The Way: A RUDIS Wrestling Podcast

On this episode of The Way, Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss ways to improve while we experience time off from wrestling, and debunk the excuses that exist for not making progress.

On this episode of The Way, Matt Dernlan and Cary Kolat react to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics from this July to the summer of 2021. Kolat, an Olympian who competed at the Sydney Games in 2000, reflects on his own adversity at the Games and predicts what the prospective athletes representing the United States are thinking and feeling.

On this episode of The Way, Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss the intricacies and strategies behind getting college athletes to be able to peak correctly through their competition season. Kolat brings a unique perspective as his first recruiting class as a coach in Campbell are now Seniors and his strategy for getting his athletes to peak has changed over the course of his career. The two discuss the importance of balancing the mental and physical aspects of helping athletes to peak in the critical moment, along with the value in trusting the system and not making drastic changes near the end of the year.

On this episode of The Way, Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss the reasons behind what is commonly referred to as the “Sophomore Slump” when it comes to Collegiate Wrestling. With both having competitive and coaching backgrounds they bring insight into the potential causes and solutions to what causes athletes to feel a lack of development or excitement after they make it past their Freshman year of competition and don’t immediately experience a continued high level of success.

On this episode of The Way, Matt Dernlan and Cary Kolat weigh in on the topic of realistic goals and dreams for athletes during competition. With both having a deep background in coaching they discuss the caveats of keeping it honest with your athletes about what goals are realistically achievable while also giving them the opportunity to put in the work and dream big enough to accomplish something great

On this episode of The Way Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss the problems that come up as coaches when you're a third of the way through the season and issues of rest and recovery come to the surface. Kolat stresses the need for athletes to have perspective on the lucky position that they have while also valuing the importance of resting and recovering outside of the practice room.

On this episode of The Way, Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss the struggles and variables that come along with traveling for competition and how to deal with them in order to perform at the highest level possible while on the road. Cary pulls insight from his experience coaching at Campbell University through competition in the early 2019 season as well as from his experience as a college and senior-level competitor himself.

On this episode of The Way, Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss the current state of officiating in college-level wrestling. Both agree that officials are held to unreasonably high expectations in relation to their compensation for working wrestling meets, and that fans harassing officials for missed calls leads to officials leaving the sport. Kolat and Dernlan emphasize that officials are often working as a service because the pay is so low and they often have to cover their own travel and lodging expenses, and the way to draw more high level officiating to the sport is to increase the pay scale for officials. The two wrap up their discussion by explaining that coaches should take the time to understand how an official is going to call a match so that they can best serve their team and avoid butting heads with an official unnecessarily.

On this episode of The Way, Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss what the best ways of coaching from your athlete’s corner during competition are. The two begin by discussing the process of wrestle off’s and how to determine starters and move into talking about their preferred methods of coaching from the corner as well as how to deal with officials and questionable calls during a match or tournament.

On this episode of The Way, Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss the benefits and requirements for having “On Your Own” workouts in the wrestling room. With their combined coaching experience the two talk about how the sign of a healthy program and healthy team is when the athletes are able to not only believe in the program but take the reins and know what work they need to put in independently of coaching.

On this episode of The Way, Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan divert from their traditional format of the podcast and dive into the concept of discipline in the wrestling room from the perspective of their combined years of experience as both athletes and coaches of top tier wrestling programs.

The two break down how the concepts of discipline in the sport has changed from the time that they were actively competing, as well as discuss ways that they practically applied discipline during their time as coaches, weighing the benefits and downfalls of certain methods.

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Protection From Above
Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan introduce a new book they will be discussing, Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't, by Simon Sinek. In this episode they discuss Ch. 1 "Protection from Above". Throughout the chapter Sinek utilizes examples from military combat to teach in clear terms of life and death, but shows that the same principles can be put to use in all of life, especially in leading a team.

