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 talent5:54 - Doing more than the top kids to close the gap7:17 - Social media's impact on young wrestlers10:34 - Watching and learning from elite wrestlers12:20 - The tight-knit wrestling community of the past16:06 - Public school mindset and representing your town20:06 - Creating great people first, wrestlers second21:45 - Wrestling is the toughest sport for parents too🎯 This episode is sponsored by:🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.comUse code MINDSET for 15% off your order💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.comUse code MINDSET25 for a special discountPlease LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/Wrestling Mindset Social MediaInstagram: / wrestlingmindsetFacebook: / wrestlingmindsetTwitter: / wrestlingmindse🎧 Listen to our podcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI

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 mind4:17 - Wishing he had mindset training as an athlete8:18 - It's less about where you go, more about what you do9:00 - Building a high-level public school program11:44 - Stop making excuses and comparing to others15:03 - Competing against local powerhouse programs17:16 - Where athletes train and club opportunities19:29 - Building youth wrestling 🎯 This episode is sponsored by:🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.comUse code MINDSET for 15% off your order💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.comUse code MINDSET25 for a special discountPlease LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/Wrestling Mindset Social MediaInstagram: / wrestlingmindsetFacebook: / wrestlingmindsetTwitter: / wrestlingmindse🎧 Listen to our podcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI

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 resilience matter most.Timestamps:3:40 – Growing up teammates: football, baseball, wrestling, and more7:55 – Starting a coaching career while still in college13:22 – Building the Mountain Lakes program and early struggles18:48 – Stepping away after a low point and learning perspective25:10 – Coming back as head coach with renewed purpose32:14 – Balancing family, teaching, and coaching for 20+ years40:28 – The importance of multi-sport athletes and avoiding burnout47:15 – How COVID impacted feeder programs and rebuilding numbers53:20 – Why wrestling makes everything else in life feel easier1:05:44 – The power of rivalries, friendships, and lifelong lessons from the sport🎯 This episode is sponsored by:🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.comUse code MINDSET for 15% off your order💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.comUse code MINDSET25 for a special discountPlease LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/Wrestling Mindset Social MediaInstagram: / wrestlingmindsetFacebook: / wrestlingmindsetTwitter: / wrestlingmindse🎧 Listen to our podcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI

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 competition8:16 - College struggles and rock bottom moments10:20 - Parents' unconditional support changing everything12:06 - Learning from losses more than wins15:27 - Wrestling the same opponent repeatedly17:06 - What the mind can overcome vs. hold us back from20:14 - Fear of failure leading to self-sabotage24:40 - Social media's impact on young wrestlers🎯 This episode is sponsored by:🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.comUse code MINDSET for 15% off your order💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.comUse code MINDSET25 for a special discountPlease LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/Wrestling Mindset Social MediaInstagram: / wrestlingmindsetFacebook: / wrestlingmindsetTwitter: / wrestlingmindse🎧 Listen to our podcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI

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 Kalika10:43 - Coaching from multiple perspectives13:03 - The vocation of being a coach15:34 - Wrestling culture on the East vs the West coast17:37 - Importance of pressure24:45 - How your pressure affects your opponent27:08 - Why we change mentality when we wrestle big names32:23 - The importance of faith🎯 This episode is sponsored by:🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.comUse code MINDSET for 15% off your order💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.comUse code MINDSET25 for a special discountPlease LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/Wrestling Mindset Social MediaInstagram: / wrestlingmindsetFacebook: / wrestlingmindsetTwitter: / wrestlingmindse🎧 Listen to our podcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI

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 help10:05 - What messages are you sending your kids12:38 - There is a wrestling club on every corner15:58 - Listening to other parents more than coaches20:40 - Parents can't control themselves30:30 - Get better while having fun41:44 - Parents, admit when you're wrong45:46 - What's the best part of having a kid?🎯 This episode is sponsored by:🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.comUse code MINDSET for 15% off your order💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.comUse code MINDSET25 for a special discountPlease LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on...Wrestling Mindset Social MediaInstagram: / wrestlingmindsetFacebook: / wrestlingmindsetTwitter: / wrestlingmindse🎧 Listen to our podcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9...

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 impact4:58 - Pressure forward6:24 - Wrestling beginnings8:32 - Developing mindset11:50 - Everyone's system is different15:31 - American vs European style17:40 - Training in Russia20:16 - Competing at 86kg🎯 This episode is sponsored by:🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.comUse code MINDSET for 15% off your order💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.comUse code MINDSET25 for a special discountPlease LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/Wrestling Mindset Social MediaInstagram: / wrestlingmindsetFacebook: / wrestlingmindsetTwitter: / wrestlingmindse🎧 Listen to our podcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI

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 moment5:20 - Allocating funds9:00 - Impacting training centers 14:20 - The best wrestlers don't need the best facilities15:34 - Where the team is going18:58 - What colleges bring to the table21:34 - Penn history26:01 - New facilities🎯 This episode is sponsored by:🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.comUse code MINDSET for 15% off your order💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.comUse code MINDSET25 for a special discountPlease LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/Wrestling Mindset Social MediaInstagram: / wrestlingmindsetFacebook: / wrestlingmindsetTwitter: / wrestlingmindse🎧 Listen to our podcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI

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 shift12:03 - A Greco mind needs to be like an engineer21:43 - Positions and angles25:29 - Tips for applying pressure34:00 - Mechanical difficulties in Freestyle38:42 - Judo is not wrestling43:47 - The best at applying pressure51:55 - Wrestling with a system🎯 This episode is sponsored by:🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.comUse code MINDSET for 15% off your order💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.comUse code MINDSET25 for a special discountPlease LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/Wrestling Mindset Social MediaInstagram: / wrestlingmindsetFacebook: / wrestlingmindsetTwitter: / wrestlingmindse🎧 Listen to our podcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI