Hi 👋

Welcome to Week #64 of the Wrestling Snacks Newsletter.

This week has been a good one! My K-8th grade youth wrestling program started, and I’m excited to be back in the room with the kids. It’s a lot of work, but it truly energizes me and brings so much joy.

This year, we’ve broken our previous enrollment records, and it’s been awesome to see so many kids in the room. One of our Little Grapplers (K-3rd) groups alone had 72 kids in practice!

I love the sport of wrestling—it changes lives, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to coach and hopefully make a positive impact on so many young athletes.

Let’s GO 💪

News Bites

• DI Live Streaming Guide (1/8 - 1/12/2025)

• 2025 Southern Scuffle Final Results

• 2025 Doc Buchanan Wrestling Results, Brackets, And Schedule

• West Virginia All-American Watters to Miss Remainder of 2024-25 Season

• Wyoming All-American Volk to Miss Remainder of 2024-25 Season

• U17 World Team Member Jeter Commits to Cornell

• Looking Ahead to B1G Conference Dual Meet Schedule

• 2025 NWCA National Duals Results And Brackets - Men's Divisions

• 2025 NWCA National Duals Results And Brackets - Women's Divisions

• 2025 Franklin & Marshall Open Results And Brackets

• Olympic medalist Lee, World Teamer Marsteller spearhead U.S. lineup for Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France

• Graceland to add Women's Wrestling in 2025

• UNI jumps into Top 10 of WIN Magazine’s TPI and Dual Team rankings as 2025 kicks off

Snacks

This week's Snacks come from Luke Becker: 3X High School State Champion and Dave Schultz Award Winner. Wrestled for the University of Minnesota, where he was a 4X NCAA All-American, 2002 NCAA National Champion, 2X BIG 10 Champion, and a member of the 2001 and 2002 National Championship Teams. He was also on staff as a coach for the 2007 National Championship team. Currently, he serves as the Head Assistant Coach at Minnesota and is in his 22nd season on staff at the university.

Below are some excerpts from our conversation, along with key takeaways and tips that can be applied to improve yourself as a Coach, Athlete, or wrestling Parent.

Origin Story Tip: Early success can spark a young athlete's interest and passion for a sport or activity. Parents can play a role in creating an environment that balances both success and failure. It's important to foster opportunities for early wins to build confidence and excitement, while also allowing room for manageable challenges and growth. If a young athlete experiences only failure or discouragement early on, it can drive them away from the sport entirely.

"I didn't come from a wrestling family. For the most part, wrestlers often get into it because that's what their family does. That wasn’t the case for me. When I was six or seven years old, I would bring home flyers from school for wrestling, hockey, or other activities. I was always active and eager to try new things. One day, I brought home a wrestling flyer, and my mom said, “Absolutely not.” My dad, however, looked at it and said, “Let’s try this. It starts in 30 minutes.” That’s how it all began for me.

My dad had wrestled for one year in middle school, but beyond that, there wasn’t much of a wrestling background in my family. I went to that first practice, and I loved it immediately. From the very start, I was all in. It was unique in that way—I didn’t come from a big wrestling family, but I was hooked right away.

I had some success early on, which definitely helped me fall in love with the sport. On the state level, I was fortunate to find success right from the beginning. Looking back, I was pretty stubborn and hated losing. If I hadn’t found success right away, I might have hated wrestling instead of loving it. But that early success kept me motivated and passionate about the sport.

What I loved most about wrestling was the one-on-one competition. I played other sports growing up and even played football in high school, but wrestling was different. I could control my destiny. I didn’t have to rely on teammates to do their part or worry about whether others were doing the little things right. Wrestling allowed me to get out of it what I put into it. It was all on me, and that’s what I enjoyed the most."

Parent Tip: Avoid critiquing your child's performance immediately after practice or tournaments. Instead of staying to watch every practice, drop them off and trust the coaches to do their job. This approach not only reduces the temptation to critique but also allows your child to focus on their own development without feeling constantly monitored.

"I think the most important thing my parents did well was understanding that wrestling was my journey. They were incredibly supportive, traveling with me to tournaments and investing time and resources to help me succeed. At the same time, they didn’t make everything about wrestling. Our conversations weren’t always about the sport, which I see as a common mistake among parents today. They recognized that while wrestling was important to me, it wasn’t the sole focus of my life.

