Wrestling Mindset

Six minutes can feel like a full day when it is just you, an opponent, and a referee on the mat. We bring on high school wrestler Jayden Wanalista, a rising name in a sport that deserves more attention, to talk about what wrestling really demands: commitment, composure, and the ability to perform while your brain is trying to talk you out of it. Along the way, we also get the story behind his signature mullet and how a small detail can become part of an athlete’s confidence and routine.

Jayden walks us through his journey back into wrestling after time as a multi sport kid, then breaks down the work behind his recent section podium finish. We dig into wrestling training habits that actually move the needle: sleep, nutrition, heavy compound lifting, mobility work like yoga, and the kind of gymnastics style practice that builds strength in uncomfortable positions. He also explains what it feels like right before a match, why he tries not to “think” during live action, and how a trusted coach can keep you steady when nerves spike.

We go deeper on weight cutting and weight management, including the mental side of the scale, water weight, and why this part of combat sports can get emotional fast. Jayden also calls out a big mental health issue in youth wrestling: parent pressure that crosses the line from support into stress, plus the importance of athletes advocating for what helps them compete. To round it out, we cover folkstyle vs freestyle vs Greco-Roman wrestling, what ref interaction looks like in the offseason, why technique can beat strength, and how to avoid building your whole identity around one sport.

If you care about wrestling, sports psychology, student athlete life, or building real confidence under pressure, this one is for you. Subscribe to Plan B, share this with a wrestler or parent, and leave a review with the mindset tip you’re taking into your next competition.

The only podcast that is all about Athletes Supporting Athletes!

Transcript

Welcome And Jaden’s Start

Coach B 0:00

Welcome back to the Plan B podcast. And today I'm super excited that I have another combat athlete on season three. So for those of you who are not caught up, go back to our first episode of season three and you'll see Adriana, who was a jiu-jitsu athlete. Well, this time we're we're changing sports a little bit, and we have Jayden Wanalista with us today. And he is joining us to talk about wrestling. And if you paid attention to the first episode of season three, you would have noticed that Adriana said that wrestling was the fastest growing sport in the US. So we have a rising star of the wrestling world here with us today. So Jayden, hey, welcome to the Plan B podcast. It's so great to have you here.

Jayden 0:41

Thank you for having me on. Great. It's great to be here. I'm glad to talk about this and everything.

Coach B 0:45

Well, it's a great sport, and you know, it doesn't get the coverage that it deserves. But for listeners who are meeting you for the first time, can you take us back to the very beginning of what actually drew you to the wrestling mat and why did you decide to stay with this sport over everything else?

Jayden 1:00

Yeah, exactly. I mean, I was always been a very multi-sport athlete my whole life, from the age of five all the way until now. And it started, I was playing every sport possible. And my dad put me into wrestling, my mom put me into wrestling because my whole family is a martial artist. And basically just kept playing it, kept kept doing it, kept doing all the sports, and then decided to take a break when I was about to become a teenager. And then as I started approaching high school and in like late middle

Why He Chose Wrestling

Jayden 1:28

school, I started to realize that like how much this sport can actually like do for me. And hearing about all the pride and greatness that comes from it. So I decided to hop back in, join local high school practices, and then just kept going.

Coach B 1:40

Oh, that's unreal. Well, you know, as someone who, you know, did a completely different sport, did an endurance sport. I started paying more attention to wrestling. And I guess this is, you know, I don't want to say pretty pathetic, but after I watched the movie on a plane, I watched the Anthony Robles story, Unstoppable. Have you seen that movie?

Jayden 1:58

Yeah, uh, we had like a little uh theme like bonding moment, I guess, last year where we all watched it, sat down, took a day off, and just sat and watched that movie. It was pretty, it was definitely what they crafted all the the right parts of it.

Coach B 2:10

Yeah, it's a pretty amazing movie, and it really gave me an appreciation for a couple of things about wrestling. It's super explosive sport, it's fast twitch, it's the the training involved, you know, is is pretty full on. And and that movie in particular, the true story on Anthony Robles, who actually only has one leg. But, you know, due to the nature of the sport and the holds, which Dayton's gonna educate us on not today, he was able to, I think he went on to be an NCAA champion, didn't he?

Jayden 2:36

Yeah, he had some very big um accomplishments from that. Actually, I'm going to uh I think a five-day camp this summer at Fullerton, where he's gonna be one of the clinicians. So I'll be able to learn some stuff from him too. So that's pretty cool.

Coach B 2:48

Yeah. Okay. Well, and I'll tell you what else is cool, is how I found Jaden. So obviously, when I'm on Instagram or I'm on social, I'm always trying to follow athletes. Okay, I'm looking for athletes and you know, see who's up and coming. And then how I came across Jaden is actually I spotted his mullet first. Now, I know with our podcast, we we got rid of our video just because, you know, all our guests are different ages and we don't, you know, want to put them under the microscope. But Jayden has this awesome mullet. And as I'm looking at him today while we're doing this interview, now is this a signature hairstyle for you, Jaden? Is this something that, you know, you you've had for a while? Give me the history on the hair before we really get into your sporting background.

