Steve Mocco was one of the most dominant high school wrestlers in recent history as well as an NCAA champion and US Olympian. He wrestled for the top 2 college wrestling teams in the country. He talks about his career and wrestling for MMA and Jiu-Jitsu. Click “Read More” for show notes!

SHOW NOTES:

Growing up in a wrestling family

Learning from Coach Dave Schultz as a kid

His strong work ethic and naturally aggressive attitude from the day he stepped on the mat

The family tragedy that molded him as a competitor

The importance of dealing with pressure as a combat athlete

Why he made every match personal and how it helped him

The importance of being “coachable”

How to deal with people who are less than coachable as a coach

Healthy doses of aggression in your game

Has modern society discouraged aggression in kids?

The hardest part of Wrestling

The difficulty of keeping teens invested in Wrestling

Nature vs Nurture in Wrestling

Why you should be drilling

Keeping class fun for kids

His high school career

The high school to college jump

The selection process of D-1 Wrestling

The Judo influence in his game

His controversial decision to switch from University of Iowa to their fierce rival Oklahoma State

The cultural differences between Iowa and Oklahoma

The backlash in Iowa when he switched teams

Winning the NCAA title

The struggle of college athletes

Rivalries in Wrestling

Training on the Olympic team compared to D-1 teams

His Olympic experience

Stylistic match ups in the Olympics based on regions

How American Wrestling has the edge over styles of other regions

His MMA career

Working with Master Ricardo Liborio

Wrestling for Jiu-Jitsu

His role as President of Florida USA Wrestling

His summer camps for kids

[powerpress]