J'Den to USA Wrestling

[BAC]

Seems like a really good grab for USA Wrestling:

https://www.themat.com/news/2024/july/09/j-den-cox-named-national-freestyle-development-and-resident-coach-for-usa-wrestling

Haven't heard anything about his coaching abilities but it always seemed to me he'd be very good at it... very talented, likeable and a very smart guy.

[SocraTease]

Top notion guy in all respects.   I just saw he is married to Whitney Condor (former world team member) and they have twin girls.  Look out if those girls decide to wrestle down the road.

[Le duke]

Looking forward to see them around town.

J’Den is one of the best examples of human being I’ve ever seen.


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[de4856]

Well I believe that this will be a great opportunity for J’den and for our wrestlers to learn from one of the best to have ever done it. 

[Lleynor]

I guess it's my turn to play Devil's advocate. 

Personally, I don't see him as an ideal coach. His positioning was sound, and his defense was corollary to his superior athleticism. But what does he bring to the table from a technique standpoint? And true defensive skill? What was his go-to move? His guarantee shot setup? No ankle picks, Hi-C's, or blasts. He held center well, but that was more to his truly superior athleticism. FWIW, I hope he crushes it. After meeting him once, I knew I had just met an exceptional human being. So, theres,obviously no character flaws. 

[jchapman]

18 hours ago, Lleynor said:

I guess it's my turn to play Devil's advocate. 

Personally, I don't see him as an ideal coach. His positioning was sound, and his defense was corollary to his superior athleticism. But what does he bring to the table from a technique standpoint? And true defensive skill? What was his go-to move? His guarantee shot setup? No ankle picks, Hi-C's, or blasts. He held center well, but that was more to his truly superior athleticism. FWIW, I hope he crushes it. After meeting him once, I knew I had just met an exceptional human being. So, theres,obviously no character flaws. 

I understand what you are saying.  I would say there is more to being a successful coach than just imparting the techniques that made you a champion.  I guess we will find out if this is a good hire or not.  At least we know he is a good character guy and has walked the walk himself.  That's a good start.

[BAC]

J'Den is an athletic specimen, no doubt.  But to me, that's why he's a good fit for this job, where he'll be coaching other guys with superior athleticism.  He can help athletes learn how to use it, as he did.  You don't get to be a multi-time world champ on athleticism alone.

Nor do I think J'Den relied on his athleticism any more than our other top guys, or is even a better athlete than them. Look at our Olympic team.  Lee, Zain, Dake, Brooks, Kyle, Mason... all exceptional athletic specimens. I also don't see how you can criticize the quality of his offense, as his technique is pristine and he had an extremely high conversion rate.

It's true that he didn't put as many points on the board as other top guys, but I think that's because he knew he didn't need to, since his defense is so good -- and the name of the game is to score more than your opponent. Those are valuable lessons at the international level.

I'd be more inclined to agree if he were being brought in as a high school coach or lower-tier college coach, as I have no doubt it can be tough to teach how to make a technique work to one who lacks your athleticism.  

Anyway, I guess we'll see, but I'm glad to see him on board.