Wrestling Mindset

Gene Zannetti talks with Ridge High School Head Coach Roy Dragon about the widening gap in high school wrestling, doing more than the top kids to close the distance, and why being a great person comes before being a great wrestler. Timestamps: 3:49 - The evolution of New Jersey wrestling talent 5:54 - Doing more than the top kids to close the gap 7:17 - Social media's impact on young wrestlers 10:...

Gene Zannetti talks with Warren Hills Head Coach K.C. Wanamaker about the importance of training your mind as much as your body, succeeding at public schools without making excuses, and why it's less about where you go and more about what you do when you're there. Timestamps: 3:04 - Believe in yourself and train your mind 4:17 - Wishing he had mindset training as an athlete 8:18 - It's less about...

Gene Zannetti reconnects with longtime friend and teammate Matt Stanzione, Head Coach of Mountain Lakes High School Wrestling, to talk about the highs and lows of coaching, the evolution of youth sports, and the lessons wrestling teaches far beyond the mat. From childhood memories and rivalry stories to navigating setbacks as a coach, this episode dives into why persistence, relationships, and res...

Gene Zannetti talks with Parsippany Hills Head Coach Chris Wells about overcoming adversity in wrestling, how social media affects young athletes, and why building great human beings matters more than just winning matches. Timestamps: 4:03 - The importance of mindset in competition 8:16 - College struggles and rock bottom moments 10:20 - Parents' unconditional support changing everything 12:06 - L...

Gene Zannetti talks with Coach John Azevado about the vocation of being a coach, the importance of pressure on wrestlers and their opponents, and why we change our mentality when wrestling a bigger name than us. Timestamps: 6:45 - Showing freestyle to Kalika 10:43 - Coaching from multiple perspectives 13:03 - The vocation of being a coach 15:34 - Wrestling culture on the East vs the West coast 17:...

Gene Zannetti talks with Donnie DeFillipis about wrestling parents and how easily they lift up or bring down their kids without even knowing it. They discuss the messages parents send, how coaching the parents can help, and why it's so important to show their kids that they are learning with them too. Timestamps: 1:15 - Parents are there to help 10:05 - What messages are you sending your kids 12:3...

Gene Zannetti talks with World Champion Avtandil Kentchadze about his pressure-forward mindset, the training differences between the US and Russia, and the impact Coach Valentin has had on him. Timestamps: 1:42 - Coach Valentin's impact 4:58 - Pressure forward 6:24 - Wrestling beginnings 8:32 - Developing mindset 11:50 - Everyone's system is different 15:31 - American vs European style 17:40 - Tra...

Gene Zannetti talks with University of Pennsylvania Head Coach Matt Valenti about David Pottruck's $20 million donation to Penn, how this will impact facilities and training, and what the plans are for the team going forward. Timestamps: 1:42 - Stake in the ground moment 5:20 - Allocating funds 9:00 - Impacting training centers 14:20 - The best wrestlers don't need the best facilities 15:34 - Wher...

Gene Zannetti talks with US Olympic Coach Valentin Kalika about how it's harder to shift from Freestyle to Greco, why a Greco wrestler needs to have an engineer's mind, and why Judo is technically not wrestling. Timestamps: 2:02 - Greco to Freestyle is an easier shift 12:03 - A Greco mind needs to be like an engineer 21:43 - Positions and angles 25:29 - Tips for applying pressure 34:00 - Mechanica...

Gene Zannetti talks with Yianni Diakomihalis about losing and how it indicates the need to revisit and recorrect some minor issues. They talk about going up a weight class, the pros and cons of over- and underplanning, and touch on the topic of cutting weight and that it's not always the answer to a wrestler's problems Timestamps: 2:23 - Teaching at wrestling camps 5:48 - Get in there and feel it...

Gene Zannetti reads the homily Pope Leo gave on the Jubilee of Sports. In his message, the Pope emphasizes the importance of perspective in sports and life. Through perspective, we gain spiritual strength to battle not just on the mat but through the difficulties of life, so that we consistently persevere to become better people. 🎯 This episode is sponsored by: 🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.com...

Gene Zannetti gives his detailed Final X recap, going through all the weight classes and breaking down the wrestlers, matches, and surprises as Team USA starts to take shape. Timestamps: 0:18 - Going through the weight classes 5:42 - Competing when hurt 8:36 - How age impacts performance 16:30 - Yianni will be back 24:21 - Feeling strong 32:37 - Real Woods making World Team 🎯 This episode is spon...

Gene Zannetti talks with Josh Barr about his approach to life, how getting beat up on the mat will teach you more, which mindset to bring to which tournament, and the importance of staying relaxed. Timestamps: 1:22 - Approaching life 4:23 - Four themes of Penn State wrestling 8:02 - It's good to get beat up 9:29 - Mentality depending on the event 13:47 - Staying fun and relaxed 18:37 - Rapid quest...