Our family became heavily involved in wrestling. My younger brothers got into the sport, my sister became a manager, and my parents joined the booster club. Wrestling became a big part of our lives, but it wasn’t everything. In our house and during car rides, wrestling didn’t dominate every conversation. This balance allowed me to stay passionate about the sport without feeling overwhelmed.

Now that I’m a parent of an 11-year-old son who wrestles, I try to emulate what my parents did for me. I understand that this is his journey, not mine. My career in wrestling is over, and I don’t want him to succeed just because it’s what I want. He needs to decide for himself if this is what he truly wants to pursue. My job is to guide him when he’s young and support him in finding his own path.

One thing I’m intentional about is not talking about wrestling in the car after practice or tournaments. I drop him off at practice and let the coaches do their job. I don’t sit and watch, as it’s easy to fall into the habit of critiquing everything. When he gets in the car, I might ask, “How was practice?” and usually, he’ll just say, “Good.” If he wants to talk about something, I’m there to listen, but I let him initiate those conversations. It’s his journey, and I want him to feel ownership over it...

Every kid is a little bit different. I've been around a long time and have seen kids who wrestle hundreds of matches from four years old on. I've also seen kids who start in ninth grade and, despite starting late, become super successful.

I think the key is figuring out who your kid is and what path will help them become the best wrestler they can be. That doesn’t mean they’re going to be a Division 1 wrestler or win state championships. It’s about asking, how can I help them become the best version of themselves in wrestling?"

Coaching Tip: Build trust by treating athletes as individuals. Recognize that every athlete responds differently—some need a harder push, while others thrive on encouragement and positivity. Balance intensity with support, and create a relationship outside of wrestling by showing genuine interest in their lives. When athletes know you have their back, win or lose, they’ll trust you and give their best effort.

"I think the biggest thing, especially throughout high school, is that I’m still pretty close with my high school coach and all my college coaches... They were coaches, but we also had relationships outside of just wrestling. That meant a lot to me. It wasn’t just about the wrestling; they were both coaches and friends. Of course, you have to be careful with that balance, but what they did well was understanding who I was as an athlete and knowing what worked for me before matches, after matches, and in the practice room.

Athletes are all different. The way I responded to certain things or reacted compared to someone else varied. Our coaches did a great job understanding that we were all individuals. Some guys needed to be pushed harder, while others needed to be built up and given positivity. They separated us out as individuals, understanding that coaching isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s not cookie-cutter, and everyone can’t be coached the same way.

For High School and youth level coaches, you have to make it fun for these guys. They need to be excited when they get in the room—it can’t always be strictly business. Building relationships outside of wrestling is important, too. Ask how their day was, what they’re doing outside of wrestling, or how they’re spending their break. When you show interest beyond wrestling, you build trust, and they start believing in you.

When kids feel like you’re there for them and have their back no matter what—win or lose—you can get so much more out of them."

Athlete Tip: Focus on the process, not just the outcome. Fall in love with the process of improvement—learning, refining your skills, and addressing weaknesses. Celebrate small victories along the way. Progress doesn’t happen overnight, but recognizing and appreciating incremental improvements builds momentum and fosters growth.

"I think the biggest thing for me is believing in the process. We all want to win, and we want it to happen super fast. But you have to believe in the process and focus on becoming the best wrestler you can be. That doesn’t happen overnight. You don’t go from A to Z quickly. It’s important to enjoy the little victories along the way.

We’ve had guys start the season super slow, losing close matches over and over. You can see they’re so close, right on the edge. Then it finally clicks, and things start rolling—they start knocking guys off. But if you get too focused on wins and losses and don’t get excited about the process of getting better, it can be tough. That’s what I try to preach to all my athletes, to my son, and to the young kids I’m around: fall in love with the process, not the wins and losses.

When we focus too much on wins and losses, it makes competing at the level we want almost impossible. But if you fall in love with the process—learning, getting better, taking losses, figuring out what went wrong, and coming back the next day to work on it—you’ll grow. Over the years, the guys who truly fall in love with the process, rather than obsessing over results, are the ones who really excel, develop their skills, and make huge leaps in their abilities."

Negative Impact Tip: Don’t make wrestling solely about competition or winning. The goal should be to help your kids fall in love with the sport. When parents or coaches place too much emphasis on results, it can diminish their long-term passion. Focus on fostering a genuine love for the sport, so even after their competitive career is over, they still enjoy and appreciate wrestling as a lifelong connection.

