Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal

The Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal
  • 4.8 (39)
  • Wrestling
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to "The Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal" where we delve into the world of college and youth wrestling. Join Mike, the head coach of Poway RTC, as he sits down with guests from all levels of the sport, including high school, club, college, and senior-level coaches and athletes. Each week, Mike will bring you insightful discussions on the latest in college and youth wrestling, including training techniques, strategy, and everything in between. You'll hear from some of the biggest names in the sport, who will share their stories and offer their unique perspectives.

  1. Navy's Blaize Cabell on Camps, Coaching Feel, and the Rise of Danny Wass | Athletor Podcast Ep 176

    21h ago

    Navy's Blaize Cabell on Camps, Coaching Feel, and the Rise of Danny Wass | Athletor Podcast Ep 176

    Navy assistant coach Blaize Cabell breaks down how the Midshipmen train, from SEAL-run summer camps to teaching the "feel" that turns good scramblers into great ones, and why heavyweight All-American Danny Wass is about to surprise people. A former three-time NCAA qualifier at Northern Iowa, Cabell coaches the Naval Academy's upper weights.🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: https://www.athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge🔗 Full Championship Fundraising Course: https://www.athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-course 📋 ABOUT THIS EPISODEBlaize Cabell is an assistant coach at the U.S. Naval Academy, working primarily with the 184, 197, and 285 lb wrestlers, and a former three-time NCAA qualifier at heavyweight for Northern Iowa. In this conversation with host Mike Malinconico, he digs into how Navy structures its summer camps, what Cary Kolat's teaching unlocked for him as a coach, the mental edge wrestlers steal from Navy SEAL training, and the rise of heavyweight All-American Danny Wass. He closes with a sharp take on fixing college wrestling's stalling rules.🎙️ ABOUT ATHLETOR PODCASTThe Athletor Podcast brings you conversations with the coaches, athletes, and minds shaping wrestling. Subscribe for new episodes weekly.🔗 CONNECTYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXjsj-4x50ZVLOvSjaUEM9AInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/athletor.live/X: https://x.com/athletorFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/athletor.live/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@athletor

    44 min
  2. Stop Cutting Weight: Damion Hahn's Case for Wrestling Up | Athletor Podcast Ep 175

    Jun 17

    Stop Cutting Weight: Damion Hahn's Case for Wrestling Up | Athletor Podcast Ep 175

    Damion Hahn helped pull five programs into a rebuilt Pac-12, and he is rebuilding South Dakota State at the same time. He sits down with Mike Malinconico to get into the conference move, developing wrestlers when you can't just plug in a transfer, and the case for building guys up in weight instead of cutting them down. He has the resume to back it: a worn-down 184-pounder who moved up and won two national titles at 197.Guest: Damion Hahn, head coach at South Dakota State, two-time NCAA champion, New Jersey wrestling legendTopics: SDSU's move to the Pac-12, rebuilding a program, wrestler development, going up a weight class vs cutting, leadership in the room, the one-semester college seasonChampionship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

    1h 7m
  3. How Air Force Builds NCAA All-Americans Without NIL or the Portal | Sam Barber | Athletor Podcast Ep 174

    Jun 10

    How Air Force Builds NCAA All-Americans Without NIL or the Portal | Sam Barber | Athletor Podcast Ep 174

    Air Force wrestling doesn't buy transfers and doesn't play the NIL game — yet they're keeping pace with the top 5 programs in the country. Head coach Sam Barber sits down with Mike Malinconico to explain how. Guest: Sam Barber, head wrestling coach at the United States Air Force Academy (12th season), former head coach at Upper Iowa and part of three NCAA DIII title teams at Augsburg. Topics: building a developmental program, Carter Nogle's All-American run, the "Camp Bruiser" COVID experiment, the move to the Pac-12, NIL and the transfer portal, and why culture beats money in recruiting. 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $1,000 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

    52 min
  4. "I Couldn't Ride for 30 Seconds to Win a Title. That Made Me Obsessed" | Athletor Podcast Ep 173

    Jun 3

    "I Couldn't Ride for 30 Seconds to Win a Title. That Made Me Obsessed" | Athletor Podcast Ep 173