Jayden 3:25

Yeah, I mean, I didn't I didn't have it for a long time. I got it my eighth grade year, started, started building that in. And then I ended up completely getting rid of

Mullet Story And Breakout Season

Jayden 3:34

it after middle school, after I started wrestling again, because I thought I wanted to get into like the the you know, kind of hardcore buzz cut, you know, just like wrestler. But then as I started getting into high school, I just started growing it out, growing it out. I I've been wanting to get rid of it, but it's just like I feel like it's just been always been there. And I feel like it's a little good luck charm to me too.

Coach B 3:51

Well, it's uh if it's a good luck charm, hey, stick with it. And I think it's a really cool look. And guys, if you want to follow Jaden, you will find his Instagram handle at the end of on our Plan B podcast page on Instagram. You can find him and you can check it out for yourself. I think it's cool. It reminds me a little bit of Cameron Smith, the Australian golfer, which is why I kind of have, you know, mullets everywhere in Australia. So when I saw it, I was like, hey, who is this? So it's a great signature look. So you've had some great results lately in your last season that has just passed, and you got all the way to third in North Coast section. Can you take us through a little bit of your journey to get that result?

Jayden 4:27

Yeah, I mean, just starting back to my freshman year, that's like the big, the big thing. It's always, you know, how are you gonna do it? Sections, are you gonna win? Are you gonna place? Are you gonna go own two, get kicked out the first day? And I just started thinking to myself, like, I want to place at that. And so I freshman year didn't place, was a day away or a match away from making it to day one or two. And sophomore year was able to place eighth, which I think I undermined myself a bit. I think I did I lowered my expectations. But junior, I decided I was like, I gotta, I gotta do, I gotta make it, I gotta get top two, make it a state. And all season long, just that mindset, coaches, you know, little phrases that push that, just hard practices, diet, and everything. And yeah, it came up a bit short, you know, not getting first or second. But third, I mean, that's I would never imagine that happening, even like as a freshman. So I'm I'm trying to be respectable upon like that's what I earned that in a way.

Coach B 5:23

It's an incredible result. And you know, uh Jayden got third, and they take two onto state. And so, hey, from that performance, even though there was like you were so close, and we always have that kind of feeling as athletes when we're when we just missed, you know, the the area that could move us on. Did it give you more motivation when you returned to the mat? And and did you like how did you break down? Was it like that was the best I could do this season, or did you reflect on your performance and go, hey, there's a lot of things that I could have done better or tweaked?

Jayden 5:50

Yeah. I mean, just the mindset part of that was I knew that it was either gonna be it was gonna be top three. I was seeded third to go into the tournament. And the person I ended up losing to in the semifinals who got second, was he was in our league, and I ended up losing to him at our league championships. And he's a he's a past teammate and everything. And I knew our match was gonna come down to one of us making it to the finals. So I I knew it was gonna be a tough match, and I just prepared all season long, talked to my coach. I knew that that match is gonna be a decider, you know, because uh it's decided who goes or who who doesn't, you know. So I ended up not performing too well and ended up losing. But in the moment I realized I thought I like during my whole life right there, I thought everything was over. But then after like I kind of stepped back and went to practice the next week, I was like, it's it's just wrestling, you know. I mean, I gave it all I could. I put months into it, put years into it. So even even right now, I'm still kind of processing it, but you just gotta move on to the next tournament, next practice, you know, just looking forward.

Coach B 6:51

Oh, 100%. And hey, guys, for all the athletes listening, often when we get the result that we really want to get, or we're so close to it, and then we have that moment afterwards where we're, you know, we need to decompress. So always give yourself that. Maybe it's 24, maybe it's 36 hours. And for the supporters of, you know, Jayden and all the other athletes that compete at this level, give them space, okay? Because there's so much that goes into it. And along those lines, Jayden, I want to understand what your daily routine looks like leading up to that event. And like, is there, I mean, I know it's explosive. I know you've got to be fast Twitch, I know that, you know, this it seems to happen really quickly, but do you have to also do a lot of aerobic conditioning?

Jayden 7:31

Yeah, I mean, honestly, just when it comes to training, I try to just fit in as much as I can all the time. You know, it's just even the little things, you know, it's not just practicing every day. It's not just showing up, going there, but it's also getting a good night's sleep. You know, that's that's a big thing to me. I try to work into that as much as I can. When it comes to working out, I just try to do as much as I can how I feel. Definitely work off of how my body's feeling that day.

Sleep Food Lifting And Yoga

Jayden 7:55

And most importantly, is like just nutrition to me. I'm a big, big food guy. So, you know, is whatever I fuel my body with, that's what that's how I expect to perform.

Coach B 8:04

Are you guys for a wrestler is kind of similar to jujitsu, where they they're lifting weights a lot and then so they're either weights in the morning on the mat in the afternoon or weights one day, mat the next day. How do you mix it up?

Jayden 8:15

Yeah, I mean, we have a weightlifting coach over at my school. I've been going to him since my freshman year, and we do three days a week heavy lifting, compound lifts, you know, cleans, back squatch, bench, and then little, little ice, like ice filling the muscles in a way. But other than that, it's a lot of stretching too. I try to go to yoga as much as I can. But hey, that's cool to hear.

Coach B 8:35

I'm male athlete going to yoga. I love hearing that. Okay, that's awesome.

Jayden 8:39

So yeah, it's you know, just I try to work that in. So three days a week, heavy lifting, two to another two, three, four days a week, just practicing. A lot of uh gymnastics is done in our practices because it's not just about that flexibility, but it's being able to be strong in those flexible positions, you know what I mean? So yeah.

