Today I’m super excited to sit down and discuss the preparation programming for wrestlers with Josh Jirgal. Combat sports have become more and more of a “sexy” topic in strength and conditioning with different opportunities becoming available, and Josh is doing a lot of great work with the wrestlers he gets to work with every day. After a quick run-down of how he got to Duke Josh and I get into:

• A wrestler’s mindset and how it impacts his programming decisions.
• What he’s looking at to monitor readiness and training status.
• Communication strategies he utilizes when he needs to lighten the loads on the guys
• Where the peripheral fatigue of wrestling fits into their developmental program
• How he looks at “special days” vs the norm for his wrestlers and the impact it has on preparation.
• The peaking/tapering process with both the wrestlers and the rowing team.
• Subjective feedbacks role in his fluid model of periodization.
• Confidence, belief, and its impact on intent of training in the weight room.

What a great look behind the curtain to the world of developing college wrestlers. I can’t thank Josh enough for being so open to share not just what he’s doing but the thought process behind his decision making. I really enjoyed hearing how someone coaching athletes in such a unique sport utilizes theory that so many of us do in team sport, and where he’s seeing success with it. If you enjoyed this discussion as much as I did, please do me three quick favors: first, please share this with a colleague that you feel would find value in the show; second, if you haven’t subscribed please subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player; and lastly, when you’re there, if you could leave us a 5 start review I would greatly appreciate it!

Who is Josh Jirgal?

Josh Jirgal joined Duke Athletics in August 2022 and serves as an Assistant Sports Performance Coach for the Blue Devils, working with the wrestling, and women’s rowing teams.

Prior to his arrival in Durham, Jirgal worked as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for UT Permian Basin. He has also had coaching stops at Sacramento State, the US Army Special Operations Command, Wingate University, Champions Sports Performance, Webber International University, the Oakland Raiders, and the SF Rush Pro Rugby team. Jirgal has also coached professional boxers Andre Ward and Amir Khan.

He graduated from Appalachian State in 2013 with a B.S. in Exercise Science and went on to earn his Master of Science in Exercise Science from the California University of Pennsylvania in 2017. Jirgal is certified through both the CSCCa (Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association certified) and NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association).