Kolat and Dernlan reflect on the idea that the best teams come about as leaders build respectful relationships with those under them and put the welfare of their athletes above their own in order to build trust. They also discuss the importance of relying on their senior athletes to act as the "managers" of the team in order to help lead their younger teammates on a smaller level. Kolat finishes by emphasizing the importance of empathy in leadership. He relies on more experienced seniors to lead and push the younger athletes but stresses the importance of not forgetting where they started and to help the next athletes in line to maintain a cohesive, united team.

You Will Always Regret it
This episode Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Ch. 10 “Never Ever Quit” from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. This chapter talks about not giving up on your dreams and having the fortitude to stick to the process. Refusing to give up and standing tall against the odds makes life what you make of it. Kolat talks about the part in the book during SEAL training where the drill instructor tells the trainees if they quit now they will live with that regret forever. Kolat thinks this is a powerful statement and one many people don't bring up when motivating others to not give up.

Bear the Burden on Your Own (2:34)
Being self-sufficient is crucial. Kolat talks about how he prepped for competitions and what he took with him so even if no one had Gatorade/snacks or dry clothes for him he was prepared. When you do get help it's a welcomed relief but you have to be mentally and physically prepared for life. Dernlan talks about the role wrestling plays in teaching kids self-reliance. In a day and age of helicopter parents watching and fixing every problem or lawnmower parents knocking down obstacles in their children's way it's no wonder, kids haven't learned to be self-sufficient. This ties back to essentially teaching kids to quit. Instead of allowing them to figure it out all they have to do is step back and allow the parents/teachers/adults to fix all problems. This is not to be confused with abandoning or not helping but rather it's leading.Be

Brutally Honest with Yourself First (11:34)
Kolat and Dernlan break down the role of a coach specifically a college coach preparing their athletes for the rest of their lives. While coaching one of Dernlan's priorities was to prepare kids for the non-cushioned real life after college. If he could get them to hold themselves to a high standard with a strong sense of self-honesty he knew they would be successful.

The Harsh Reality
This episode Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Ch. 8 “Rise to the Occasion” and Ch. 9 "Give People Hope" from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. Ch. 8 deals a lot with giving respect to those soldiers who don't make it home, the realities of war, and the true dangers involved. Kolat and Dernlan don't entertain the idea that this is comparable to wrestling. They move on to Ch. 9 that covers a topic many people are fascinated with when it comes to SEAL training, Hell Week. Kolat relays what some of his SEAL friends have told him about Hell Week and that is that Hell Week is actually not the hardest part of BUD/S but getting through the entire 6 months of being wet, cold, and sandy is. 

Hell Week (8:50)
Dernlan talks about how wrestling programs draw from the idea of a "Hell Week". You have to make sure the athlete understands what they're getting into entering a collegiate program right away. The worst thing for both the program and the individual would be if they had a false reality of what they were getting into and end up quitting. Everyone's going to question if going through this is really worth it, or if they're getting out what they're putting in but that's normal. Dernlan would remind his athletes this and tell his team to lift up their teammates when they're on the edge or ready to give up. Admiral McRaven talks about how it only takes one individual to be the change in everyone's attitude, morale, and motivation. This is true in wrestling as well. Kolat says one guy becoming a national champ can motivate the entire program to be great and achieve their goals. It also only takes one guy to quit to allow others to rationalize in their head to quit.

You're Always Under Attack (17:20)
Kolat speaks on how you're always going to be mentally tested. Who you surround yourself with is extremely important. If you're serious about your goals surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals is crucial for your success.

Lean into Discomfort
This episode Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Ch. 7 “Stand Up to the Bullies” from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. This chapter goes over standing up and overcoming adversity. Not only reacting and learning from tough situations but really leaning into discomfort in order to grow. Kolat says, if you want to get stronger you lift weights and the only way to improve is to put more weight on the bar. Once that new number becomes easy you have to put more weight on. The same process applies to wrestling. In order to get comfortable in a wrestling position, you have to put yourself in it enough times until you harness the technique and understand what to do enough to be comfortable there. Then you move on to the next area you’re not comfortable in.

