Q&A with NCAA Champ Cody Brewer

Wrestling Mindset (WM): You enter the NCAAs as the #13 seed, whats going on in your mind and how do you deal with that effectively?

Cody Brewer (CB): In my mind I’m just trying to focus on one match at a time and going out there and believing what I’m good at.

WM: What percent of the sport is mental is at this level?

CB: I think it is about 90% mental and 10 percent physical.

WM: What is your Mental Edge or what sets your mindset apart from others?

CB: Just deep down knowing that the preparation I did got me ready for each moment I face.

WM: How do you mentally approach the sport? Is there anything specific you do- pre match routine, writing anything down, pre plan how you’ll handle pressure, visualization, etc?

CB: Before my match I just see my self out there winning and seeing the match the way I want it go. And pre match I sing to myself sometimes to calm myself down. The song is a white snake song here I go again.

WM: What mental mistakes did you make early in your career? What would you do differently?

CB: Just being afraid to lose and letting the pressure get to me to much. And what I have done different is now have fun with the sport to take off the pressure.

WM: What mental mistakes are most common even at the NCAA tournament?

CB: Just letting you getting to nervous and seeing other outside distractions.

WM: Do you have any favorite motivational quotes, movies, songs, etc?

CB: From the movie Lawless “It is not the violence that sets men apart, it is the distance that he is prepared to go.”

WM: What are your key philosophies for consistently high performance?

CB: Preparation. And having a positive mindset about everything no matter what happens.

WM: Which coaches/ people influenced your mindset most? Why?

CB: My coaches telling me to always keep my head in the game. Which means be focus and positive.

WM: What other wrestlers have a great mindset and why?

CB: I would say Andrew Howe one of our coaches he is in one of the toughest weight classes in the world and still trains hard and knows he can beat anyone in the country.

WM: What is your mindset going into next season?

CB: To just relax and have fun with the sport and it being my last year to give it everything I got.v