaker 2:Instagram. Yeah right, rest Academy on Instagram, Gotcha Okay cool.
Speaker 1:One last thing is obviously You've accomplished a lot and you're just getting started. What are like? What's the vision, what's the goal, what's kind of your future? Look like like what? Where do you want to be sitting in 10, 15, 20 years?
Speaker 2:like I said, I want this to be a Situation where people all these surrounding areas that do wrestle there, like we got to get our kid here. If he's gonna be any good, he's got to be in the right wrestling cat room. Yeah, that's where the best kids are, that's where the best coaching is want people making the life adjustments. I know it'll be a drive and sacrifices, but I've been there. If you want to be good, you got to make sacrifices and hopefully I'm one of those. They realize like we got to be in that room. Yeah, I'm in coach, but I'm so hoping it's a.
Speaker 2:It's just a big hub for right now, like so we have K through 8 I'm about 15 15 ish kids in there. Hopefully. Like so we're not even wrestling yet. We have a lot of kids play other sports too. So right once it's football season and we, I want that room packed with around 50 ish you know, youth kids and then hopefully it's a point where it's a big high screw. Right now it's just the high school is a little tough because on season for high school isn't till off season.
Speaker 3:Yeah, done with their program, right.
Speaker 2:But I think that's a big, gonna be a great big thing this year. We're gonna start because these a lot, I know a lot of these high schools. They don't want to. These coaches have families, they don't want to do the offseason, they go from. It's a lot. Wrestling scene long season is more November to March or through the holidays. Right, they sacrifice a lot.
Speaker 2:So mm-hmm when that hits off season and these guys want to go to Fargo and all these offseason tournaments, they're like I'm burnt out, you go and do it on your own and these. I know a lot of kids personally already work with. They get mad. Their coaches aren't doing like, hey man, I get it, but that's what I'm here for right, you're gonna fill that gap.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'll go with you. I don't have family now. Let's go to super 32. We're going to our toe. I'm going to October with a few high schoolers, so I'm here to train them. Let's do it right, let's do the freestyle, let's hit it. Let's have a hard off season.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's like working with those. Does all those high school coaches making those? Connections and building those relationships.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, and that's the next step I'm gonna have to really get started this offseason. I hope I can get him. Trust me, I'm not trying to steal anyone's kid, trying to tell him what high school go do. It's like I'm here as a resource and it's actually helpful. These guys, it is a grind to run a program year-round like yeah, it's hard.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it is his own worst enemy because you do at clubs and it starts fair. People get very.
Speaker 3:Political, and yeah, I'm trying to keep it, not like that.
Speaker 2:That's why I love what I'm doing, because I'm able to work with everybody. Yeah you.
Speaker 3:I mean you minimize that whenever you just have genuine good intentions. Yeah, but it's still gonna happen.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, you can't control how people are gonna react and how they're gonna feel, you know what I mean but you know you, you know what's inside you, you know what you're offering, and things like that.
Speaker 3:You just hope everybody else could recognize it at the same time. Absolutely yeah yeah, anything else no, man, I mean talking about sacrifice. Thank you for making this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thanks for I know you're just training before he came, so thanks for Taking the time to come to him that over here with us and yeah, it's been fun. Yeah, Thanks for having me on appreciate it and again.
Speaker 3:Interview people if you want to find them. Jacob right Academy. Right Right wrestling can I? Jacob, just right wrestling just okay, right there, if you guys want to look at into it for your kids, go find them.
Speaker 1:It's like the perfect twist on a word to like last year's right, that's right. Yeah, yeah, did you do that on purpose?
Speaker 2:Kinda yeah, I just work, it's just kind of falls in your lap right. Yeah, it's just blended perfectly.
Speaker 1:It's catchy, it's gonna yeah it's gonna catch on.
Speaker 3:Yeah Well, thanks again, man. Thanks, yeah, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:I appreciate it.