Wrestling Prep Podcast

Quick-fix prep clinics don't create lasting results; retention and application do. In this episode, Carolyn sits down with coach JJ Howland, who has built a large social media following around wrestling content and has coached a string of national finalists. JJ shares what stood out after meeting Carolyn at a Vegas clinic in April and why he traveled with three of his own athletes to a Wrestling Prep summer camp weeks later. The two compare coaching journeys that took unconventional paths, then turn to the clinic circuit: sessions full of advanced technique kids can't physically execute, weekend camps sold as shortcuts, athletes who retain none of it. Carolyn lays out where their coaching styles fit together: JJ's technique wins the tournaments being wrestled today, and her approach makes that technique work better. They close by revealing plans to join forces at clinics and larger events in the coming year.

 

In this Episode:

Instagram: @jjhowland

YouTube: @JJ-Howland

Website: jjhowland.com

 

Want to learn more about Coach Wester and Wrestling Prep?

Instagram: @wrestlingprep

Website: wrestlingprep.com

Online courses: courses.wrestlingprep.com

Before you spend money sending your athletes to tumbling class to emulate what you've seen from Wrestling Prep athletes, understand this: the two are fundamentally different in intent and execution. Coach Carolyn Wester breaks down why tumbling and her Body Leveraging movements can look similar, but don't transfer the same way. Tumbling chases a finished skill through disorganized effort, and rarely develops skills that carry into grappling; Body Leveraging uses Sequential Muscle Order to build, coordinate, and transfer force through a precise muscular sequence that maps directly onto movements during a match. 

In this episode, Carolyn walks through the distinctions athletes and coaches need to understand: coordination, timing, force, control, appearance, and repeatable outcomes. The throughline is this: HOW an athlete moves through space is at least as important as the final result. Athletes sharpen the technique they already use, and open themselves up to the wrestling that Carolyn layers on top of Body Leveraging by training to order their muscles and transfer force.

 

Want to learn more about Coach Wester and Wrestling Prep?

Instagram: @wrestlingprep

Website: wrestlingprep.com

Online courses: courses.wrestlingprep.com

After a big win, the real work begins. In this episode of the Wrestling Prep Podcast, Coach Carolyn examines how social media and well-meaning praise from parents, coaches, and prominent figures can wire athletes to chase dopamine hits instead of building genuine self-worth. She draws a clear distinction between the mindset work that takes place to prepare for a big competition and the deeper neurological process of tracing personal happiness back to overcome fear, avoidance, and self-doubt. Coaches, parents, and athletes will come away from this episode with a clearer sense of why that internal pathway matters and what gets in the way of helping athletes build it.

 

Want to learn more about Coach Wester and Wrestling Prep?

Instagram: @wrestlingprep

Website: wrestlingprep.com

Online courses: courses.wrestlingprep.com

In this episode of the Wrestling Prep Podcast, Carolyn Wester, Drew Morgan, and Coach Cornell Robinson have an honest conversation about what happens when adult egos begin to outweigh athlete development, and the real consequences that follow.

Carolyn and Cornell start by laying out the coaching principles that get lost when winning, perception, or control become the priority: serving the athlete, protecting long-term academic and personal growth, and maintaining ethical leadership even when it costs a coach professionally. Cornell then shares his firsthand experience navigating a situation where internal politics and power struggles ultimately led to his removal as head coach, despite clear athlete outcomes and progress during his tenure.

Throughout the discussion, the group reflects on how rumor, fear, and “us vs. them” thinking damage programs, erode trust, and place kids in the middle of adult conflicts they never asked for. They also explore how experienced coaches develop perspective over time, learning to prioritize trajectory over individual results, and people over optics.

In this Episode
Vidal, Cheche (2024) Fair Competition: Sports competition and the pursuit of excellence as the essence of modern sports

Want to learn more about Coach Wester and Wrestling Prep?

Instagram: @wrestlingprep

Website: wrestlingprep.com

Online courses: courses.wrestlingprep.com

Coach Carolyn Wester shares highlights from a busy season of camps, clinics, and high-level training across the country. Over the summer, she coached in Kentucky, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, drawing athletes from 38 states and five countries, and led a Coaches Clinic that combined on-mat technical progress with open conversations about communication and athlete development. She then visited Driveline Baseball in Tampa, where motion-capture data reinforced the principles behind her body-leveraging system. From early morning sessions with national-level wrestlers to ongoing work with elite fighters, Carolyn reflects on a stretch of coaching that emphasized movement structure, positional strength, and the mindset needed to turn practice into competition success.

 

Want to learn more about Coach Wester and Wrestling Prep?

Instagram: @wrestlingprep

Website: wrestlingprep.com

Online courses: courses.wrestlingprep.com