Coach B 8:55

Yeah, some of those guys, if you want to check out Jayden in action, when you go on the plan B Instagram page, I'm gonna put his photos down. Now I've been kind of studying and I everything looks all twisted and and scary, to be honest. So, you know, like Adriana, I'm gonna make sure I don't upset Jaden today in case, you know, I see him in the supermarket and you know, then he pulls a move on me. So although maybe I could run faster than you, I'm not sure. I'm like, so these are all the little things about athletes that I could run for days, but I've got absolutely zero fast twitch. So you've got a a weightlifting coach, and undoubtedly you've got a wrestling coach, and you know, your whole family is involved in martial arts, which is it's super cool. Uh can you tell me who has been so far in your very young journey of even though you've been, you know, doing multi-sports for the last you know 10, 11 years, who has been the most important voice in your corner that has really been someone that you turn to?

Jayden 9:48

Yeah. I mean, obviously, like the obvious answer would be, you know, my mom, my nana. They're definitely always there, they're always supporting, but they're definitely supporting from home and supporting throughout the journey. But definitely on the mat, like the support would definitely be my coach, uh Jared Newton. He he was there my freshman year, and since like the first like week of practices, we just bonded really well. And he was my coach last year too. And he sacrificed his lot to be there. And he understands like it takes a it takes a village, and he he puts as much time into it as he can. And no matter where I was at, you know, whatever tournament or however I felt, I knew I could like look back at him and be like, he could settle me down in a way.

Coach B 10:27

Yeah. Hey, Jared, if you're listening to this, thank you. Thank you, man, for just contributing to high school sport. It's it's often takes up a lot of time as someone who coached high school sports for eight years and then you know only just stepped away this year. Those high school coaches are so important and they do dedicate a lot of time. And I tell you, it's worth it because look at the results we have potentially with Jaden, you know, someone who is on his way to really making a mark in this sport. So even though it's it's not a team sport, it's you know, it's been described as uniquely isolating because you know you step into the circle and there's no teammate and there's no coach, it's just you and your opponent. Are there aspects of wrestling that really does bring the team together?

Jayden 11:08

Yeah, I mean, I it's it's definitely a big, a big ass, you know, to step out there one-on-one against someone, you know, especially not just because, you know, you're across the court or you're across, you know, a field, but you're you're right in front of each other, you know, you're shaking hands at the beginning of the match. So, but in aspect, like the team is just you're always gonna hear them on the sideline. You know, that's what I've noticed. You know, you're you may feel like you're out there alone and there's just you in the circle and the ref and your opponent, but you always hear some sort of yelling going on from the side, or even just that practice, you know, you're always there's always some motivation happening. Everyone's always there to support each other.

Coach B 11:41

I love that. So I almost like getting goosebumps when you were talking about stepping onto the mat, okay, and your team's watching you, and then undoubtedly going, yeah, Jada, Jada, couple of go, and then mom and nana are in the stand. Okay, and everyone's getting hyped. But for you, you have six minutes to nail it and to do what you need to do and put all your training. That's not a lot of time. Tell what goes through your mind right before the start. What are you thinking?

Jayden 12:05

Yeah, I mean, it's like it's hard to explain. It's it's not easy to describe, but it's kind of just you don't really think, you know, it's it's it sounds weird, but when I go out there, I the only person I look to is my coach. You know, when I'm there wrestling, it's kind of just like it's all just muscle memory. You know, it feels like it just happens,

Coach Trust Team Noise Match Nerves

Jayden 12:24

you know, it's everything happens so quick and it's like I'm not thinking during that time. But every like little break or every you know split second that I'm able to look back at my coach and you know look for some advice, that's where I get like all that thinking from. I try, I try not to tell my teammates also, I'm like, you shouldn't be doing any any thinking in your match. You know, it should just be your coach helping you guide you through that way.

Coach B 12:43

I you know what, Jayden, I love that you said that because I 100% echo that and support that because of all the athletes that I work with in sports psychology, I tell them, guys, everything that we do together, all the work that we do to get you focused, to keep you motivated, to get rid of your nerves, to improve your spatial awareness. That happens during practice. Okay. That happens during the week. And then you get to competition day for Jayden, you get to be on the mat. That is your moment to just enjoy it, to just go, hey, I've done all the work. So when you're standing there and you are you looking at their eyes? Are you looking at their what are you looking at? Like when you're looking at your opponent, like, are you at one of them like, what are they huge with muscles? Like, does that freak you out? Or do you just are you just like, hey, I got this, I'm just, I'm in it. Like I'm trying to, I'm actually trying to morph into Jaden right now, complete with the mullet, because I would love, I'm never gonna be a wrestler, guys. But I would have loved to have tried it. So is there, is there any moment like that, or are you just totally in the zone?

Jayden 13:37

Definitely not. I'm definitely not in the zone. Not on the case.

Coach B 13:41

I have to work together then. All right, yeah.

Jayden 13:43

But man, it's you know, you're always looking, you're always looking at height, muscles, shoes, you know, hair. And it's just like you just you just think about everything, and it's just like, you know, what if, what if? But that's when like you just gotta step back and be like, are they saying the same thing about me? You know what I mean? So just but I think I like getting a little nervous before the matches because it then it pays off in the end, you know, when you win because you're like, okay, it wasn't that bad.