Gene Zannetti talks with Keegan O'Toole about wrestling through the season with an injury and his transition from wrestler to coach. They touch on wrestling paradoxes and how the one constant is glorifying God throughout his life. Timestamps: 1:20 - Wrestling with an injury 4:36 - Being a husband first 9:19 - The paradoxes of the sport 11:15 - God as a constant 16:17 - The definition of success 25...

Gene Zannetti talks with Pete Reilly about balancing wrestling with other sports, how coaches are raising people, not just wrestlers, ensuring that they have a real childhood, and preparing them eventually for life when their wrestling careers is over. Timestamps: 5:40 - Coaching different age groups 8:26 - Balanced approach with other sports 17:10 - Childhood should be an amazing time 24:10 - Lif...

Gene Zannetti talks with U17 Freestyle World Team Trials Champion Keegan Bassett about his recent victory, the perks of growing up in a wrestling family, what motivates him more than anything, and how he'll use it, along with mindset training, to tackle the rest of the freestyle season. Timestamps: 1:10 - Recapping WTT 4:10 - Wrestling your partner 8:28 - Being part of a wrestling family 9:09 - Mo...

Gene Zannetti talks with Coach Michael Blanchard about his newly released book, The Path We Take. They discuss how it's part Michael's origin story, part mindset guide, and how important it is the help kids find their own way in wrestling and life. Timestamps: 1:00 - Extended wrestling camps 6:04 - Looking at the bigger picture 7:01 - The Path We Take book 12:50 - Who the book is for 17:05 - Letti...

USA Olympic Coach Valentin Kalika and Gene Zannetti talk about the differences in wrestling around the world. From the money to be made, to switching between coaches, and how intensity and quality need to go hand in hand for a wrestler to truly succeed. Timestamps: 3:56 - Champions are a family 5:53 - The money in wrestling 9:02 - The downside of jumping coaches 11:32 - Wrestling around the world...

Kyle Dake and Greg Accetta talk with Gene Zannetti about their newly released documentary. They talk about how it started, how being filmed can affect your behavior, and how a business partnership became a lasting friendship. Timestamps: 2:55 - How the documentary started 21:38 - Injuries that would break other wrestlers 33:40 - Greg and Kyle meet for the first time 49:27 - Creating a friendship 5...

Dean Hamiti talks with Gene Zannetti about the NCAAs and what's next for him at Oklahoma State. He talks about the coaches there, his mindset going into every match, and what his path to the Olympics will look like. Timestamps: 0:36 - After the NCAAs 2:24 - How to put on a show 4:14 - Wrestling David Taylor 7:05 - Oklahoma State Coaches 10:50 - Upcoming plans 13:11 - Looking to...

Bo Bassett and Gene Zannetti recap this year's surprising NCAA outcome. They also touch on what Gable has done for wrestling overall, how to consistently keep beating the same opponents, and why having faith and family is better than going at it alone. Timestamps: 1:15 - Gable is an icon 7:10 - Carter Starocci's mindset 10:30 - Bassett Brothers on stage 16:43 - Beating the same guys over and over...

Gene and Jeff Zannetti talk about this year's unexpected NCAA results, discussing the least aggressive finals in a while, some unexpected political appearances, and what they hope for the future of the tournament. Timestamps: 0:38- Wyatt Hendrickson, Gable and Trump 7:51 - Gavin Drexler lowest seeded All-American 11:28 - AJ Ferrari reformed 17:10 - Carter Starocci wins unprecedented #5 1...

Bo Bassett's parents talk about his recruitment process before finally landing on Iowa, what they loved about that college compared to the rest, and when recruiters are saying what the wrestler wants to hear, how parents can cut through that to see what's really on the table. Timestamps: 1:13 - Bo's recruitment process 4:21 - The criteria that Iowa met 9:36 - Cutting through the ''recruiter talk''...

Bo Bassett talks about his choice to join the Iowa State Hawkeyes, what it's like to work with wrestling greats like the Brands Brothers and Alex Marinelli, and how you can be aggressive for points and still smile and have fun. Timestamps: 0:39 - Bo joins the Hawkeyes 2:02 - Why Iowa 4:57 - The Brands Brothers coaching style 7:30 - Working with Coach Alex Marinelli 11:29 - Upcoming tournament...

All-American and Wrestling Mindset Partner Shayne Van Ness talks about how useful smiling can be when dealing with pressure, that sometimes losing a match is exactly what a wrestler needs to grow even more, and most importantly, what's it gonna take to win a title this year. Timestamps: 1:53 - Forget the pressure and smile 2:46 - Parents at matches might help with pressure 4:14 - Sometimes losing...