Seek out the Bully (3:00)
Dernlan and Kolat talk about the idea of bullying yourself and creating bully situations. What they mean by this is pushing yourself to and past your conceived limits. Not allowing yourself to settle for mediocracy and ultimately achieving the goal you’re working toward. Admiral McRaven talks about during training they would swim in shark-infested waters. It’s a real-life scenario of literally seeking out and swimming with the sharks (your fears or bullies), not backing down, and overcoming. Kolat talks about the teaching moment for parents when your child is bullied. Bullying is a fact of life that is as old as time but it’s also an opportunity to learn, improve, and get stronger. The life lesson you’re teaching is the power in standing up for yourself. Overcoming bullies is something people deal with their whole lives and learning early on how to handle them is important.

Getting Bullied on the Mat (10:55)
Kolat uses his experience at a recent event as an example. A friend’s son was being bullied on the mat. Kolat’s advice for him was that part of wrestling is not allowing that to happen. When it does you come back and show your opponent you won’t allow it and return the favor. A part of wrestling is not only physically but also mentally dominating your opponent. Going through these tough matches is how you get stronger and learn how to not let it happen again.

Be an Overcomer (15:00)
Just as there are physical bullies there are metaphysical bullies surrounding us every day. The more we lean into the discomfort in them and learn to overcome the better we’ll become as people. Do Dernlan and Kolat approve of bullying? No. What they do approve of is standing up and the learning from those situations. They will ascend you to greatness.

Great Wrestlers Dare Greatly
This episode Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Ch. 6 “You Must Dare Greatly” from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. This chapter talks about pushing your limits, taking risks, believing and going out and executing on your goals and dreams because if you never take the leap you'll never know what's possible. Kolat says one attribute that he doesn't like in a coach is one that steers his athletes away from "high-risk techniques" when that athlete has found success there before. When Kolat was competing he had the ability to learn technique quickly and also had the confidence to try it out in competition. Kolat says there is no such thing as a bad move if you've put in the reps and practice and there's no hesitation or doubt in competition.

Two Things Everyone Can Control (8:55)
It's easy to say what you want but it's difficult to really commit to it. It's hard to commit because there's a risk you won't reach that final goal. Dernlan explains something he would tell all his athletes, "You can't control your natural given talent but you can control your effort and attitude." If you're controlling your effort and attitude every day you'll be prepared and have the freedom to take the risk when the moment arrives. A coach will not begrudge you or be upset if you put in the effort and keep a positive attitude.

Make Mistakes. Be Vulnerable. It's Good for You (12:13)
The time to be daring first is in the practice room. Some athletes fall victim to practicing safely and not allowing themselves to fail therefore not growing and learning. Dare in practice and it'll come out when it matters in competition. vulnerability turns into comfort which turns into confidence which turns into execution. You don't take a loss as a failure you should look at it as an opportunity to learn and improve.

It's All About Perspective
This episode Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Ch. 5 "Failure Can Make You Stronger" from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. This chapter talks about persevering through failures and allowing those moments to teach you and strengthen you. Dernlan starts by asking Kolat how about his summer training at Campbell and how it's developed from his first few seasons there. Dernlan points out there are a lot of parallels between learning from failure and running a wrestling program. During SEAL training, they have something called "Circus" where people who came in last during the different training they did throughout the day had an extra few hours of training. Admiral McRaven was consistently in the back of the pack and was forced to do extra training. By the end that extra training made him one of the best swimmers. Kolat breaks down and relates this to a coach and athlete relationship. You have a choice between viewing a coach pushing you as a punishment and develop a bad relationship or you can understand the necessity and reasoning to get you better. The only way to improve is to spend extra time and it comes down to the perspective you decide to take.

Put in the Work (10:08)
Kolat talks about the people who are afraid to put it on the line and fail or lose a match. You can't enter a competition with the fear of losing. The athletes who don't put the extra time in are the ones with the highest anxiety entering a match. If you know you put in the work you can have full confidence stepping on the mat knowing you did everything you could to prepare. Dernlan brings up the fact that if you're focusing on doing everything you can do that's recognized by everyone in the group. You can't go wrong with the mindset of being the first one in and the last one to leave the practice room.

