RUDIS Wrestling Podcast

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OHIO STATE vs PENN STATE Wrestling Match Predictions Feb 08, 2019

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Special live video with Ben Askren, Matt Dernlan, and guest Tommy Rowlands discussing possible outcomes for the Ohio State vs. Penn State match tonight, 02/08 at 8:30pm EST.

#31: Entertainment or Unsportsmanlike? Feb 07, 2019

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Entertainment vs Unsportsmanlike (0:00)
Ben Askren addresses a main news story that wasn't brought up last podcast, Austin Desanto's antics, and suspension. Matt Dernlan's take on what happened at the Nebraska dual is that it was kind of justified. Earlier in the dual, after a sudden victory win, Tyler Berger went over to the Iowa bench and blew them a kiss while saying "This is my house". Dernlan believes Desanto's similar actions don't justify the harsh reaction of the public. This is the third time Desanto has been hit with team point deductions. Once you get a reputation, people start watching and waiting to overreact. Tuesday the news broke that Desanto will serve a one-game suspension and not wrestle in the upcoming dual against Maryland.
Sam Stoll (04:15)
Iowa's Sam Stoll was upset by Nebraska's David Jensen 3-0. Askren and Dernlan agree that since Stoll's knee injury he hasn't been quite the same. Askren questions if a loss like this is a sign that Stoll won't place in March.
Alex Marinelli vs Isaiah White (11:15)
At 165 lbs Marinelli captured a win over Isaiah White 3-0. Dernlan relates this matchup to a lot of the matches that took place between Michigan and Penn State. It was really close but Dernlan doesn't see White beating Marinelli this season. Askren advises White to not choose bottom against Marinelli.
Tough Matchups and Injuries (13:00)
Iowa vs Oklahoma State and Ohio State vs Cornell are tough matchups to end the season. Dernlan questions if this is a good thing for a team heading into the finals or if it makes it harder. You do have a two-week break before conferences but traveling can be hard for the away teams. Joey McKenna was sidelined with an undisclosed injury. Askren questions Dernlan to see if he has any inside information if McKenna will wrestle against Penn State. It brings up the topic that with only 6 weeks until the NCAA tournament it's important to heal up and not risk further injury. Playing on the side of caution gets more important the closer you get to the end of the season.
Kaid Brock vs Josh Alber (24:30)
Kaid Brock lost his match at 141 lbs on a last-second takedown to Josh Alber. When Brock wrestles his style it's exciting to watch. Askren thinks Brock was holding himself back in this match.
Joe Smith Drops 2 (31:46)
No. 5 Joe Smith lost both of his bouts over the weekend. First losing to No. 8 Taylor Lujan of UNI 5-4. He then lost to No. 6 Jordan Kutler 3-1 after getting hit with a hands-to-the-face call. Dernlan thinks Smith wrestled to the style of his opponents and got caught up not being active. After such an impressive performance at the Southern Scuffle, it was easy to believe Smith could really be dangerous for the top-ranked guys. After a weekend like this, maybe those predictions were premature.
Fast Predictions (37:27)
Askren is heading down to Columbus to do a live broadcast of the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast with Dernlan for the Ohio State vs Penn State dual. The pair goes through the matchups and makes quick predictions on who they think will win. 125: Ohio State, 133: Ohio State 141: Ohio State 149: Ohio State 157: Penn State 165: Penn State 174: Penn State 184: Ohio State 197: Ohio State 285: Penn State.

