Gumby:* Would you say that’s your favorite technique?*
Mark Schultz:* It’s one of them.* It’s definitely one of the top five.* Arm drags are probably my favorite setup to leg attacks.* I do a lot of high crotches, I do a lot of moves from over under tie up.* I do a lot of everything but stuff that really works well is off the front headlock, arm drag, and the high crotch.* When the chips were down the front headlock and the arm drag, but I don’t want to get too concerned…* You know technique is important but it’s not nearly as important as conditioning.* It’s doesn’t matter what technique you know, if you’re not in shape to execute it doesn’t matter.* Conditioning is everything.*
Gumby:* In regards to the transition to you being a coach, what do you think it takes for an elite athlete to be an elite coach?
Mark Schultz:* That’s a good question.* I don’t know if I know the answer to that question.* You know there were a lot of guys who were good coaches who weren’t good athletes.* Dave, my brother was considered the greatest technician the United States ever produced.* I would say that if you want to coach you should turn the sport into an academic subject.* You want to study it, take notes, and learn all the techniques and training methods available.* That’s kind of a no brainer isn’t it?* Wouldn’t anyone answer the question the same way?*
Gumby:* If everyone knew that, than every great athlete would be a great coach, and that’s not the case, is it?
Mark Schultz:* Pedro was a really good coach for me.* He just let me do me thing and didn’t try to interfere.* I think coaches have a tendency to interfere with really elite athlete's progress.* I don’t know though man, I don’t know.* What’s another question?
Gumby:* So you actually made your wrestlers train in submission while you were coaching at BYU?* Did you think that actually helped them on wrestling circuit or was something else you were trying to do?
Mark Schultz:* I think it made them better in wrestling.* My purpose in wrestling was never to win medals.* The reason I went out to wrestling was because I thought it was the ultimate martial art.* My brother used to pound that into me all the time.* So when I found Jiu Jitsu I thought if we take the conditioning and takedowns of wrestling and combine it with Jiu Jitsu, now we’ve got the ultimate Martial Art!* Combine with the kicks of Muay Thai and the punches of boxing with the submissions of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu so…
Gumby:* And you came to this conclusion in 93?
Mark Schultz:* Yeah, right around then.* So I started setting up my wrestling room, I put it in a heavy bag and I’d make Chael and the other wrestlers hit it.* Once a week we’d work submissions and we brought Tank Abbot in and Paul Herrera and they lived out there for about two months training with us.* It was really fun in there for a while.* I made my heavyweight Mike Bolster put on the gloves and go full contact with me in preparation not really in preparation for UFC 9 but preceding UFC 9 not knowing I was going to compete in that.*
It just pissed me off that I had spent all this time in training in a sport that had outlawed the best submission holds when I got into wrestling for its martial value.* As soon as I found Jiu Jitsu I immediately made everyone do it.
Gumby:* What do you think Jiu Jitsu athletes need to do to improve?
Mark Schultz:* They need to all go out for the wrestling team! (Broad Smile) Plus they can take boxing and Muay Thai.*
Gumby:* You’re doing a seminar over at my school (Heroes Martial Arts in San Jose) February 12 and 12 which we’re looking forward to, are you interested in any more seminars and how would people get in contact with you?
Mark Schultz:* I have a website MarkSchultz.com and I’m on Facebook most of the time.*
Gumby:* Thanks Mark and I appreciate you sitting down with me!
