#197 David Taylor – Episode Notes

David Taylor, widely known as The Magic Man, is one of the most decorated American wrestlers of all time. David is a World Champion, US Champion, 2x NCAA Champion, a 4x NCAA All-American, 4x BIG 10 Champion, and he’s hoping to add Olympic Champion in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

On this episode David goes deep on his championship mindset, what it takes to be great and what he’s learned from great coaches.

David’s Mental State Before Matches (02:40)

Limit the amount of things he thinks about
“Nobody can match my pace. Nobody’s put in the work and preparation that I have.”
Don’t over complicate things with the “what ifs…”
His Penn State coaches, Casey Cunningham, Cael Sanderson and Cody Sanderson, helped shape his “gun-slinger” mentality when going into matches

Maturity Levels in Wrestling (09:45)

There’s a team aspect among the wrestlers and the coaches, but it’s more so about the individual and their mindset during matches
“Your preparation is going to have such an impact on your performance.”
Coaching comes first and has a big impact on your mindset and maturity levels, and next is experience

David’s Start as a Wrestler (15:30)

Started at the age of 5 in Wyoming with the Evanston Red Devils
Didn’t win any matches until his very last tournament during his first year
At the end of the season, they held an awards ceremony where he was given the “Most Attentive” award
- “This kid was the worst wrestler but he played the best and was the most attentive.”
His committed parents helped encourage him to excel early on in his wrestling career
“Parents and success are definitely linked.”
- Without the constant presence of parents, coaches help build that link

Choosing to Attend Penn State (33:00)

Cael Sanderson played a big role in David’s college decision
- David would watch highlight reels of different matches and got drawn into how Sanderson wrestled, ultimately deciding he wanted to wrestle just like Sanderson
Sanderson was coaching at his alma mater, Iowa State and David chose to go there during his junior year of high school instead of going through the recruiting process
Sanderson eventually left to coach at Penn State and his coaching staff, and David, followed along

Lessons Learned from David’s Coaches (37:50)

David would lean into his three coaches, Cael and Cody Sanderson, and Casey Cunningham for different expertise
Drew closer with Cody in college after dealing with certain expectations around their wrestling
His relationship with Cael was more centered around technique and expectations faced
- “It was Cael’s expectation that ‘I want to be the best and I want to dominate people,’ but everyone’s expectation of you is also to dominate people. Cael and I are the only two people, maybe ever, to have that expectation around us.”
Casey has become David’s personal coach
- Helped shape David’s mental toughness
- “I’m going to dig down, this is hard, I’m tired, I got a pit in my stomach, I’ve taken a bad shot, he’s running behind me, he’s gotten me beat, but I’m gonna fight… and I think when I truly bought into that philosophy that he’s been instilling in me for 6-7 years, that’s when I was truly able to become the best in the world.”

David’s Biggest Matches (47:45)

Faced 2017 World Champion from Iran, Hassan Yazdani twice
During the 2018 World Cup, David was in a pool with three of the toughest wrestling countries, Russia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan
- Knew he was going to have to wrestle Olympians, World Champions and Medalists
Made it to the round with Yazdani and was getting dominated on the mat but not in scoring
- On the brink of disqualification, David was able to get a takedown to change his momentum and use his mental toughness to win the match
World champion is his most important title
- “Once you’re the best in the world, you are. No one can ever take that from you in your life.”

David’s Routine and Diet (57:00)

Keeps his training routine going Monday-Saturday
Workout in the morning with practices in the afternoon
- Currently not practicing due to the coronavirus pandemic but knows it will not take long for him to bounce back and be ready to go
Living and eating a clean lifestyle in preparation for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in July 2021
- Organic and sustainably sourced food
- “It’s an investment in my health. If you have a Ferrari, you’re not going to put cheap gas in it.”