#30: Number 1 for a Reason Feb 07, 2019

Show notes

Don't Limit Athletic Performance
Ben Askren kicks off this week's podcast by getting Matt Dernlan's take on Certainty vs Truth which was Askren's Mental Mondays topic. Dernlan agrees that if you're telling a wrestler exactly what to do in a match, you're limiting them. You should encourage your wrestler to be able to think for themselves. If you don't learn to think for yourself when you’re in the middle of a match, you will not succeed. If a coach tells a wrestler exactly what to do, they're only setting themselves up to be questioned later if that technique does not work.
Penn State vs Michigan
No. 1 Penn State defeated No. 5 Michigan 25-11 in front of nearly 16,000 fans in the sold-out Bryce Jordan Center. Askren would like to see the average attendance numbers from this season compared to 10 years ago. It seems like many big teams are selling out their venues this season.
Nolf, Next Topic?
At 157 lbs, Penn State's No. 1 Jason Nolf took out No. 5 Alec Pantaleo 9-2. What Askren read online and social media was that Nolf utterly dominated Pantaleo but Askren didn't feel that way when he watched the match. Starting the 2nd period, Nolf had two escapes and Pantaleo had a takedown. Dernlan thinks Pantaleo spent the match attempting to keep Nolf at bay and Nolf was more the aggressor. Askren believes this was a very winnable match for Pantaleo. He didn't think he'd be saying that about any Nolf matchup this season but he's excited about a possible rematch.
Vincenzo Joseph vs Logan Massa
Another No. 1 vs No. 5 matchup took place at 165 lbs. No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph beat No. 5 Logan Massa, 4-2 with a last-second takedown in sudden victory. Askren says every time these two meet it will be close. While Joseph brought the pressure Massa was actively attacking. Dernlan believes because Joseph was putting the pressure with his snap-downs Massa found the way to get out of that was to attack.
Mark Hall vs Myles Amine
No. 1 Mark Hall defeated No. 3 Myles Amine in a close 3-2 victory. Askren thinks Amine held his own in the scramble. That being said he doesn't see Hall losing in a future match and thinks he has Amine's number.
Mason Parris vs Anthony Cassar
Anthony Cassar had a dominating win over Mason Parris with a 19-8 major decision. Both Askren and Dernlan were extremely impressed with the power Parris showed as he flipped Cassar off of him in the first period. Overall, Askren believes in a year or two Mason Parris will improve technically and be really hard to beat. Cassar and Penn State have been working on attaining a sixth season via a medical redshirt. Askren talks about how heavyweight is only going to get tougher next year with new up and coming heavyweights including Parris and Gable Steveson. Parris never gave up during his match against Cassar. Dernlan is of the mindset that you should never fall down and take the rest of a match off even if you know it's technically out of reach. Making your opponent wrestle you is the only way you can close the gap and figure them out for the next time you meet.
Rutgers vs Princeton
Rutgers' No. 2 Anthony Ashnault got a major decision to win the dual over No. 1 Matthew Kolodzik. Dernlan and Askren talk about the Rutgers Athletic Center (Rac) and the energy it contained at that moment. Ashnault was able to control the match in every single aspect. Dernlan can't recall a time where Kolodzik got dominated in that fashion.

The Way #5 | A RUDIS Wrestling Podcast: Switch: Find the Feeling Feb 04, 2019

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Appreciate Your Experiences
Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Chapter 5 of the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath. The chapter is about using positive emotion to create change. Dernlan has found this book extremely helpful and relatable. Kolat asks if Dernlan was able to enjoy his business trip overseas. When Kolat competed he was focused on competition and didn't take the time to appreciate the cultures he was traveling to. Relating to this, Dernlan talks about learning to appreciate your surroundings even if your main focus is business or competition.
Emotion Drives Changes
Our lives are defined by our memories. Everything we do, including laughing at jokes, cooking dinner, or calling a friend relies on our prior knowledge of similar events. Kolat speaks on memories and how positive emotions can drive change. When reviewing film with an athlete Kolat prefers to watch matches where the athlete won. The thought process is that by appealing to the positive emotion associated with that memory, that action will lock in change. Most wrestlers are very tough on themselves. They are constantly trying to improve by remembering the mistakes they've made and want to prevent. Dernlan talks about how important it is to point out the actions the wrestler does successfully. The wrestler might be minimizing or taking those successes for granted.
Success Cements Habits
Kolat uses the example of a youth wrestler who gains success because they are either stronger or more aggressive than the other kids. Sometimes a young wrestler wins matches with bad technique and is then celebrated by family and friends. Then when that young wrestler gets to the next level and pure aggression doesn’t work, it's really difficult for a coach to retrain them the right way. That past positive emotion reinforced a lot of poor habits that will later need correcting.
Feeling the Vision
In order to grow a program and rationalize why money should be spent you have to use statistics and analytics to support your task. When you're trying to appeal to athletes, you can speak stats to them all day long but what will actually create change is making them feel it and see it. An example of emotion moving a large group of people simultaneously is when someone gets a pin in a big match. The entire bench stands up, the crowd stands up to cheer and it's all driven by the emotion of what just happened.
Managing Down Time Before an Event
One important thing Dernlan states is you also have to be mindful of your emotional balance. You can't burn yourself out but you can't be timid either. You have to find that emotional center that drives success. Kolat agrees about not letting excitement or anxiety drain your energy for the match. For an athlete that hasn't been in a situation like the day before the NCAA tournament, it's important for the coach to structure the athlete’s day. One really helpful thing Coach Pat Santoro told Kolat was not to panic when you discover that he wouldn’t be able to sleep. If you're laying down your body is resting and the other guy is going through the same thing. This put Kolat's mind at ease to not allow the fact that it's hard to sleep before a big event to cause panic or doubt.
Perfect Timing
From high schoolers heading to states to college athletes heading to NCAA Tournament, the biggest emotional moments in wrestling are coming up in the next 6 weeks. A book like Switch and a podcast like The Way can help guide coaches and athletes on how to properly and effectively navigate these times. Next week Dernlan and Kolat will tackle Chapter 6 of Switch, Shrink the Change.