Failure Is a Product of Long Term Success
This episode Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Ch. 4 "Life’s Not Fair. Drive On." from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. This chapter talks about the way you look at life and how you react to adversity and obstacles in your way. It's hard to be confronted with this so directly but it's a reality. Success is built up by a series of failure and struggle that you learn to overcome. This is why you need to learn to embrace failure and truly reflect on those times in order to improve. 

Take a Risk (6:45)
Kolat has always advocated for self-sufficiency. You can't be fully dependent on another person or group and you can't blame them when something doesn't go right. When coaching, Kolat won't discipline a wrestler who is doing everything right by getting good grades and competing his hardest the same as one who is lacking in the classroom and not giving their all on the mat. Kolat talks about life not being fair and uses the example of the workplace rewarding the best. Being forced to take accountability you are going to fail but you'll reap the rewards of learning from those experiences. A good parent and coach have a balance between knowing when to hold someone's hand and when it's better for them to try themselves and learn.

Failure Is Giving Up (15:40)
Navigating his career, Kolat distinguishes the differences between a setback and a failure. If you give up, that's a failure but if you get up and try again or learn for the next time that's a setback. Kolat also discusses reality is everyone is clawing their way to the top and people don't have a problem stepping on you to get there. Where success becomes a real possibility is when you're comfortable being uncomfortable. If you learn how to truly lean into discomfort is when you open up opportunities for success. The last thing Kolat mentions is not giving up doesn't mean you endure discomfort for a week it means you dedicate months and years to the goal you're working towards.

Determination Over Talent
This episode Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan continue onto Ch. 3 “Only the Size of Your Heart Matters” from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. This chapter speaks about the size of your heart being a direct correlation and causation to the level of success you achieve in wrestling, life, and business. What McRaven means by your heart is your determination, resolve, grit, and ambition. It’s not the person with the most talent or genetic gifts but the person who does the most with what they’ve been given.

Prove Yourself To Yourself (4:35)
Kolat talks about how many of his favorite athletes he’s coached were not the starters. You can’t go wrong surrounding your program with people who are willing to give you everything they got every day. While Kolat was competing he was the starter who got a lot of attention. He’s not sure if he was a backup for four years if he would have stuck it out. It takes a tough kid to show up every day and pour their heart into their training knowing they probably won’t start. SEAL training is about proving something every day to yourself and everyone around you. The best wrestlers understand this as well. They continue to set new limitations and expectations on themselves.

A Mindset for Life (15:46)
McRaven gives an example in the book of seeing a skinny gentleman in a waiting room and thinking to himself how hard of a time that gentleman will have in training. He later finds out he was a retired SEAL who had won a medal of honor. It’s a perfect lesson of not judging a book by its cover. Kolat says this is true within wrestling. You can’t judge your opponent or anyone by their body shape or looks. He also points out that some of the best wrestlers in the world are long and thin and use their leverage in their favor. Dernlan and Kolat discuss how all-encompassing being a coach is. They also speak on how as a coach if you instill within your athlete the mindset of going all in and being the hardest worker in the room. This mindset will not only help them win wrestling matches but they can carry it throughout their life and find success anywhere.

Team Work Makes the Dream Work
This episode Cary Kolat, and Matt Dernlan continue onto Ch. 2 "You Can't Go It Alone" from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. The name of this chapter says it all, you need people in life to help you through difficult times, motivate, and support you. Dernlan talks about how many people think they are capable of getting through and accomplishing their goals without anyone's help and that's just unrealistic. Kolat says he was very self-sufficient when it came to training and pushing himself when no one was around to do so. You can only do so much on your own, Kolat tells his team to find a partner on the team that can be their go-to guy for training. 