Coach B 14:06

Yeah, it no, it's it's never that bad. And you know, I was just talking with an athlete yesterday and I was actually encouraging him. I was like, hey, dude, you know it's gonna be dis, you know, you're heading into discomfort. I want you to lean into it. I want you to embrace it. This is what we train for. And I want you to take that. I don't like to use the word pain because you know, people get freaked out by pain. So use that discomfort and go, okay, bring it on. How much can I take? How much can, you know, can I can I really bring on? Okay, so thankfully I'm so glad I never had to have like be weighed in. You guys have weight expectations, and I guess that that helps separate you from different opponents so you don't like can get completely squashed by someone who's double the weight, which would be even scarier for me. How do you manage that, Jayden? Is that do you really have to be very strict with your diet? And can you share with our athletes listening what does Jaden's diet look like to keep you in that bracket?

Jayden 14:58

When it comes to weight, I mean those ways the that people are able to lose it healthily or like in a healthy manner, like pretty easily. It never came too hard for me, but I know it does for other people. That's like it it becomes really emotional for them because you know, you you work so hard

Weight Cuts Water And Nutrition

Jayden 15:13

and you step on the scale, you know, and it's like five pounds over. What am I supposed to do? You know?

Coach B 15:18

What do you do, Jaden?

Jayden 15:19

That's the thing. Yeah, it's just you just gotta put, you know, sweats, hoodie back on, beanie back on, and you just gotta keep running. You know, that's what I always do. I just go to the treadmill, just keep running until you know you feel you feel sweaty enough to feel confident to step back on there.

Coach B 15:33

Wow, that that's crazy. Do you ever go the reverse, Jaden? Do you ever go, okay, I'm five pounds over and it's another five pounds to the and I'm I'm not being facetious in this question. I'm actually like this a real question. Do you ever think I'm just gonna go and go to Maccas and chunk up and to get me into the next bracket?

Jayden 15:49

I mean, it's at that time, it's it's not the you know, the the food that really gets you, it's the water, you know, because that's where it really starts to become a problem. And you know, sometimes you'll you'll play into it a bit and you'll you'll take a little sip and then suddenly you're you're even more over, you know. So it's a big thing. But there's not there's not a lot of doubt because I know that even though right now I'm struggling, it'll all pay off. You know, I know that I'm not doing this for no reason. I know that hopefully it'll it'll you know come right back around and even out in a way.

Coach B 16:20

Well, we're gonna talk a little bit in a second about Jaden's trajectory and where he wants to go. And I have no doubt, you know, with his like cool signature look, he is gonna be on the radar. And the whole reason I wanted him on this show because I want to give Jaden that platform and all the other athletes an opportunity to be seen. Now, there's been some things in wrestling that haven't always like I've heard, you know, some of the mental health in combat sports, you know, can be quite challenging. Is there any particular topic that that has been in wrestling in regards to mental health that either people do talk about or they don't talk about?

Jayden 16:52

Yeah, definitely a big one is the support aspect and the oversupport from parents, coaches. I mean, even at tournaments, yeah, I just went to Freestyle State like uh last weekend, and it was there's schoolboys, which is like middle schoolers, grade school kids, you know, some of them probably learned to walk five years ago. And they're still and they're out there wrestling, and the the pressure, the yelling of the person

Mental Health Pressure From Parents

Jayden 17:18

that like their parent, you know, that's definitely like a big aspect that's like that's not a problem, but I think it's definitely overlooked and it's considered like a normal, normal thing to do, which I don't I don't agree with in any way.

Coach B 17:31

Well, your whole family has come from martial arts, and has that changed the way because you know, mom, dad, and and whoever, you know, other family members have been part of it. And has that changed the way? And obviously Nana's there and she's had her daughter who has been involved in martial arts, so she's got the drill. What did what do your parents do to ensure that they're contributing to the best performance for you?

Jayden 17:55

I mean, when I was younger, my mom was very, very into it. She'd be over yelling the coaches and everything. It wasn't bad, but she was just very enthusiastic. But as I got older, I kind of we started to kind of even out. And I used to tell her, I was like, that's not best for me out there, you know. So from the sidelines, she still yells. She doesn't listen to me, but she still yells. But it's just that support. And it's knowing when to when to give that support and when not to, and when to ease back on it, even, you know, because sometimes you need to be out there alone. You know, I know it's all about teammates and all looking at the coaches, like I just said, but sometimes you gotta really embrace it and be like, it's on me right now.

Coach B 18:33

Wow. Okay, hey, there's there's some huge takeaways that athletes if if you're paying attention, and I hope you are, because Jaden is really very insightful. And to be honest, Jaden really mature. Well, whenever I talk to what I classify as elite athletes, elite athletes are athletes who have been playing the doing their sport for over 10 years. But guys, you pay attention to the fact that Jaden said athletes need to advocate what they need for their performance to improve. And so what Jaden's talking about is that he got to the point where he had the maturity to be able to say to mom and dad, hey, mom, just you know, take a chill pill and let me do my my um drill on the mat. But then also there might be other times where he's going up against some mega beast and he needs mom to turn it up. So it's like having that advocacy and having the courage to be able to say to mom and dad or even coaches, supporters, say, guys, this is what I need. And when you let people know that, what you're doing is you're allowing them to be part of your performance, okay, because you're telling them this is what I need to perform. So it's not, it's not going to be taken badly by the people when you when you say that. Yeah, I'm learning a lot from you as well. So there was also one other thing with wrestling, which seemed to have got a bad name in college and that it sometimes had been in the past associated with hazing. Has that culture dissipated? Or is is that still stories that you hear? Because I know college is somewhere that you're heading for.