    Coach Bryan Snyder, associate head coach at Nebraska and the winningest wrestler in Husker history, joins Mike to go deep on the numbers behind Nebraska's riding game, how they evaluate recruits for top-game potential, and why their transfer portal picks keep turning into All-Americans. Guest: Bryan Snyder, Associate Head Coach, Nebraska Wrestling. 4x All-American, Big 12 Champion, .925 career winning percentage Topics: Nebraska's near-fall and riding time dominance, transfer portal recruiting strategy, Ridge Lovett's wrestling IQ, recruiting from non-traditional states, AthletorIQ data breakdowns, stall rule reform 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

    41 min
  5. Half a Million or Olympic Dreams — That's the Choice These Kids Face" | Athletor Podcast Ep 172

    May 27

    Half a Million or Olympic Dreams — That's the Choice These Kids Face" | Athletor Podcast Ep 172

    UPenn assistant coach Darian Cruz sits down with Mike to talk about what the data says about Ivy League wrestling at the NCAA tournament, why coaching at Penn means competing with Wall Street for your athletes' attention, and how a post-COVID conversation led him to represent Puerto Rico on the international stage. Guest: Darian Cruz — 2017 NCAA Champion (Lehigh), 2024 Paris Olympian (Puerto Rico), UPenn Assistant Coach Topics: Ivy League vs EIWA NCAA performance, conference scoring data, student-athlete culture at UPenn, competing for Puerto Rico, overtime rule changes, Japan training trip

    52 min

  6. May 20

    "I Just Don't Care What Other Programs Are Doing" — Chris Ayres | Athletor Podcast Ep 171

    Stanford just had its best NCAA tournament ever — and then half the lineup walked into the transfer portal. Coach Chris Ayres breaks down how he kept his team together, what the data actually says about transfer performance, and why a Stanford degree might be the best NIL weapon in wrestling.Guest: Chris Ayres, Head Wrestling Coach at Stanford University (formerly 17 years at Princeton)Topics: NCAA tournament performance, transfer portal data and ROI, NIL in college wrestling, Stanford administration support, third-period finishing, recruiting at elite academic institutions🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge — Raise $10K in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

    1h 1m
  7. "Pressure Is Fabricated" — Mike Macchiavello on What Really Wins Matches | Athletor Podcast Ep 170

    May 13

    "Pressure Is Fabricated" — Mike Macchiavello on What Really Wins Matches | Athletor Podcast Ep 170

    Mike Macchiavello just took his second US Open title at 92kg and punched his ticket to Final X — but the 2018 NCAA champ says pressure on the mat is "purely fabricated." In this one, Mock breaks down the mental game that most wrestlers don't figure out until it's too late: what an "honest 100%" really looks like, why getting teched in practice might be the best thing for you, and how parents can sabotage their kid's confidence without saying a word. Guest: Mike Macchiavello, 2018 NCAA Champion (NC State), 2x US Open Champion (92kg), USA Wrestling Athlete Advisory & Executive Committee member Topics: mental toughness, pressure management, Final X prep, coaching young wrestlers, parent involvement, match strategy 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge — Raise $10k in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

    57 min
  8. What Brent Metcalf Told Iowa State's AD About One-Year Transfers | Athletor Podcast Ep 169

    May 6

    What Brent Metcalf Told Iowa State's AD About One-Year Transfers | Athletor Podcast Ep 169

    Iowa State's new head coach Brent Metcalf joins the show just four days into the job. He lays out his vision for building the Cyclone program the right way — no shortcuts, no one-year portal rentals — and reflects on what nine years alongside Kevin Dresser taught him about running a program that lasts. Guest: Brent Metcalf, Head Coach – Iowa State Wrestling. Two-time NCAA champion, four-time U.S. World Team member. Topics: head coaching transition, transfer portal philosophy, beating Iowa after 23 years, teaching feel in wrestling, sports science in training, building team culture 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge — Raise $10k in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

    51 min
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4.8
out of 5
39 Ratings

About

Welcome to "The Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal" where we delve into the world of college and youth wrestling. Join Mike, the head coach of Poway RTC, as he sits down with guests from all levels of the sport, including high school, club, college, and senior-level coaches and athletes. Each week, Mike will bring you insightful discussions on the latest in college and youth wrestling, including training techniques, strategy, and everything in between. You'll hear from some of the biggest names in the sport, who will share their stories and offer their unique perspectives.

Information

  • Creator
    The Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    177
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal
  • Show Website
    Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal

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