Trust and Comradery (3:45)
From Kolat's first year at Penn State, Sanshiro Abe was his guy, they trained, worked out, motivated, and coached each other. After Abe retired Kolat struggled to find another deep connection with a training partner that could help him in the same way. This is when he realized how much he depended on the people around him. In the book, McRaven gives the example of a Navy Seal training tactic where they make trainees all carry a rubber boat. They know someone will either get hurt or sick and they want to see if the team turns on them or helps them and carry his load. Kolat says this is exactly like a wrestling dual meet. Sometimes a guy the team usually relies on isn't performing and everyone else needs to step up and pick up the slack.

Coaching (11:45)
Kolat says a lesson he learned early on in his coaching career was that you have to let your assistant coaches, coach. You can't micromanage and allow them to create wins for the program but also make mistakes and learn. Another thing is keeping your number two guys in check. You never know when the starter will suffer an injury or get a skin infection day before the dual. The backups have to be ready to go and understand the starter needs someone behind them pushing and chasing them. Kolat builds unity and commitment through team bonding so when one person achieves something the whole team feels it.

Wrap-up (17:05)
If you're an athlete you need to find a like-minded partner. Kolat says sometimes you have to create that partner. Hold someone accountable and ask they do the same for you. Another key lesson from this chapter is understanding a team can't rely on a few key guys. It takes everyone's full effort. You never know what's going to happen.

Keep it Simple
Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan introduce a new book they will be discussing, Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. This episode they will discuss Ch. 1 "Start Your Day with a Task Completed". McRaven gave a commencement speech at his alma mater The University of Texas at Austin and Dernlan explains this is where the genesis of this book originated. The clip of this speech went viral of McRaven summarizing his military career and everything he learned from his 37 years of service in 10 simple points. Kolat and Dernlan agree when people are searching for solutions they often over complicate matters when in reality a simple approach is probably the best. 

Wake Up, Get Better
This chapter talks about the best way to start your day is with a completed task. This way you begin your day with a positive frame of reference and know you're doing something productive right from the beginning. It's a reminder that at the end of the day you've done something well and to be proud of no matter how small the task. It kicks off the mentality you start your day with, doing something right and perfect. Kolat says every athlete should start their day with something similar. For example, if you start your day with a run you feel like you're starting off being productive, doing what others aren't, getting ahead of the competition, etc. Kolat breaks down the importance of trust and comfortability between coach and athlete. Kolat and his coaching staff start the day now that it's not wrestling season by getting in contact with their wrestlers. If you're not getting to know your athletes on a personal level then you can only build so much trust. It also helps you understand how to help them improve. 

Don't Just Do the Work. Do it Right.
Dernlan talks about how most people working towards a goal are seemingly doing all the major things right. The difference is not just going through the motions but really being intentional and holding accountability to yourself even during the most mundane things. The attention to detail is everything. When you can condition yourself to do the little things right the bigger ones fall into place. 

Above and Beyond Expectations.
Kolat dives into discussing that you shouldn't expect to get a pat on the back for doing what's expected. The way you train and the way you work is what motivates everyone around you. That's when you get a pat on the back. Dernlan talks about how well informed and misinformed this day in age everyone is with the spread of information on the internet. He urges to be dialed in and disciplined on what's beneficial for your end game. If it's a distraction, distractor or takes away from your primary focus you need the discipline to stop. Pay attention to the small things and they won't steer you wrong.

On this podcast, Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Chapter 11, “Keep the Switch Going” from the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath. This is the last chapter of Switch. The book has been about how to enact change within an organization or team. Dernlan and Kolat have tied these strategies and ideas into wrestling. Kolat specifically has shown how he utilizes these lessons and tactics in everyday life at Campbell. Kolat says this book has definitely helped him be a better head coach. To make a change you have to start with yourself by walking the walk, and talking the talk.

Evolution of the Sport (3:05)

Setting the Bar Correctly (5:40)

Know When to Hold the Line (9:08)

Find the Bright Spots (17:20)

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Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Chapter 10, “Rally the Herd” from the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, by Chip and Dan Heath.