Jayden 19:49

Yeah, I I've currently I've met, I've talked with a lot of like college guys and everything. I've just been trying to get an aspect of what it's like to be a college wrestler, because there's a lot of people that you know they they love it in high school, and then college comes around and the first year is just like this isn't this isn't like high school in any way. I I've known that it's a lot of support in some aspects, but also you're 19, 20 years old, you know, so your coaches aren't exact uh aren't like there for you in some aspects. But I know I think it just depends honestly where you're at. And I think that's all over the country, you know. It's just it's such a big variety of structures and how people treat each other as a team.

Coach B 20:32

With such a young athlete, you know, and when I talk about young athlete guys, I'm I'm you know, our shelf life life as athletes were was for me, was 34. I had to retire, I was just too old, I was getting slow, it was embarrassing. But so and Jaden's like, you know, in the middle of that right now. It sounds as though you are starting to do your research on colleges and and perhaps where you'd like to go. And do you have any goals at this stage? Like, are you dead set on D1 or will you just go D1, D2, D3, whatever offer comes your way?

Jayden 20:58

Yeah. I mean, when it comes to the like the whole division aspect of it, it's definitely very intimidating because it's such a difference from D1 and D2 and NAIA and all the the different things.

Coach B 21:10

What are the differences, Jaden?

Jayden 21:12

I think I honestly, to me personally, I don't believe there's any difference. Obviously, skill, skill-wise is a big one. But I mean, I know some guys that are D2 that can whoop up on some D1 guys, you know. I but and also school is a big aspect, grades a big aspect. So for me personally, I mean

College Path And School Balance

Jayden 21:28

D1 is definitely the you know, the the big goal there. But D2 is, I'm not gonna be not satisfied with it, but it's definitely, I mean, it's whatever helps. You know, I'm just I'm just here to wrestle, honestly. You know, I just love the sport.

Coach B 21:42

Yeah, okay, I love that. So Adriana, who was our jiu-jitsu athlete, who kicked off season three, she nailed her college. And uh, you know, it hey, I'm not a person to talk about how long it took me to do college. It took me 12 years. Okay, so I'm not saying her benchmark. She cowered through college in two and a half years. That's Adriana, who is uh episode one. Jaden, how do you manage being a high school elite athlete and, you know, managing wrestling, keeping a balance? How do you do that? How do you get all your homework done and still say, stay super focused? You're doing traveling for wrestling, you've got your training, you've got your competition. What are some of the things that you can share with younger wrestlers who want ahead and get the results that you're already getting?

Jayden 22:21

It's definitely very, very packed. You know, the schedule is very packed because, you know, practices are two hours long, you know, and lifting, like I said, you know, getting as much work in as you can. Also getting a lot of schoolwork in in a way too. Honestly, at night is where I strive. I'm not a morning person at all. So, you know, doing the homework, studying it in the morning is not my thing. So late nights are definitely, definitely what I lean into into that, which I don't do not like, but you know, something's got to get done. And I'm I'm always a my family's always been a homework, you know, school first type of household. So it's always school, sports, anything else. So it's always, always school first and then wrestling, of course.

Coach B 23:02

Well, if you, I mean, as you've kind of progressed with your career, if you could look back on your freshman year and if, you know, there was something that you learned, what would have you told the version, your freshman version of yourself, like now that you're kind of had your best result, you got third in your section, nearly moved on to state. That's coming, guys. Okay, Jaden's future's huge. What are some of the things that you now look back on as an athlete and go, like, I've I had to tweak that, or I'm, you know, I've got to bring more juice when I come to the mat? Like, what are some of the things that your wrestling so far has taught you?

Jayden 23:36

Just trust the process is a big one. You can't always expect the results to happen right then and there. You know, sometimes they might happen a week from then, it might happen three years from now, you know. So just keeping a constant pace is how you're gonna see the best result. And I think I would definitely have told that to my younger self because you know, I was expecting high results, you know, the first that first freshman year. But, you know, over time they started adding up and then it was like, okay, it takes time. That's a big one. It definitely takes time.

Coach B 24:03

Wow, great advice, guys, really inspirational advice. You know, Jaden Jaden is letting us know, you know, from his perspective that patience is a huge part of any development in sport and like not focusing on the results, focusing on the process. Just when you were talking, I was thinking, hey, well, I know that you're there with your opponent and it's it would be kind of scary. Like, I don't know. I think I might like eyeball them out or try to do some kind of like, I've got a pretty good mean face. I'd do like a mean face to them. But you've also got a ref. So are there times, Jaden, that you're wrestling and then does the rep interject or like where do they fit? Is there any time what happens when you disagree with something that the rep it it obviously you can't kind of stop and have a conversation because you've only got six minutes? Does that ever come into play?

