Episode 30 of the Five Point Move Podcast ushers in the triumphant return of co-host Dennis Hall following a summer spent coaching. And, given the results from the 2019 World Championships in concert with the scheduling concerns of this new season, there is a lot for Hall to get off his chest.
The first topic centers around the slate of activity many US Seniors are subscribing to throughout November. First up is the Bill Farrell Memorial, then a training camp in Georgia, and on the back-end, a pair of tournaments in Scandinavia. Hall feels this is too much competition and traveling to start the season, especially due to how the Olympic Trials are less than five months away. How athletes prepare for the Nationals next month, particularly those who need to qualify, is also discussed, and Hall does so by nearly becoming unglued on several occasions throughout the conversation.
Following that segment is Episode 30’s special guest, multi-time National Team member Jon Anderson (87 kg, Army/WCAP), who is entering Friday’s Bill Farrell Memorial, just his second event since arriving home from his deployment to Afghanistan a year ago. Anderson opens up about his new routine at West Point, training athletes as well as himself, and his general approach to what is sure to be a hectic but potentially thrilling season.
A few highlights
Hall on the upcoming US trip to Tbilisi and elsewhere
“I think it’s overkill. You’ve got three tournaments or four tournaments in less than a month and a half? Where’s the training coming from? You’re making weight and the training is backed off, because you aren’t training balls-out when you’re making weight. I mean, you get my point. It’s too much in that period of time.”
Hall on the US needing to improve its approach
“The bottom line is, we’ve got to get better. Why aren’t we looking at the real cause and figuring out what the hell we need to do as a country to fix the problem? It’s that simple. You know what? You can do all of the mathematical bullshit, get a training plan, a competition schedule.. The bottom line is, if we aren’t training right, we are going to get our ass kicked anywhere we go. We may win tournaments in January that don’t mean dick, and then it’s, Oh yeah, we’re going to have a great World Championships. The foreigners aren’t peaking in January or February, they are peaking for the time that matters, which is the World Championships or the Olympic Games.”
Anderson on returning to West Point as an athlete/administrator
“I’ll tell you what, the West Point wrestling room is a special place. Kevin Ward is the head coach there and he has a special team. They have an intensity in that room, a passion, a vision from him to the plebes, as they call the freshmen here at West Point, and it’s contagious. I’ve been incorporating my training into their training a little bit and also picking up things from them. And I’ll tell you what, if you haven’t been through a tough college workout lately, it’s a different level. Those guys grind and they’re coming at you. But that’s my style and I’m loving it.”
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