#29: Askren Predicts Most Controversial Weight Class Finalists Jan 31, 2019

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Ohio State vs Michigan
Ben Askren starts off the podcast saying Ohio State vs Michigan was the college wrestling dual of the season so far. It was an action-packed rivalry match where the No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes fell 19-17 to No. 6 Michigan, after losing six of ten weight classes. Kicking off the dual at 125 lbs was No. 15 Drew Mattin of Michigan defeating Ohio State's Malik Heinselman 12-6. Askren and Matt Dernlan had discussed the decision of pulling Heinselman's redshirt on a previous podcast. Dernlan still believes it was a positive move and uses Mattin as an example. Mattin's redshirt was pulled his freshman season and that gave him experience against the best guys to prepare him for a successful sophomore season.
Stevan Micic vs Luke Pletcher
In the 2nd match of the night, Ohio State's Luke Pletcher fell to Michigan's Stevan Micic 14-1. Askren was not expecting such a dominating win over Pletcher. Dernlan believes Micic wanted to make a statement to why he is ranked No. 1.
Joey McKenna vs Kanen Storr
After Ohio State dropped the first 2 matches scoring 0 team points, Joey McKenna gave the home crowd something to cheer about. Ohio State's No. 2 Joey McKenna defeated No. 5 Kanen Storr by Tech Fall 18-3. On paper, Michigan was most likely going to win this dual. Dernlan's takeaway was that Ohio State's captains knew what they needed to do in order to give them a chance. All 3 captains including McKenna answered the bell and won in dramatic fashion.
Myles Amine vs Ethan Smith
At 174 lbs Michigan's Myles Amine defeated Ethan Smith 3-2. Askren and Dernlan agree Ohio State needs to choose the main guy at 174 lbs. Not through a wrestle-off because that can create a bad dynamic and add unneeded stress.
Kollin Moore vs Jackson Striggow
At this point in the dual, the score was 16-17. No. 2 ranked Kollin Moore faced off against Michigan's unranked Jackson Striggow. In order to put his heavyweight in a good position to win the dual, Moore needed to dominate. Dernlan talks about how in these situations you tell the wrestler before they go out what's expected and that he controls the destiny of this dual. In Dernlan's opinion, he didn't see the urgency in Moore's wrestling.
133 lbs Weight Class
Askren says the 133 lbs weight class is either a disaster or glorious depending on how you look at it. Everyone is beating everyone and it is arguably the most exciting weight class in college wrestling right now. From a coaching standpoint that creates a lot of anxiety because you don't know exactly what the outcomes are going to be. From a fan perspective, it creates intrigue and heated discussions. Askren and Dernlan try and map out the possibilities of what could go down come March at the NCAA Tournament and it's impossible. The 133 lbs weight class has too much talent to tell. One thing Askren and Dernlan agree on is that with so much talent in the top 25 you can't expect an unranked guy to make a surprising run.
Dave Schultz Memorial International
Moving on, Askren breaks down Aaron Brooks performance at the Dave Schultz Memorial International. Coming off a poor performance at Midlands, he came back and looked great with a championship win over Princeton's Nathan Jackson. Dernlan is excited and believes Brooks is going to be interesting to watch as he grows and develops.