Jayden 24:43

Yeah, definitely for like not high school wrestling, freestyle and greco wrestling, it's a whole different type of environment as a ref. High school, the refs are definitely more, they don't really interact as much. They do their, you know, they give the points, they do this and that. But when it comes into off-season wrestling for freestyle and greco, there's so much more interaction between the coaches, the opponent, the yourself, the ref. You know, you're able to challenge,

Styles Ref Calls And Technique

Jayden 25:10

you're able to review so much more. And definitely it's a they it gets it gets controversial at times, especially like I said, with those parents, you know, yelling from the sideline. But they they are very interactive, and especially when you're wrestling in freestyle and greco, they're like a their whole job is to they want they want to see you wrestle. So they'll be saying things long while you're wrestling and they'll be you know work center because they don't want you going out of bounds or action, you know, because they want more action from a certain opponent. And at a time, they can put someone on the shot clock for 30 seconds. And if you don't score within that time, you get the other opponent gets a gets a point. So they they're definitely more interactive when it comes to the offseason. But in high school, it's definitely a little more laid back. It's not a lot of not much, but at times it gets controversial.

Coach B 25:57

What are the distinct differences? I know you said freestyle, you said Greco. What are the distinct differences in those styles of rest of wrestling? And which one is your favorite?

Jayden 26:05

Yeah, there's three. So there's folk style, freestyle, and greco. Folk style is mainly seen in the USA. That's high school wrestling. You know, it's it's top-bottom neutral, which is just, you know, working, just getting someone to their back. But when it comes to freestyle and greco, it's all about exposure. So if you reach past like say 90 degrees of like back exposure, you can get easy two points off that. So, you know, if I roll someone four times, that's eight points right there. And this is the difference. Greco and freestyle are basically the same, except Greco, you are not allowed to touch the legs or use them in a way at all. And it's it's a big difference because I mean it's your legs, you know, yeah, and it's like, what am I supposed to do? But my my club coach and my current high school coach right now, he he was a big Greco guy in high school and still is, and he definitely like brought that passion on me because you know, it's it's different to be good at something that everyone wants to do, but when you're good at something that a very selective amount of people do, it's it's I I feel like that's more special, you know, because you're really singled out in a way. So Greco is definitely uh one of my favorites, you know, because it's big throws, big throws, big lifts, and it's just it's it's fun in my opinion.

Coach B 27:13

It it sounds really exciting, and it'll probably make me go and you know, find some wrestling movies to watch after this because I like I guys, I am obsessed with every sport, but I watching actually that unstoppable movie really made me I don't know, just appreciate the the speed of the sport, which you don't really think about with wrestling, but it the moves happen so quickly, like and that is a unique skill to be that explosive. Being an endurance athlete, I I I have like massive jealousy of Dayden right now because I have zero speed. And so, but I guess that speed and that power, would you say that they are the the main things that and strength would they be the top three things that make a good wrestler?

Jayden 27:50

Yeah, I think in the you know, in the grand aspect, it's definitely like those are the big ones. Speed, I could disagree on speed. I think technique is overpowering all those things because just watching like all the NCAA championships in March and February, or yeah, March and April, like they had two two national chants from Oklahoma State. And then later in the week they told they told the the guys they were interviewing to go, we don't weightlift. You know, they they they rarely weightlift, and they're two freshmen and they they are very, they're not they're very scrawny, but man, they're just they're whooping up. So it's definitely vague at times, but I think technique is where it really brings a big difference.

Coach B 28:31

You know, it's really fascinating you say that because Adriana said the same thing about jujitsu was that you know she would train with men and she would think that that was her best preparation, and then she would go in and and then compete against a woman who was her own size or a little bit smaller. But it was the tech technique that can sometimes throw you, not the strength. When someone has a better technique than you, they can overpower you pretty quickly.

Jayden 28:51

Yeah, it's it's very surprising. Like I said, you know, looking at opponents, you know, you can also like be intimidated by someone, but you can also be like, this guy's crawny, you know, I'm not, he's not, he doesn't stand a chance, you know. But then you go out there and next thing you know, you're on your back. And it's like, what just happened? So technique is definitely it's it's scary. It's a very scary thing because you never know how good someone is, like in that mindset.

Coach B 29:11

Is that is that pretty humbling to like go out there and go, hey, you know what? I got this. I I'm like got the guns, I'm cut, I'm muscly. And then you go up against someone who's like half your size, and then they just like flip you straight away. Is how do you recover from that? Do you just have to go, okay, I you know, I've got to keep my my head on, I've got to now really be smart and be more strategic.

Jayden 29:28

It's a big ego check, very big. It's very big. But that's when you just gotta look back and be like, okay, you know, I'm not, this isn't bodybuilding. You know, that's what that's what a lot of coaches like they've said, you know, it's like, yeah, you're here to get strong, but it's a different type of strength, you know. So that's why I've trying to been, I've also been trying to lean into more like fundamental strength in a way. So doing certain workouts that I would be doing inside a match, you know. I mean, obviously cleans and bench are like big compound ones, but you know, doing like explosive like type lunge movements are also another big thing. So yeah, it's it's very it gets it, it gets hard.

