I Wasn't A Good D1 Wrestler, But He Was...
My Conversation with a NCAA Champion
I mostly provide for my family through YouTube, Substack, and a bunch of affiliates. It’s pretty weird to say that. I think I’m kind of a notebook influencer but hopefully some people see me as a philosophy peddler of some repute. But whatever the case, I also work part time with a campus ministry called Athletes In Action. I absolutely love this ministry. Discipling college athletes is one of my favorite things and teaching them what I was learning while in grad school really helped metabolize the information for myself.
One of the dudes I discipled for 4 or 5 years is Ryan Deakin. Deak won the 2022 NCAA Men’s Wrestling Championship at 157lbs. The guy is one of the best dudes I know and an absolute savage on the mat.
The other day I had him on my grappling themed YouTube channel, Pále with Parker, to pick his brain on how to be successful at the various levels of American Folkstyle wrestling. For those readers who don’t know, I also was a D1 wrestler but I was not a very successful one. So I thought it would be fun and beneficial for someone like me to ask Deak how to be successful.
We discussed what it takes to find success in kids programs, in high school, how to get recruited to a college program, how to be successful at the D1 level, and how to become a national champ.
If you’re not interested in wrestling at all, well, you may still enjoy our conversation—the wrestling world is goofy and fascinating. But if you have kids who wrestle, then this conversation is a must. If you have relatives who have kids who wrestle or who are still wrestling themselves, definitely send this video to them. Ryan’s advice is invaluable. I genuinely think this conversation can help a lot of wrestlers and can definitely save some parents from becoming monsters. So give it a listen below and even if you’re not going to watch the full thing, listen to the first 7 or 8 minutes to help me get this grappling channel off the ground. That would be huge!