#28: Ducking the Tough Matches Jan 29, 2019

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Is "Ducking" Bad?
Wasting no time Ben Askren jumps into one of the biggest stories from this weekend, a match that didn't even happen. The main takeaway from the Northwestern vs Iowa dual wasn't about any of the matches that actually took place, it was about the ones that didn't. Neither Spencer Lee or Kaleb Young wrestled in this dual. Spencer Lee vs Sebastian Rivera was one of the most anticipated matches of the season. An explanation for these sort of absences in dual meets is seed protection. A wrestler is "ducking" another opponent in order to protect his seed. Askren does not like this strategy put forth by wrestling programs at all. If you're healthy you should wrestle and not worry about the possibility of losing. Askren didn't miss a single high school match and only one match during his entire college career.
Matt Dernlan understands what coaches like Iowa's Coach Tom Brand's is doing by making these choices. They can't afford to put certain things up to chance and have to put their wrestlers in the best situation for the NCAA wrestling tournament. Askren counters that thought with the argument that getting another chance to wrestle a guy who you most likely will end up against at the end of the year can be really beneficial. This way you can figure out why and how they're beating you so you can make the right adjustments for when it really matters. Dernlan talks about how the culture of wrestling is shifting towards stats and numbers but at its core its always been to just go out on the mat and settle it. So what does make up a true champion mentality? Getting the trophy at any cost, or wanting to wrestle every match no matter the opponent?
Calling Stalling by the Book
The norm this season with referees seems to be they're not truly thinking about what a stalling call should mean. Askren watched the Lehigh vs Arizona State dual and was impressed with the referee. Instead of calling stalling on a wrestler who can't move without putting themselves in a vulnerable position the ref called a stalemate. You can't make perfect rules there are variables to every situation. So when you try to call the rules the way they're written it doesn't work. Askren and Dernlan think there needs to be a better avenue for communication between officials and coaches during a match. Sometimes a coach wants clarification on a call and they'll receive a warning for asking for it which causes more frustration. Askren has an idea of possibly setting up a dialogue between coaches and referees after matches, to recap any questions or clarifications a coach might have.
Side Headlock
Another rule that has been bugging Askren is the calling of the side headlock stall. When an offensive wrestler applies a side headlock and fails to break down the opponent or execute any other offensive move within five seconds a stalling call is placed on the offensive wrestler. Askren believes this shouldn't be the case. A side headlock is not every single thing that encompasses the head and arms.
Penn State's Tournament to Lose
Dernlan believes this is the first time Penn State has had to deal with some complacency. It takes a different approach and mentality to wrestle with the mindset that you should win. It can be easier to be the hunter or challenger. Askren talks about not wrestling like there's a target on your back. So far Penn State has shown that they haven't changed the mentality and keep competing against their opponents but also themselves. If their teammate went out and tech-falled their opponent, they want to go out and pin theirs. Roman Bravo-Young is expected to miss 3-4 weeks after he suffered an injury during the Michigan dual. Askren believes with RBY getting back healthy around the BIG10 tournament Penn State is going to struggle at 133 lbs.

The Way #4 | A RUDIS Wrestling Podcast: Switch: Point to the Destination Jan 25, 2019

Show notes

With Matt Dernlan absent, Cary Kolat tackles chapter 4 of the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard By Chip and Dan Heath and how he uses its lessons every day as a wrestling coach. Kolat breaks down the examples used in the book and applies them to his own life. Remembering to appeal to both the rational and emotional mind when motivating and setting goals for a team. Being easy to collaborate and work with will help you in achieving your goals. Holding true to standards and giving ownership to team members is critical in creating a culture.

#27: Exclusive Kyle Snyder Interview Pt. 2 Jan 22, 2019

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Kyle Snyder and Ben Askren discuss Snyder's collegiate wrestling career. The journey from being pinned in the NCAA Finals to winning 3 NCAA Wrestling Championships and 2 World Wrestling Championships as well as an Olympic Gold Medal before graduation. They also talk about Snyder's post-college career and what he has planned for the future.
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The Way #3 | A RUDIS Wrestling Podcast: Switch: Script the Critical Moves Jan 18, 2019

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Appreciate the Process
Before getting into chapter 3 of the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard By Chip and Dan Heath, Matt Dernlan and Cary Kolat discuss recent wrestling events at Campbell. Kolat's team finished 10th at Midlands. The pair talk about appreciating the process. When you're young and hungry all you can think about is getting to the top but, you forget how you got there. You have to build your foundation, if you rush you'll make more mistakes.
Scripting is Communicating
Kolat elaborates on what exactly the authors mean by scripting the critical moves. As a leader and as a Coach, in order to motivate your team, you should eliminate choice and give simple steps to success. Scripting is communicating clearly and as Coach you should simplify the path. If you only give a goal or task without concrete steps on how to get there people suffer from decision paralysis. Dernlan speaks on this topic saying with too many choices, people sometimes opt to do nothing. Uncertainty makes the emotional mind anxious therefor people may opt to just do the status quo. It's easy to overthink decisions as a Coach. Something as simple as deciding to pull a freshman's redshirt can have dire positive or negative consequences. In order to simplify these decisions, Kolat explains how you need ground rules that you stick to, to run your program. The same goes for an athlete. For example, trying to find which program you want to commit to. Find the things you'll judge a program on and then go with your gut.
The Doctor Example
One of the examples of decision paralysis given in the book is about doctors who are about to perform hip surgery. Kolat explains how they presented doctors with 1 drug that can take the pain away and eliminate the need for surgery. Most doctors decided to try it. When they presented doctors with 2 drugs and they had to choose one they decided to opt for surgery.
Saving Mental Capacity for What Matters
As a Coach, something as simple as an itinerary makes a huge difference. If you fail to organize your team at an event it could end in disaster. Overall, what you're doing is eliminating your athletes need to think, question, or stress about the small stuff. This way they can focus on the most important part, wrestling. Tournament management is critical. There are many things that if it's not laid out for an athlete can trip them up in a tournament. They might forget to eat or not have enough time to recover. Kolat had this down to a science when he competed and continues to implement this at Campbell.
Finish Strong
Talking about the details Kolat and Dernlan breakdown the importance of finishing strong. Just like making sure the windows on your house are straight after building it or the icing on the cake, the details matter. Some wrestlers come back after winter break different. Kolat is always more motivated because he realizes there are only 2 months left. Just because you're not a starter doesn't mean you can take your foot off the gas. At any time the starter could go down and you need to be ready. In order to script the critical moves as a Coach, you need to lay out what they need to be doing and hold them accountable.
Don't Over Coach
Yelling in the corner and giving an athlete too much direction can be detrimental. The more concise you can be with direction and calm the situation the better response you'll get. To be able to reassure your athlete with ultimate confidence can be really beneficial. Breathing down some's neck is not helpful in any other aspects of life. So why would it be in wrestling?