Body Language (6:35)

Hostile Environment (11:40)

Tweak the Message (16:50)

Transfers (21:32)

Building the Herd (25:53)

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Don't Change Habits That Got You Here
On this podcast, Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Chapter 9, “Build Habits”, from the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath.

Environment is Crucial (5:10)

Action Triggers (12:20)

Build Your Reputation (21:30)

Autopilot (34:09)

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High School vs College Wrestling

Put in the Work (4:35)

Weight Control (10:18)

Consistency is Key (20:54)

Creating a Positive Work Environment (31:45)

Learn from Competition (34:27)

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Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Chapter 7 “Grow Your People”, from the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath.

Growth Mindset (0:00)

Initiate the Change (4:26)

Changing Perspectives (8:36)

Successful Teams (16:00)

Generating Buy-in (21:22)

Prove Your Worth (27:10)

Creating a Culture (32:40)

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Developing Life-Skills for Athletes (0:00)

The Magic of Momentum (3:43)

Adjust the Clock (14:00)

Segmenting Outcomes (21:00)

Getting the Most Out Of Practice Time (35:44)

Shrink Change (38:59)


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Appreciate Your Experiences
Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Chapter 5 of the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath. The chapter is about using positive emotion to create change. Dernlan has found this book extremely helpful and relatable. Kolat asks if Dernlan was able to enjoy his business trip overseas. When Kolat competed he was focused on competition and didn't take the time to appreciate the cultures he was traveling to. Relating to this, Dernlan talks about learning to appreciate your surroundings even if your main focus is business or competition.

Emotion Drives Changes
Our lives are defined by our memories. Everything we do, including laughing at jokes, cooking dinner, or calling a friend relies on our prior knowledge of similar events. Kolat speaks on memories and how positive emotions can drive change. When reviewing film with an athlete Kolat prefers to watch matches where the athlete won. The thought process is that by appealing to the positive emotion associated with that memory, that action will lock in change. Most wrestlers are very tough on themselves. They are constantly trying to improve by remembering the mistakes they've made and want to prevent. Dernlan talks about how important it is to point out the actions the wrestler does successfully. The wrestler might be minimizing or taking those successes for granted.

Success Cements Habits
Kolat uses the example of a youth wrestler who gains success because they are either stronger or more aggressive than the other kids. Sometimes a young wrestler wins matches with bad technique and is then celebrated by family and friends. Then when that young wrestler gets to the next level and pure aggression doesn’t work, it's really difficult for a coach to retrain them the right way. That past positive emotion reinforced a lot of poor habits that will later need correcting.

Feeling the Vision
In order to grow a program and rationalize why money should be spent you have to use statistics and analytics to support your task. When you're trying to appeal to athletes, you can speak stats to them all day long but what will actually create change is making them feel it and see it. An example of emotion moving a large group of people simultaneously is when someone gets a pin in a big match. The entire bench stands up, the crowd stands up to cheer and it's all driven by the emotion of what just happened.

Managing Down Time Before an Event
One important thing Dernlan states is you also have to be mindful of your emotional balance. You can't burn yourself out but you can't be timid either. You have to find that emotional center that drives success. Kolat agrees about not letting excitement or anxiety drain your energy for the match. For an athlete that hasn't been in a situation like the day before the NCAA tournament, it's important for the coach to structure the athlete’s day. One really helpful thing Coach Pat Santoro told Kolat was not to panic when you discover that he wouldn’t be able to sleep. If you're laying down your body is resting and the other guy is going through the same thing. This put Kolat's mind at ease to not allow the fact that it's hard to sleep before a big event to cause panic or doubt.

Perfect Timing
From high schoolers heading to states to college athletes heading to NCAA Tournament, the biggest emotional moments in wrestling are coming up in the next 6 weeks. A book like Switch and a podcast like The Way can help guide coaches and athletes on how to properly and effectively navigate these times. Next week Dernlan and Kolat will tackle Chapter 6 of Switch, Shrink the Change.

