Off the Mat with Omar Maktabi
12/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Wrestling was an obvious and natural choice for senior/junior Omar Maktabi, who grew up in Iowa City through the 1990s and within just a stone's throw of one of the most notable dynasties in collegiate athletics. After finding considerable success in a state known for its competitiveness and rabidity for the sport -- he posted a 111-10 career prep record and twice placed in the state tournament -- Maktabi's college choice would also prove obvious and natural for him. Shunning the Black and Gold, he migrated eastward to the Michigan wrestling room, where, after several years of grinding through tough practices and open-tournament competition, the Wolverine has settled into a starting role.
Maktabi has gone through another significant transition of late, adding 40 pounds to his frame during the offseason to make the jump to heavyweight. While admittingly still adjusting to both his own body and facing opponents who weigh upwards of 30 pounds heavier, he has performed quite well in this season's early action and played a contributory role in Michigan's strong runner-up finish at the Cliff Keen Invitational.
In the waning days before the holiday break, Omar took a quick moment after an early-morning practice to chat about U-M assistant coach Kirk Trost, his transition to heavyweight and the moment that sparked his interest in dentistry.
On coming to Michigan despite his origins in Iowa City ...
"Iowa has this aura about it because they were good for so long and they had Dan Gable, but to be honest I think that Michigan is just as good of a wrestling state, if not better, in terms of high school wrestling and in terms of having a team contend for the top spot in the Big Ten. Michigan has great academics and great wrestling. We've beaten Iowa as many years as I've been here. I just thought it would be better wrestler and a lot better academics for me."
On what makes wrestling unique ...
"I feel there's a real science to wrestling -- a lot of push and pull, like physics. If you push, your opponent will give a reaction; if you pull, they'll give a reaction. It's simple physics. There's so much to it, way more than any other sport. I played football, soccer, basketball -- a long time ago -- I ran cross country in high school, but there's something different about this sport that really separates it from everything else. It's continuous, hard as you can go, full-body conditioning for seven minutes. You have to be in impeccable shape and, at the same time, have impeccable technique."
On his academic focus ...
"I'm studying French simply because I like it. It's just a very pretty language. I'm also pre-dental and looking into cleaning some teeth. I was in a match during my sophomore year in high school, and I got my tooth knocked out right in the middle of it. One of my teammates had a father who was a dentist, and he came down and stuffed gauze in my mouth. I finished the match, ended up coming back to win in overtime. After the match, he brought out his mini dental pack, injected some number in me and sort of popped the tooth back in place. I thought that was pretty cool, and it was kind of inspirational for me."
On his move up to heavyweight ...
"Really, I was just sick of cutting weight. Last year, I got my chance to show myself against Northwestern and Michigan State, and I felt exhausted. Granted, I was nervous, and that may have contributed a lot to my bad performance. So I really wanted to focus more on my technique. I think I've made a lot of progress since the beginning of the season."
On adjusting to wrestling at heavyweight ...
"My style is still pretty much the same. The only difference really comes when I shoot -- I'm not going down to a knee anymore. If I did, I'd get crushed by my size. I've always been a big handfighter. I learned a lot from Mark Ironside, a former Iowa wrestler, and my high school coach, and they gave me a lot of handfighting skills. Without those, I'd have a really hard time dealing with these heavyweights."
On his improvements this season ...
"Last year, I had a lot of trouble with the bottom position, but I feel now I've gotten pretty good at escaping from these big guys. I'm getting a lot better on my shots. At the beginning of the year, I was having a hard time getting in on shots and finishing them. I still have a ways to go. These guys are tough, and it's not easy. I'd like to get up to 245 with a leaner look. In the process of gaining all that weight, I gained a lot of fat. So I just feel chubby, and I think it slowed me down a bit. I've been able to take some of that fat off, so I've gotten a bit quicker lately."
On assistant coach Kirk Trost ...
"He's got such a great sense of humor and is always saying things to make you laugh. As a wrestler, he's just a beast. Some days he's a little tired, but on those other days, he just has to flip a switch and he will destroy you. I always have to wrestle really smart against him, even on those tired days, he'll still whoop me."
On his 'welcome to Division I wrestling' moment ...
"During wrestleoffs my freshman year, Pat Owen just killed me twice in one day. He took me down, probably in about the first 30 seconds, and pinned me both times in the first period, twice in one day. He was just lightning-quick and had really good technique. He was one of those tough Montana wrestlers; there's just something about them."
On what he'd do if he was head coach for a day ...
"I'd probably just put them through a grind."
Note: "Off the Mat" runs in The Riding Times, an inside look at U-M wrestling.
Players Mentioned
