The clock is ticking towards the 2025 World Championships for Greco-Roman Wrestling, which begins this coming Thursday (September 18) in Zagreb, Croatia (streaming live in the US on FLOWrestling), and the United States World Team has been in-country, at this point, for nearly two weeks.
Below is a brief interview with US National Team head coach Herb House which covered the opening week of training overseas. Although the Americans are indeed in the final phase of preparation for the aforementioned World Championships, the first week in Croatia was not unlike most other international ventures. They trained with foreigners, had practices, and enjoyed some of the sights and sounds of the local region. The next Q&A with House, which will be released in the coming days, is set to expound upon the tapering phase, atmosphere surrounding the Team, and any other news or notes which might be worth addressing.
USNT Head Coach Herb House
Pre-2025 World Championships Part I
5PM: How was it as far as Week 1 and arriving in the country, and getting situated?
Coach Herb House: It was great. We got in on Sunday but didn’t actually arrive until Monday. We had to drive three hours from the airport to get here, then get everyone situated, and get them to their rooms. But the next day, we had an option. It is like these guys had just gotten off the plane and there was shark bait the next morning. So, the question was, Do we wrestle shark bait, or do we not? We jumped into shark bait immediately, and I was really proud of the guys for doing that. There were no excuses. They just jumped right into shark bait soon after landing and wrestle. That was something with which I was really impressed, that mentality.
5PM: There was the acclimation aspect that was a priority, but the World Team has also had opportunities to get hands-on against foreigners. What does that look like with the tournament right around the corner? How does it compare to Hungary earlier this summer?
HH: I think the difference for me is that this one is to make sure that we get all the looks and feels we need to prepare us for the World Championships. It’s those little things I’m looking for at this stage. How are we going to be able to score on the best guys at the World Championships? It is very key for us to be at this camp because of the timing. Too often, when guys go overseas, they are getting the looks they need, and then they make improvements – but once they get back home, it is back to the same old thing. We go backwards instead of forwards. So with this one, I’m hoping that there is more continuity given the length of time between this camp and the tournament. We need to be prepared in par terre and on the feet. Scoring has to be the priority for us to medal at the World Championships. We not only have to defend, but we also have to score by getting to our offense.
5PM: How do you go about making adjustments when the tournament is so close?
HH: You’re not going to be able to make a lot of adjustments, but you will be able the make the necessary ones, such as how you are moving in par terre, keeping your elbows in, things like that. We just need to make necessary adjustments that are going to help us be ready. You cannot make big adjustments with this wrestling style at this point. All we can work on a little bit are the small adjustments. You can’t change your entire strategy that you have had the whole year. That’s probably not going to happen, but there is time to fix small things that we feel might make a difference on the World level.
5PM: How has this process been so far for the younger guys on the Team? Most of the younger ones have been on age-group World Teams before, but I imagine it is different when we’re talking about a Senior roster.
HH: I think that it has been great for these guys. (Jayden) Raney, he is just a great competitor. He doesn’t care what Team this is. He is only thinking about gold, which I love about him. He just cares about winning and getting medals. Beka (Melelashvili), this is how he was born. This is his roots, how he grew up training. He knows what it takes for him and what it takes to become a World champ. Same thing with Payton (Jacobson). A lot of our younger guys, they have a mentality which says that they believe they should win. And when you have that kind of mentality, it is actually easier, because now you just have to go out there and do the work.
5PM: How does coordination work between you, the Team, and the personal coaches as we hit the homestretch here, whether or not they are in Croatia yet?
Coach Herb House: For example, I sent out a notice that I wanted everybody to come up with their plans and evaluate themselves. I told our World team members to do that, each one with their personal coaches. We came up with a plan that we were going to deploy leading up to the World Championships. It is just a matter of getting on the same page, discussing what they are seeing, and then discussing what needs to be fixed. It is a lot of communication with the personal coaches because they are a big part of the everyday training for their wrestlers. What I love about this is that the staff is really working great together. There are no egos involved in this. We all just want what’s best for Team USA Greco.
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