Alex has had a few days to recover from the Cog run and tonight’s blog post will be more of a stream of consciousness with me dictating Alex’s commentary. I’ll ask Alex a few big questions and let his answer in the detail he feels necessary.
York College Wrestling: You executed the back flip you were after for the week. Tell me how that gymnastic feat can serve as a larger metaphor for your entire trip to the OTC.
Alex Martocello: It’s something cool I have been after for a while. It’s just like anything else you have to go and do it. Seeing the guys out here got me fired up to do it. They walked me through stuff and were just like, “Dude just do it,” and I did it. It’s cool, it’s a confidence booster you know? The guys out here are all great wrestlers, so if I can score and bang with these guys in practice it should set me up well against the rest of the country when I know I can roll with these guys.
YCPW: How did you recover during your day off?
AM: Basically they just said just get a lot of sleep, hang out and rest up. They told us to stretch and keep our legs moving, don’t let them get too tight. Break up the Lactic Acid and soreness with some good stretching. Pretty much just rest up.
YCPW: There was a Rulon Gardner sighting in the room, tell us more about that.
AM: That was pretty crazy, he was smashing people today. I didn’t get to see much because we were in the same rotation in the group of three, but he put a guy out cold. He’s huge man, he’s so big.
YCPW: With your wrestling in general, I want you to talk me thru the mindset when you are in par terre Greco clinch, when you are going to get your lift what are you thinking.
AM: When I get my lift, Greco is a different style. I want to say it is a little more strategic on top. It is grinding, but it is also strategic, guys aren’t grinding the whole time, it’s very hit and go. So with my lifts if I don’t get my lock I have to look to adjust to get to a position to lift and with the lifts it is all explosion. Once you get the locks you are trying to position your legs so you can get to a side to hop over and switch it up on him. It’s all a game of position and beating the guy to it. My mindset is getting to a position to that I know I can score from. That is where the battle is, it’s him versus your offense. It’s different from Folkstyle because it’s more strategic.
YCPW: What about from the bottom when you are trying to fight the lift and you know the guy coming on top has just tossed your for a three point throw. How do you mentally prepare for that situation?
AM: Every time I go down I have to learn from in that throw or situation. Even if it is just me sitting a little harder or maybe shifting my weight when he goes to do that lift, or get my head down and in. I think that is mostly just learning form all of the different times I get thrown. It’s what I have to not make happen again and getting used to those positions, and having it so every time I go down I am learning something new in terms of how people’s offense works. Learning how I can get better from there.
Though Alex is slated to only stay through July 14th he did mention he hopes to stay for more of the camp which wraps up on July 21st.
We will give Alex a few days to get some more work in before we talk again on Wednesday night.
