021 - Mike Malinconico

Today’s guest is Mike Malinconico, FloWrestling’s technique wizard. We had a really broad conversation covering topics like: the challenges of the learning process, the role of money in wrestling, how to grow the sport, and how to break wrestling into branches from a home base.

Time Stamps

0:05:43 – The beginnings of “Behind the Dirt” technique series

0:08:51 – What Mike had to do to find technique “back in the day”

0:10:21 – Wrestling’s education problem—it’s hard to be a casual fan

0:14:42 – How struggling in school led to becoming a great student and teacher of technique

0:17:35 – Lessons translated from sales: brevity and engagement

0:27:33 – Thoughts on Tim Ferriss’ learning framework (deconstruction, selection, sequencing, stakes)

0:32:39 – J’Den Cox as an example of hyper focus on his best positions

0:34:12 – The difference between a technique and a system

0:36:21 – Staples vs. Esoterica

0:38:51 – The drill Mike starts every practice with: “chasing tail”

0:47:47 – What makes a good college program

0:51:20 – The impact of funding on wrestling programs: it’s all about who’s in the room

0:55:27 – How the RTC system works (non-profits outside of the universities)

1:02:15 – The opportunity for growth in metropolitan hubs

1:06:34 – Can the US re-create the culture of wrestling in Russia and Iran?

1:07:58 – An Madison Square Garden mystery event which may or may not be happening Nov. 1, 2020

1:09:12 – Beat the Streets and what wrestling can be

1:12:06 – WWE, UFC, and how we can leverage their hype tactics to grow wrestling

1:19:11 – Me on my soapbox: what needs to change for us to grow wrestling

1:26:02 – Another huge opportunity: growing women’s wrestling

1:36:47 – How to select a technical system or style to develop

1:54:36 – Surprising lessons from being around elite athletes and coaches

1:58:51 – Recommended books: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

2:02:08 – Skills to develop: storytelling and video editing

2:14:56 – How Mike became comfortable with promoting himself

2:20:52 – Important beliefs: everyone should wrestle

Support Links

Rate and review the podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategy-chain/id1492935567
Find Amazon affiliate links at http://strategychainpodcast.com/support
Send me questions at http://strategychainpodcast.com/contact
Sign up for the email list at http://strategychainpodcast.com/
Social Media @strategychain (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Medium)