#26: Exclusive Kyle Snyder Interview Pt. 1 Jan 17, 2019

Show notes

Elite Youth Wrestling Teams
On this edition of the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast, Ben Askren sits down with Kyle Snyder for a 2 part exclusive interview series. The conversation begins with Snyder telling his history with Cary Kolat. Around 5th grade Snyder started to see Team Kolat competing at the different tournaments he was attending in Maryland. Snyder admired the toughness and skill level of the kids on Team Kolat. He then began training there periodically throughout high school.
Hardship
Askren asks Snyder to talk about some hardships and adversity he's faced in his wrestling career. The first major hurdle Snyder faced was getting pinned in the NCAA Finals his freshman year. Before that, growing up, he would mostly wrestle older kids that were at his size and skill level. Wrestling older kids was not good for his win-loss record but it was good for developing his skills and mindset. Askren brings up J'Den Cox. While living in Columbia Missouri, Askren noticed how unique and good Cox was at a young age. Seeing Cox and Snyder going head to head in high school is what first got Askren's attention about how good Snyder is. These two are ultimate competitors which made the Snyder vs Cox matches throughout their high school careers extremely entertaining.
Making the Move
Snyder did something in high school that was not as common as it is today. He made the move to be able to train at the Olympic Training Center. Looking back, at the time it didn't set in how big of a decision it was for Snyder and his family. There weren't high enough level training partners for Snyder at his high school so the decision was easy. Especially with the level of coaching he would have access to from Coach Brandon Slay and Coach Bill Zadick.
Committing
The conversation shifts to how Snyder ended up at The Ohio State University and what he was thinking of making the leap from high school to college. Initially, the top school he was looking at was Virginia Tech. This stemmed from Virginia Tech being the first school to really reach out and begin a recruiting process with Snyder when he was junior in high school. He was invited down to participate in camps and got to know the coaching staff. Snyder had visited a handful of college programs and was ready to commit to Virginia and become a Hokie. His dad asked if he would visit one last school, Ohio State. What really set Ohio State out among its competition was the availability of the Ohio Reginal Training Center. During Snyder's visit to Columbus, he participated in an RTC clinic. He got to wrestle against elite older competition. Ohio State already had Bo Jordan and Nathan Tomasello coming in so Snyder knew the potential was there to win an NCAA team title.
The Early Committing Process
Speaking on the trend of earlier and earlier college recruiting. Snyder committed early his junior year of high school. Being a head coach wouldn't be Snyders dream job. The idea of recruiting and spending a big chunk of your day on the phone attempting to get the best athletes to join your program doesn't entice Snyder. He would rather be on the mat wrestling. Askren understands why coaches are forced to recruit kids at an early age but he doesn't like it.
Ohio State
Freshman year, Snyder roomed with Nathan Tomasello. They lived together for the next 3 years as well. Also during Snyder's freshman year, he got the opportunity to wrestle and drill with 2x NCAA Champion, Ohio State Alum, and Askren's co-host from the T-Row and Funky show, Tommy Rowlands. Askren's strategy when wrestling against college guys is to slowly ramp up the pace and gas out his opponent. Part 2 of the exclusive Kyle Snyder interview will be released next Tuesday. The pair will share more stories including Snyder's wrestling career post-college and the upcoming Yarygin tournament.

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