With Matt Dernlan absent, Cary Kolat tackles chapter 4 of the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard By Chip and Dan Heath and how he uses its lessons every day as a wrestling coach. Kolat breaks down the examples used in the book and applies them to his own life. Remembering to appeal to both the rational and emotional mind when motivating and setting goals for a team. Being easy to collaborate and work with will help you in achieving your goals. Holding true to standards and giving ownership to team members is critical in creating a culture.

Appreciate the Process
Before getting into chapter 3 of the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard By Chip and Dan Heath, Matt Dernlan and Cary Kolat discuss recent wrestling events at Campbell. Kolat's team finished 10th at Midlands. The pair talk about appreciating the process. When you're young and hungry all you can think about is getting to the top but, you forget how you got there. You have to build your foundation, if you rush you'll make more mistakes. 

Scripting is Communicating
Kolat elaborates on what exactly the authors mean by scripting the critical moves. As a leader and as a Coach, in order to motivate your team, you should eliminate choice and give simple steps to success. Scripting is communicating clearly and as Coach you should simplify the path. If you only give a goal or task without concrete steps on how to get there people suffer from decision paralysis. Dernlan speaks on this topic saying with too many choices, people sometimes opt to do nothing. Uncertainty makes the emotional mind anxious therefor people may opt to just do the status quo. It's easy to overthink decisions as a Coach. Something as simple as deciding to pull a freshman's redshirt can have dire positive or negative consequences. In order to simplify these decisions, Kolat explains how you need ground rules that you stick to, to run your program. The same goes for an athlete. For example, trying to find which program you want to commit to. Find the things you'll judge a program on and then go with your gut.

The Doctor Example
One of the examples of decision paralysis given in the book is about doctors who are about to perform hip surgery. Kolat explains how they presented doctors with 1 drug that can take the pain away and eliminate the need for surgery. Most doctors decided to try it. When they presented doctors with 2 drugs and they had to choose one they decided to opt for surgery.

Saving Mental Capacity for What Matters
As a Coach, something as simple as an itinerary makes a huge difference. If you fail to organize your team at an event it could end in disaster. Overall, what you're doing is eliminating your athletes need to think, question, or stress about the small stuff. This way they can focus on the most important part, wrestling. Tournament management is critical. There are many things that if it's not laid out for an athlete can trip them up in a tournament. They might forget to eat or not have enough time to recover. Kolat had this down to a science when he competed and continues to implement this at Campbell.

Finish Strong
Talking about the details Kolat and Dernlan breakdown the importance of finishing strong. Just like making sure the windows on your house are straight after building it or the icing on the cake, the details matter. Some wrestlers come back after winter break different. Kolat is always more motivated because he realizes there are only 2 months left. Just because you're not a starter doesn't mean you can take your foot off the gas. At any time the starter could go down and you need to be ready. In order to script the critical moves as a Coach, you need to lay out what they need to be doing and hold them accountable.

Don't Over Coach
Yelling in the corner and giving an athlete too much direction can be detrimental. The more concise you can be with direction and calm the situation the better response you'll get. To be able to reassure your athlete with ultimate confidence can be really beneficial. Breathing down some's neck is not helpful in any other aspects of life. So why would it be in wrestling?

Bright Spots
Building off the last episode Matt Dernlan and Cary Kolat continue the discussion of the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard By Chip and Dan Heath. Recapping the last episode Kolat describes the basis of the book. Chip and Dan Heath use the analogy of a rider and elephant to describe the two systems in your brain. The rational side is the rider and the emotional side is the elephant. Switch discusses how to create a leadership plan that gets both sides in sync. This episode will focus on Chapter 2: Find The Bright Spots. Bright spots or successes worth emulating is a philosophy that can be described in a question, "What is working and how can we do more of it?".