"I think the biggest thing, especially throughout high school, is being aware of not making everything about wrestling, whether as parents or coaches. As athletes, we are so focused—we want to win, we see the things that aren’t going right, and we notice where we fall short. But if we get too focused on wrestling 24/7 and can’t shut our minds off or step away from it, it can become detrimental. If the only time we talk with kids as a coach or parent is about wrestling, it makes them think that’s all we care about. That’s when it can be damaging, making it hard for them to love the sport.

I heard someone say once—though I can’t remember who—it was a parent who said, "My goal as a parent is for my kid to fall in love with wrestling like I did, so when their career is over, we can go to the national tournament, sit down together, and enjoy watching the sport." I think that’s an amazing perspective. How do we help kids fall in love with wrestling—not just the competitive side but the sport itself—so they continue to love it long after their career is over? It’s not about placing pressure on winning or competition all the time but fostering a genuine love for wrestling.

Part of this involves how we, as coaches and parents, handle moments when things don’t go perfectly. Instead of criticizing them, we need to approach them with care. Put your arm around their shoulder, let them know you care about them, and reassure them that you love them. Acknowledge that the loss may sting for a while, but remind them that it’s not the end of the world. Let them know you’ll move on and get through it together."

Wrestling Growth Tip: Make dual meets a central focus to grow the sport. Fans love supporting teams, not just individuals. Creating a team-centered atmosphere in wrestling—from youth tournaments to college duals—builds loyalty, excitement, and engagement. Dual meets can attract more fans, provide thrilling matchups, and showcase the team dynamic that draws people into other sports like football or basketball. Prioritizing this format can help wrestling expand its reach and popularity.

"Number one, I think dual meets need to be prioritized to grow the sport of wrestling. Fans love their individual wrestlers, but they really rally behind a team. Look at football, for example. People show up not because of one individual but because they’re behind a team they love and want to cheer for. Wrestling is a little different, but the principle applies—we need to make dual meets important and exciting, especially at the college level.

I’m new to youth wrestling with my son, but when he started, we did a lot of dual tournaments. We still do, and that’s where he seems to have the most fun. Even if things don’t go well for him individually, the team might have success, or he gets to spend time with his buddies, travel together, and go out to eat afterward. That’s how you get people involved and help grow the sport.

We need to create more of a team atmosphere rather than focusing only on the individual aspect of wrestling. From youth levels all the way to college, dual meets have to be a priority. People will follow individuals, but true fans want to follow and support their team. To build an engaging atmosphere around wrestling, dual meets must become an integral and exciting part of the sport."

Growth Bite

This week's Growth Bite comes from Napoleon Hill’s book, Think and Grow Rich.

According to Hill, success is largely driven by mindset and focused efforts toward a clear goal. These lessons include: having a strong desire, unwavering belief in yourself, clear goal setting, the power of visualization, leveraging the Master Mind principle, overcoming obstacles through persistence, utilizing your subconscious mind, developing a positive attitude, taking action, and trusting your intuition.

Breakdown of 10 Key Lessons from the Book:

1. A Definite Chief Aim: Clearly define your goal and desire for success. Having a specific target is crucial for focused action.

2. The Power of Belief: Cultivate unwavering faith in your ability to achieve your goals. Self-doubt can hinder progress.

3. Visualization: Use your imagination to vividly picture yourself achieving your desired outcome. This helps program your subconscious mind for success.

4. The Master Mind: Collaborate with others who share similar goals to leverage collective knowledge and support.

5. Specialized Knowledge: Continuously acquire the necessary skills and expertise in your field to excel.

6. Persistence: Never give up in the face of challenges. Stay determined to overcome obstacles and push through setbacks.

7. Subconscious Mind Power: Use autosuggestion and affirmations to positively influence your subconscious mind and behavior patterns.

8. Positive Attitude: Maintain a positive outlook to attract favorable experiences and opportunities.

9. Taking Action: Don't just dream—actively pursue your goals with concrete steps and consistent effort.

10. Intuition (Sixth Sense): Trust your gut feelings and inner guidance when making decisions.

These principles remind us that success isn’t accidental—it’s the result of deliberate focus, faith, and action.

Community Treat

This week's Community Treat comes from a Twitter post by Allyson Schwab that garnered a lot of attention. Allyson’s husband, Doug Schwab, is the head wrestling coach at Northern Iowa and a past interviewee of the newsletter: