Olympic Training Center or Iowa State for MMA

TXUSAhwt · 08-04-2006, 12:20 AM

Hello I do not normally post but I do love this forum and value some peoples opinions on sherdog. I have been faced with a tough decision recently and am having the toughest time deciding between the two. I have been given the opportunity to wrestle at either Iowa State University under Cael Sanderson and Tim Hartung who will be my training partners or I could wrestle at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for Greco Roman Wrestling. I was wondering what people thought would make me better prepared for MMA in the future? Any input would be greatly appreciated! I hope to one day be an MMA fighter and know that wrestling at Iowa State would be helpful because I will learn the winning mentality that Cael Sanderson has and he has given me permission to train mma during the wrestling offseason and maybe travel and train with team Militech and learn from the best. I also could go to the Olympic Training Center and wrestle with the best Greco Roman Wrestlers in the country and could train mma with some of the Olympic wrestlers that fight as well. I have gone back and forth with my decision a thousand times but now it is crunch time and I have to decide by tomorrow.

So I guess my questions are...

1. Where would I most benefit in MMA between Iowa State and maybe training with Militech occasionally or the Olympic Training Center for Greco.

2. What looks better to the MMA world... NCAA Champion or Olympian?

3. What is better for fighting... Folkstyle/Collegiate wrestling or Greco Roman?

Thanks for all of y'alls input and I would glady give my two cents on any questions if you ever needed input.

Me wrestling...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5KG11IhbeU

SoxCalGrappler · 08-04-2006, 12:51 AM

Sanderson is olympic status man.. how can you pass up a chance to train with him!

p.s... youtube is down right now... so i cant watch you wrestle.. dam...

are you still in highschool??? Any accomplishments? rankings?

Lobo · 08-04-2006, 01:08 AM

Iowa State.

TXUSAhwt · 08-04-2006, 01:19 AM

thanks guys... I think i have decided on Iowa State... I have to make the decision by noon haha I am 99% sure.

Tristram Shandy · 08-04-2006, 05:42 AM

I wish I had the problem of making this decision! Can't you go to the Olympic training center after college?

krellik · 08-04-2006, 06:03 AM

Looks like you will become a beast in mma the day when you put your focus into it!

Good luck man and stay healthy...

Rory McDonell · 08-04-2006, 12:42 PM

when youtube is back up, watch his highlight. Its some of the most athletic wrestling Ive seen from a heavyweight.

I ment to ask in your other thread, but the guy you suplexed looked like he wanted to scrap for a second, any story behind it?

JarMan · 08-04-2006, 01:35 PM

I know of a guy who trains at the Olympic Training Center in Greco as a heavyweight named Brandon Ruiz. He's ranked like number 3 or 4 in the country. He also trains a lot of judo and submission wrestling there. I've seen him easily handle jiu-jitsu black belts as seen in this video http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...8196&q=hazzard

If you go to the OTC you can learn a bunch of stuff with guys that know what they're doing. Normally I say that collegiate wrestling is better training for mma than any other kind of wrestling. But for heavyweights, I actually think Greco will serve you better.

BTW, I'm a huge Sanderson fan, so if you choose that route you can't go wrong either.

sombo05 · 08-04-2006, 02:51 PM

DAMN! Wish I had seen this earlier. Not that my two cents is all that much to you though.

I would go with the OTC.

I have two good friends out there now as part of the resident athlete program in weightlifting. You can't beat the access to highly skilled coaches/training partners, top notch weight room and dietary services, sport psychologists, medical/training room services, access to other sports (including judo and hot V ball girls). All of these things are free to you and you're treated equally with the other sports. This is definitely a once and a lifetime event. In weightlifting you grab that brass ring or you get no second chance.

Compare all these points to college. Can you get the same or better at ISU? Will your status as a wrestler place you on equal footing with the football team when it comes to food, seeing the trainer, getting into the weight room? As a former collegiate S&C coach I can tell you "No."

They seem like two once in a lifetime events but, the OTC seems a little more so.

Peace

knoxpk · 08-04-2006, 03:15 PM

Very very tough decision.

I think FOLKSTYLE makes a better MMA base. BUT it seems you already have a strong folkstyle base since you have access to ISU and the OTC.
Now that being said you will get olympic quality training from an olympic quality athlete at ISU AND access to militech who happens to have what 2 champs in his camp right now?

On the other hand a poster mentioned access to state of the art equipment and Greco coaches at the OTC. Tough call.

How long are the training programs. In other words do they go year round at OTC and only during wrestling season at ISU?

That makes a difference 2. 12 months versus 8 or 9 months per year.

Damn lucky bastid!
Congrats!

BTW you can get some good BJJ instruction in colorado too.

Machado Jiu Jitsu Colorado Springs
Bill Hosken
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, CO
(719) 439-5776