Don't Have to Reinvent the Wheel
In the book, they use the example of a gentleman whom in 1990 was tasked with fighting malnutrition in Vietnam. The foreign minister told him he only had 6 months to make a difference. Instead of having to much pride, he found an impoverished woman with healthy children and spread her knowledge to the rest of the country. Dernlan can relate this short term situation to coaching. Coaches are assigned to making huge changes in a 4-year span for an athlete and a program. When Kolat first took over at Campbell the program was not doing good and did not have much funding. He had to put a short term plan together in order to build for the future. Similar to the gentleman in the story, he found bright spots. In Kolat's case, it was looking at other programs and analyzing what they are doing that makes them successful. From that Kolat learned how to implement techniques into his own program. Kolat also used this in his athletic career. He had no problem copying a move another wrestler did or going to where they train. 

Lay the Right Foundation
When Dernlan went from Penn State To Clarion he made the mistake of not scaling the goals to the program size. He figured out quickly he couldn't just implement a blanket philosophy and culture into another program. You have to take one step at a time. You can't make unrealistic promises. Success is defined differently by different programs. It's important to highlight the smaller victories. It's easy to get caught up in the big picture. As your program grows and changes your goals and standards should too.

Finding Bright Spots
Kolat coaches this technique to his wrestlers. He has had a few examples of freshman wrestlers with bad records that went on to be extremely successful later on. Those are the type of guys he makes captains. Kolat tells incoming freshman to replicate what they did and grow from it. Dernlan mentions pulling appropriate examples for young wrestlers. In order to apply to a wrestler's rational mind, you should appropriately choose who you use as a model. This makes it tangible for them to believe that success is possible. Going along with this, Kolat chooses to focus on his wrestler's successful matches over their failures. It's harder to say this is what you're not doing and how to fix it than to duplicate your success.

The Search for Excellence
Introducing something unprecedented to the wrestling community, Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan kick off their new venture "The Way | A RUDIS Wrestling Podcast". The way is something everyone is searching for. Whether that is an athletic, personal, or professional achievement. Coming from Coaching backgrounds, Cary and Matt are always looking for better ways to lead athletes and elevate them. "The Way" will be breaking down different forms of literature to generate discussion and different perspectives. Then taking these lessons and knowledge and applying it to all aspects of life.

Rational vs Emotional Mind
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard By Chip and Dan Heath is the first piece of literature that will be featured. Cary begins breaking down the different parts of the book. The book begins explaining the two different "systems" in the brain. It has a rational system and an emotional system. The rational system is a thoughtful, logical planner. The emotional system is emotional, impulsive and instinctual. Connecting this to wrestling Cary relates to how when a wrestler is cutting weight and makes the emotional decision to break their diet. Athletes do this while the rational part of their brain knows they shouldn't. Once you understand everyone has these two systems working in their brains you can put together a plan catered to both logic and emotion. A lot of wrestlers tend to rely on one or the other.  If you appeal to both systems you can achieve great things and help others achieve their goals.

A Clear Direction
Establishing a clear direction and organization is something the rational part of your brain can understand. Cary relates to this by how he organizes his practices as the Head Coach at Campbell University. A few months ago he implemented writing down on a whiteboard what the practice will consist of. This gives a clear direction, a starting point and a finish-line for his athletes. Matt builds off this idea and explains how explaining the plan gives ownership to the athlete. including them in the process takes away the fear of the unknown. Sometimes what appears on the surface as resistance is just a lack of clarity. The far majority of athletes are involved in a program because they want to be there and they want to win. Some guys need clarity and comprehension of the message to get behind the goal and unlock their full potential.

Wrap-up
Kolat and Dernlan go over the main points discussed in this episode. To change someone's behavior you have to change their situation or path. What often looks like laziness is exhaustion and how to distinguish the difference between the two. As well as what looks like resistance is actually a lack of clarity. Next episode will talk about "the bright spots". Bright spots are not best practices. One way Dan Heath explained it is: “The question is not 'How can my organization be like my best peer?' The question is 'How can my organization be like itself at its best moments?' ”