Jake Herbert (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Herbert: I figured out how to not get nervous. I'm just going to picture it as an NCAA tournament. All I have to do is just show I'm the best wrestler in the country at 84 kilos. Everybody is surrounding this tournament with London and the Olympics and that's nerve-racking for anybody. You just have to view it as just a national tournament. That's all you have to do.
Have you prepared for anyone in particular?
Herbert: We don't know the seeds, but I'd guess I'm preparing for Reader in the semifinals and Gavin in the finals. But who knows? Doesn't matter, really. I have to wrestle two tough matches and then beat a tough guy twice in the finals.
Possibly Ed Ruth ...
Herbert: Uh, yeah, Ed Ruth is pretty damn good wrestler.
What was your reaction to finding out Cael wasn't competing?
Herbert: If he would have shown up to wrestle, it would've just meant that I'd have to beat him to go. Whoever steps on the mat I have to beat, whether it's an Olympic gold medalist or not. I have to beat him to go the Olympics.
Michigan Men (left to right): Jimmy Kennedy, Andrew Howe, Tyrel Todd, Josh Churella, Mike Poeta, and Jake Herbert (Photo/Leah Howard, Michigan Sports Information)Herbert: The last eight months has been fun. It's nice to have a team to train with right now. There aren't a lot of places like we have here. You normally have one guy here or there, or you're training with the college team. It's freestyle focused with these guys.
Better focus?
Herbert: We aren't trying to win NCAAs. We're trying to beat the Russians. We have seven of us who can all come in and lift together, wrestle together, hang out together. We're all living and breathing the same goal and that's getting an Olympic medal. Makes it easier and makes it a lot more fun.
I saw some pretty contentious in-fighting on Facebook regarding handball …
Herbert: We play handball twice a week and it definitely gets heated.
I heard you're no good.
Herbert: Riiight. I'm probably top three.
Who else is up there?
Herbert: We all have our strengths. Poeta has quick bursts, Howe's very good defensively ... fantastic goalie. Josh Churella is an all-around player. Stevens, Russell, they just never stop moving. A good team needs all those guys, and you need a guy like me who touches the ball and usually scores.
Jake Herbert fell to Cael Sanderson in the finals of the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Herbert: We take it seriously, Foley.
Same teams each week?
Herbert: We were doing Ann Arbor versus Ypsilanti, which was our house against Howe, Todd and Kyle Massey. But now we basically do captains and go from there.
Back to the mat, you have a reputation for being a slow-starter in matches. How've you remedied that?
Herbert: Yeah, I used to be, but I've now decided to start kicking ass earlier.
Technically speaking, how are you doing that?
Herbert: Just going harder. I've toned up. I've tightened up my defense, and I haven't lost my offense. As I get people tired they are easier to score on, and easier break.
That's not technically "technical."
Herbert: Shut up.
I saw you got in a Twitter beef with my boy Josh Lowe of InterMat.
Herbert: (laughs) I like that he called me out on "not doing anything since 2009" because it shows that nobody follows international wrestling. I've beaten the last two World champions. I'm 3-0 against them in total. I'm 2-0 against the Azerbaijani who won it.
Jake Herbert at the 2009 World Championships in Herning, Denmark with U.S. coaches Zeke Jones and Sean Bormet (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Herbert: No. Let 'em think what they want. I've been placing at tournaments, I've been placing overseas. I don't think there is a clear front-runner at 84 kilos and I'm doing the right things. I can beat the best guys in the world. I can beat the Uzbeki, I can beat the Russian, I can beat the Azerbaijani.
Do you think that this Olympic cycle was well-timed for you, having three full years to prepare?
Herbert: I don't know, possibly. There has to be something with people coming out of college and going right into (international competition) as a good as they've done. Look at me in 2009 and Burroughs in 2011.
So you think that the college training can be an advantage?
Herbert: Your endurance and shape is going to be huge. These six-minute matches to foreigners is the hardest thing in the world, that's not even a full college match, you still have a minute left on the clock.
Has your team tried to replicate that? Get more matches in?
Herbert: We definitely tried to wrestle the seven-minute college folkstyle match as often as possible. It's tiring. You're flexing and using your muscles the entire time, whether you're riding and trying to get an escape. That's a hard grind, not like the quick explosiveness of a freestyle match.
So Bormet and Pritz have guys training folkstyle year-round?
Herbert: Not as much now, but earlier in the year we were wrestling live with the college guys, but we've since focused solely on the freestyle.
You told me that you got to train with Jordan Burroughs at NCAAs. How was that?
Herbert: We wrestled a match and got into a great scramble. Nobody I'm wrestling is going to be able to move like that.
You were an atrocious practice room wrestler in college. Has that improved?
Herbert: Yes! I'm not getting beaten to a pulp in the room and I'm actually shutting people down and winning some matches. I'm serious. I win matches.
Are you still getting your daily ass-whippings by Donny Pritzlaff?
Herbert: Ah, no ... Donny said he's not handing them out right now because he's trying to build our confidence.
Are you as scared of Pritz as the majority of wrestlers between 150 and 180 pounds?
Herbert: You can actually have that list go up to 230 pounds. He takes down our heavyweight.
Jake Herbert (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Herbert: His hands. What you guys don't know about Donny is that he's a hard-working guy from the East Coast. His dad was blue-collar guy, so growing up his dad would dip Donny's hands in concrete every night before bed. So if you go and shake hands with Donny, or if you wrestle him, it's like a 40-pound weight hitting you over the head. On top of that, I believe he has four lungs.
He's an impressive male.
Herbert: You can't tell the difference between him and Howe. I'm telling you that they're cousins.
Stop it.
Herbert: They are cousins to me.
Looking forward, what are your thoughts on the Olympic Games?
Herbert: I need to win this weekend then get there and get my draw. It would be nice to be alone in the top side of the bracket, but I'm going to prepare to have the Azerbaijani in the first round, the Russian the second, and then the Uzbeki. I want to win the gold medal and I know that there is no easy way to do that. You have to train harder if you expect to win.
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