Athletor

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Nelson Brands wrestled at Iowa for his father and his uncle. He says neither of them coached him until he got to college. He's now on staff at Cal Poly, and he makes a specific case that we're teaching beginners the wrong thing first. 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge — Raise $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 ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 — Nelson Brands joins the Cal Poly staff 0:45 — "So you want me?" How the hire actually happened 2:04 — First trip to California and what surprised him 4:46 — Expectations for the 26-27 Mustangs 6:21 — What's surprised him in his first month on the job 8:19 — Mentor or coach: walking the line with 40 guys 11:07 — Levi Busse, Coda Holman, and the room so far 13:17 — Wrestling as an infinite puzzle 16:28 — Where to get stingy and where to get creative 18:24 — If you built a wrestler from scratch, where do you start? 19:07 — Why hand fighting comes first 22:16 — Throwing high crotches at kids who can't set them up 24:52 — "My dad did not grab me as a wrestler until college" 26:44 — Why the best coaches don't push their own kids 28:18 — Raised by the principles of wrestling 29:33 — "Your identity is not in wrestling" 32:01 — Reaching the intoxicated wrestling parent 36:03 — Growing the sport means clubs that collaborate 40:05 — What Japan does that America won't 42:47 — Out-of-season contact rules and who they protect 46:10 — Rapid fire: shoes, books, Mount Rushmore, magic wand 📋 ABOUT THIS EPISODE Nelson Brands wrestled at Iowa under his father Terry Brands and his uncle Tom Brands. He's now an assistant coach at Cal Poly, a month into the job, and this is his first long conversation since the move. The technical core of the episode is a case against how most rooms start beginners. Brands argues hand fighting is the first thing you teach, not the penetration step, because a kid who can't create a tie has no way to get to the high crotch or the single you just showed him. He breaks down wrestling as an infinite puzzle, why defense starts with laces to the mat, and how a scramble should begin. The other half is about how wrestlers get made. Brands says he was never raised to wrestle, that his dad didn't coach him until college, and that the sport's principles reached him anyway. He's blunt about identity, about parents who get intoxicated by a prepubescent kid winning, and about clubs that gatekeep athletes in the same town. He also makes the case that Japan is beating us on something that costs nothing. Also covered: the Cal Poly room, Levi Busse and Coda Holman, out-of-season contact rules, Austin DeSanto's impact without a single social post, and why the headgear should go. 🎙️ ABOUT ATHLETOR PODCAST The Athletor Podcast brings you conversations with the coaches, athletes, and minds shaping wrestling. Subscribe for new episodes weekly. 🔗 CONNECT YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXjsj-4x50ZVLOvSjaUEM9A Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athletor.live/ X: https://x.com/athletor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/athletor.live/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@athletor

Ep. 0184

Nelson Brands: Stop Teaching Kids the Penetration Step First

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