Lifting Expectations: Miller Brings New Ideas to Strength Program
10/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
By Leah Howard, U-M Athletic Media Relations
Wrestlers like to break things down, analyze their sport piece by piece and argue over percentages -- how much of wrestling is mental and how much is physicalDuring his collegiate career at Michigan, Eric Tannenbaum (2005-08) used to suggest that wrestling is 99 percent physical and one percent mental, but that the one percent controls all else. Fortunately for the Wolverines, they enter the 2008-09 campaign with a new staff member well equipped to train and develop both facets of the sport.
Jesse Miller arrived in Ann Arbor in January as part of Mike Barwis' well-publicized and much-hyped football strength and conditioning staff. It was not long before several wrestlers -- among them former U-M standouts Andy Hrovat (1999-2002) and Ryan Churella (2003-06), amidst their preparation for run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics -- wandered into the Schembechler Hall weight room looking for fresh training advice. Miller had worked with the wrestling program at West Virginia and was eventually assigned to oversee a change in their regimen.
That change has resulted in a complete overhaul of their training and the philosophy behind it. The Wolverines are still lifting regularly, but the lifts are more specific and more transferable to wrestling and the necessary requirements for success in the sport. Instead of lifting to get bigger and stronger, they are lifting to become quicker and more functional in different situations and positions. Miller has incorporated greater emphasis on core-body strength and transfer of power, balance, flexibility and injury prevention. As it applies to wrestling, the Wolverines can expect improved explosion, ability to hold positions, horsepower and stamina on the mat this season.
"We're not training to be better weightlifters," said Miller. "We're training to be better wrestlers. We try to pick every area of the body, every aspect of wrestling, and try to train them to the best in every area. I update their workouts and tailor it to their needs every week. I'll go back through each individual workout, see where they're at and make the appropriate changes that need to be made for that person. Obviously, every person on the team is different. There are different modalities of training.
"I've already seen improvements. They're more explosive, stronger, able to handle weight better, able to transfer power better, able to move better -- and that's just about everybody on the team. Guys are coming up to me and telling me it's the most weight they've ever lifted, and they're not sore with it and they control it. That's encouraging for a coach. You know you're helping the kids out, but really that's what they're doing. I can put whatever workout I want out there and unless they go out and bust their hump to get better, than they're not going to get better. That's a big thing for the kids, and I give them a lot of credit."
The progress is a sign that the wrestlers have bought into the new training program and that they have quickly accepted Miller as one of their own. Soon after earning his promotion to full-time wrestling strength and conditioning coach in early September, Miller was greeted with an enthusiastic round of applause and cheers at the team's annual introduction of staff members. But their enthusiasm should not be mistaken for leniency. Miller is tough on them. Conditioning workouts aren not over until he is satisfied, and he is not easily satisfied.
"Jesse asks a lot of us," said fifth-year senior captain Tyrel Todd. "He's pushing us hard -- pushing us to levels we can't reach on our own. So he's definitely not easy on us, but at the same time, I think it's a tough love. He knows it's good for us, and we know it's good for us. He's the same every day that we come in. He breaks us down, but when it's all done, he encourages us, tells us he's proud of us and builds us back up. He makes it a positive experience. Jesse does a great job with that, and I think that it just shows his investment in all of us."
Strength and conditioning coaches are nottypically favored by their athletes. They are the task masters. They yell. They are confrontational. They demand maximum effort and prolong pain and suffering far beyond the point that any athlete would, on his own accord, pack it in. But for wrestlers, who are by virtue of their sport of choice, gluttons for punishment, it is a different type of relationship. They rely heavily on their strength coaches to develop the tools inherent to success on the mat, and that is where the mental aspect of training plays a significant role.
"Wrestling is a grueling sport," said Miller. "So really, you want to beat on them, wear them down and get them physically tough in terms of the conditioning. But you've also got to be in their head and beat on them mentally. I think a lot of times that's as important if not more important. You've got to get in their head and make sure that whenever they get down or start feeling that it gets too hard -- that they can't do another rep or can't go anymore -- that they find a way to get it done, because it's going to happen in a match. It's going to be tough. They're going to be tired and worn down. There's going to be 30 seconds left, and we need that point. That's when they're going to resort back to their style of training. If they're used to just giving up, then they're going to give up that point. But if they're used to fighting through, sucking it up and finding a way, then that's what they're going to resort back to, and hopefully, get that point to win the match."
Miller's energy in the room is contagious. During workouts, he stalks around the room, barking instructions and encouragement with a thick West Virginia accent, while making frequent stops to assist individual wrestlers with their technique, body positioning and drive to finish. His intensity is a trait he takes seriously and one he identifies chiefly among his responsibilities to the team.
"Regardless of how I'm feeling," said Miller, "I've got to be there to provide energy for them. If I'm moping around, the wrestlers are going to be like that and workout is going to be bad. But if I'm in there and I'm energetic, I'm jumping up and down and getting them hyped, it's going to spread. As a coach, you've got to be able to give that to your athletes. You can't let them motivate you; you have to motivate them. You've got to set the tone."
"With Jesse, every detail in organized," said Todd. "We stretch together, we run together, and we go through all the same lifts. So we can motivate each other. We're loud in the weight room. He's challenging us. But we're also challenging ourselves, and we're challenging each other. It's more of a team effort. When you're training by yourself, you can go hard -- and I can go hard by myself -- but when I've got my teammates there with me, it changes everything. You can push yourself to another level, and I think what we're doing right now is going to bring us to a new level this season."
Much of recent talk surrounding the Michigan wrestling team regards the current direction of the program. U-M boasts a streak of eight straight top-10 NCAA finishes -- a feat matched by only three other collegiate programs. After back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes and a projected 2008-09 lineup predominantly made up of underclassmen, many are also quick to ruminate over anticipated future success. Headlined by 2008 Olympian Hrovat, the Wolverines have built a healthy stable of elite postgraduate freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers, and later this month, they will break ground on a new $5.5 million wrestling facility. But one of the things that the coaching staff and current group of wrestlers are most excited about is Miller's strength and conditioning program, which has provided them an entirely different dimension to their preparation.
"Jesse is bringing a lot of new, innovative ideas to our training," said head coach Joe McFarland. "It's a lot more than just weight lifting and strength training. We're doing a lot of great, cutting-edge exercises that are going to help our wrestling immensely. He's organized, he's prepared, and he gets these guys going and keeps them moving. He pushes them really hard. But they enjoy that, and they give him a lot of respect. I think Jesse has been a tremendous addition to our program and to our coaching staff. I certainly know I appreciate it. He's allowed us to focus on other areas, because we know our guys are in great hands."
With all of the excitement surrounding the program, it is easy to neglect the fact that Wolverines have not even yet stepped on the competition mat for the new season. But as the famous Muhammad Ali adage painted on the wall of the Michigan wrestling room suggests, "The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses -- behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
Confidence comes from preparation, and the Wolverines can take confidence that they have paid the price and prepared hard.
"I'm anxious for the season to get here," said Miller, "And I'm anxious to see those boys on the mat. I told them they should feel the same way. They've been working hard lately; they've been busting their rears all summer and they're busting them again right now. They're excited, and they're ready. I think if you ask a lot of them if we could wrestle tomorrow, they would go after it."
Players Mentioned
