We had the priviledge of having 2x World Champion and Olympic Medalist, J’Den Cox visit practice yesterday. I’ve spoken to him before and he’s always full of great insights and has a knack for inspiring those around him. I captured my favorite quotes from before practice and while anwsering questions after practice. I also included the full video of the speech he gave before practice while he gave a “test”.
Before practice (All while doing 5+ min straight of push ups):
What does it take to win? That burning you feel in your arms, that temptation to put the knee back down, to bend your back, to not do it properly, to not continue to push, to not fight through it…..to literally go until you can’t go anymore, that grind, that fight, that’s the work that it takes to get to the fun, the winning. You feel like you have to stop…you’re like “I have to collect myself”. But what if your opponent doesn’t stop? Right now your opponent is pain. And pain is one of the best opponents your will face in the room. But pain doesn’t stop. Pain keeps attacking and coming after you. Being tired doesn’t stop…it keeps coming after you. And you know when it’s won? When you find a way out. “I gotta take a knee. I need to breathe. I need some water. I need to come out of my stance a little. My back is getting tired.” And the funny thing about being tired is that feels like you can’t do anymore. But if you stopped and I asked if you could have done more, your answer would be yes, I could have done more.
After Practice
We had a great Q & A where he was very open and honest about his journey and obstacles he’s faced. He talked about the importance of doing all the little things right including nutrition, sleep, extra curricular activities, etc. Below are a couple of memorable questions and answers:
Q: What did you do in your training that separated you from others?
A: Everyone talks about putting in extra “time” in, but it’s not about the amount of time. It’s what you put into the time given. A lot of guys stayed after practice to put extra “time” in. But if I practice for 1 1/2 hours, I am emptying the tank completely and I don’t have anything left to give after practice.
Q: What is something in my training I should be doing every day?
A: Pray…and be genuine and kind to everyone. Wrestling is a lifestyle.
Q: What is your mindset like going into matches?
A: I sing. I dance. I crack jokes. I’m not worried about the wrestling because I’ve already done everything it takes to win.