Coach B 30:04

Wow, you know, I love uh the I love the fact that Jaden said it's a massive big ego check. Uh, you know, getting old is also a massive big ego check. I used to have this enormous ego like off the charts. Like, I don't know what was wrong with me. Thankfully, as I've got older, that ego has well, my family will tell you it's still there, but no, it's if you saw it before, shocking. So luckily I don't do wrestling, I'd get checked straight away. So yeah, I'm gonna just stick to my swimming, running, and cycling and just yeah, live in fantasy land. Okay, but back to real life. Jaden, you look like you're smashing it. Like, you know, you're developing at a at a great rate. You've got a fantastic mindset. Talk tell me a little bit about Jaden off the wrestling mat. Like, what does that look like for you? Because, you know, one of the things that athletes struggle with a lot is having their whole identity wrapped up in their sport. And there's actually a term for it, guys. It's called identity foreclosure, which a lot of athletes struggle from because they just see their whole universe as being an athlete. How do you balance like social life and just being Jaden away from the mat that is just a really great person?

Jayden 31:05

It's definitely very hard because I struggled with that also when I was younger. I always felt like I, my freshman year, I was like wrestling or nothing. You know, I felt like I had to prioritize everything over it or just, you know, it's one like kind of tunnel vision in a way. But as I got older,

Life Beyond Wrestling Final Advice

Jayden 31:21

I realized like you gotta cut those parts of your life up into different sections, you know, whether it's like relationships, sports, family, home. So my room, I try to keep it as little as wrestling as possible, even though it's very hard, because it's like I I love the sports so much. But I try to definitely, when you're at home or when you're hanging out with someone, you know, you gotta you gotta realize, you know, you're away from that at that time for a reason. You're not there to get better at times, even though you always gotta take that step to, you know, separate yourself. But at times you gotta step back and be like, okay, you know, this is my time to relax. And that's comes with, you know, walking my dog or just, you know, going shopping with someone or doing whatever. You know, just those little times you gotta step back and be okay. Because, you know, I'm not I'm a I'm a living human, you know, I'm not just working towards wrestling.

Coach B 32:10

100%. And you know, I I even I love that tip that Jaden talked about, like having a space in your house that isn't sport. And I when as you were talking, Jayden, I was thinking about my room growing up when I was your age, and I think my my room was something. I think I had Arnold's watch nigger posters on the back of my door. I don't know what that was about. I was a huge like predator fan. So nothing to do with my sport, but I really love that tip about having a space where you can like almost like decompress.

Jayden 32:36

I mean, I definitely, I definitely understand. I love the movie predator, man. I that's a good movie. Definitely movies and music is where I I tend to separate those two, you know, move or bandposters on the walls, you know. That's that's where I separate, you know. So I 100% agree.

Coach B 32:51

Yeah. Well, I'm gonna find out a little bit more about your music tastes in a second because we are gonna do some rapid fire questions with Jaden, which is where I'm just gonna hammer him with question after question to you as we kind of move into the the finish of the podcast. Just, you know, what's next for you? I know that you've you've got yes you've got some big goals ahead, but sort of what are your kind of short-term intentional little goals that you have to keep yourself motivated? And, you know, it's still a little while before wrestling rolls around again. So what do you do in order to just, you know, keep the fun in practice, keep you still enjoying it? What are some other little things that you add to your kind of big picture vision?

Jayden 33:29

Yeah, definitely the consistency. The consistency is where it like it definitely pays off in a way. And also just keeping, like you said, having keeping fun in a way, you know, it's it's a sport, you know, it's not a it's not a job, you know. So I tend to have as much fun as I can at practices, you know. We we'll play like these little games every now and then, you know, just to feel the love for the sport.

Coach B 33:49

And even though it could one day be a career for Jayden, we're and we're we're not gonna get too far ahead of ourselves. But just also, I was thinking about WWF. Is that something, would you ever like to be like a full-on character and just like throw yourself in there, like, you know, I mean, God rest his soul, Hulk Hogan, who passed away. I loved him. And actually, he has a similar look to Jaden with the whole mullet and everything, although, you know, obviously a lot older. But is that ever something that, you know, in just like daydream land? Because I do encourage my athletes to dream big. Could WWF ever see Jaden Willista like spring from in a mask somewhere?

Jayden 34:22

It was definitely a big factor in my love for the sport when I was younger. I would watch that. Honestly, still watch every time we go to a hotel and you know, you're watching the cable and waiting to wrestle the next day. And WWE is always on. And so always watching that. And honestly, I don't think I could do any of that just because of I don't have that show aspect. You know, I'm too, I think I'm too like laid back in a way for that. I don't have that that big wow factor, I guess. But I it's definitely I've thought about it and I'm like, I don't know. That's a little scary for me.

Coach B 34:51

I don't know, Jaden. I think I'm just gonna put that on ice because you do have a big wow. I think you do have a big wow factor, and it's coming. Like as as we see athletes develop and athletes learn how to continue to progress in their sport, one of the things I often tell the athletes I'm working with is that your sport is a performance. And as you get older, you get better at curating that performance. So it's kind of like the Jaden that we see on the mat may not be the real Jaden in real life. So it's kind of like a mystery. Is would that be accurate for you right now? Or is the Jaden off the mat the same as a Jaden on the mat?

Jayden 35:22

I I don't like to analyze myself too much, you know. I think that that that gets confusing at times, but I would definitely I would say that I try to separate myself, you know, on the mat. I try to be as like focused as possible, you know, because that that's that's what I try to be. But I think like off the mat, I'm like a pretty outgoing, talkative person in a way. So, but I try I try to separate it, but I also try not to think about like who I am. I just try to go out with how I feel that day.

Coach B 35:50

Uh you know, I love that you are like limiting your thinking and just loving the sport and making the most out of the opportunities. I love that you're locked in with your coach because clearly your coach is doing um that, and that's Jared, he's doing a lot of great things because you are, you know, progressing, and I can't wait to see how you go next season. Okay. I'm gonna give you 20 rapid fire questions right now, Jaden, before we lead to your final advice for athletes listening, because I always love to close with my athletes giving advice. But I'm gonna just give you a choice in these questions, and you're just gonna choose one or the other. All right. Okay. All right, here we go. Okay, it's it's rapid. So singlet or no singlets.

Jayden 36:25

Singleton.

Coach B 36:25

Pre-match pump-up song. Favorite movie to hit? Worst weight cut you've ever done.

Jayden 36:35

Last weekend.

Coach B 36:36

Okay, folk style, freestyle, or greco.

Jayden 36:40

Greco.

Coach B 36:41

Kale Sanderson or Dan Gable?

Jayden 36:44

Sanderson.

Coach B 36:45

Last thing you eat before weigh-ins.

Jayden 36:48

Nothing.

Coach B 36:49

First thing you eat afterwards.

Jayden 36:52

Orange, yogurt.

Coach B 36:54

Practice partner who pushes you the hardest. And this can be in high school or it can be in club or or wherever else.

Jayden 37:02

I'm gonna go with Devon Rao, a coach, Patrick Ramirez, my coach, and then we'll say Jose Mendoza from Apaha High.

Coach B 37:08

Okay. Most painful injury so far.

Jayden 37:12

Definitely a back injury, you know, back batch training. That's not that fun.

Coach B 37:16

Pre-match ritual or superstition that you have to do.

Jayden 37:20

It's a lot. Uh uh. Okay. Lifting up the socks, fixing the anklet, shaking the rest hand, putting a certain foot, left foot on the on the tape before I go up.

Coach B 37:31

So you've got a whole routine, like that you just repeat. I love that. You know what, guys? Hey, athletes listening. That is one way to alleviate nerves is to actually have a routine because it keeps you focused and locked on and locked into something while you're feeling like the adrenaline of competition. Okay, tournament you'd kill to win. Not literally kill, but yeah.

Jayden 37:48

Yeah. US Open, the US Open.

Coach B 37:51

Wrestler, you'd love to train with for a day.

Jayden 37:55

Oh wow. That's a bizarre one. I'll go Vito oro.

Coach B 38:00

Okay. Also, Matt Bern or Black Eye?

Jayden 38:03

Black Eye.

Coach B 38:04

Worst worst advice you've ever gotten.

Jayden 38:10

Like let lose out there while I'm wrestling.

Coach B 38:12

Best advice you've ever gotten.

Jayden 38:14

Stop thinking.

Coach B 38:16

Dream college or programs that you would, you know, maybe one day love to be at.

Jayden 38:21

Oh Stanford.

Coach B 38:22

I mean they're Olympics or NCAA finals.

Jayden 38:27

Olympics.

Coach B 38:28

What do non-wrestlers not understand about the sport?

Jayden 38:32

It's fun sometimes. It's not fun, but it highs and lows, a lot of highs and lows.

Coach B 38:38

And what is like one misconception that you want to like remove that, you know, people might think happens in in wrestling, but it's totally false.

Jayden 38:46

That it's it's all big and strong at times, you know. It's you gotta be you gotta be really, really tough to do it. But sometimes, you know, you gotta there's you gotta you don't always have to be that way. You know, there's not a stereotype to it.

Coach B 38:58

And lastly, one word to describe wrestling.

Jayden 39:03

Hardship, definitely hardship. I mean it's pretty basic, but that's still brawl.

Coach B 39:07

No, it's a lot of things. Hardship. That's that's awesome. So Jaden, I have absolutely loved you being on the show today and learning more about wrestling. You're you've got such a wonderful disposition and mindset, you know, away from the sport. I would be super excited to see you in action. So if we wanted to like see your clips or your reels, where could we find you?

Jayden 39:26

Instagram is definitely where it's definitely at. That's where I try to post as much as I can. But also try to stay away from social media. But there's also a bunch of stuff online that I don't even know about sometimes. But Instagram is definitely where I'm I'm up there most.

Coach B 39:38

Yeah, I listen, I'm with you with social media. I I'm forever like each week going, oh, I think I'm gonna disconnect. But then it is, guys, athletes, if you can be disciplined, apply the same discipline to social media as you do for your training, just have a designated day or and I know people go, yeah, but the algorithm stuffs up. So it is kind of fighting against us, but Jaden Welista, we're gonna find him on Instagram. He's gonna be at the bottom of our page. And that's where we're gonna be able to find you and sponsors and whoever else wants to track you down. Finally, Jaden, what is some advice that you would love to give? It can be wrestlers, it can just be athletes listening. What is like something that you want to make sure other athletes know about either your sport or just kind of sport in general?

Jayden 40:18

Definitely be confident. That's a very big one. You know, you got to step onto the field, the mat, the court, feeling like you're the best one on there, you know, even though you're not always the best one, obviously. But if you go in there with confidence, you'll definitely perform the best you can. You know, that's all that's all it is in the end. You know, just being the best athlete you can be in that moment.