Currently in recovery from ACL reconstruction surgery that took place three months ago, Ryan shared on The White Monster Podcast that while his rehabilitation is going well, another injury could change his career trajectory entirely.
“If I retear this ACL, I’m just going full-time coach,” Ryan stated candidly. “I’m 23 going on three knee surgeries. I’m like if I get one more, like that’s it for me.”
Already establishing himself as a respected coach despite his young age, Ryan has been taking advantage of his recovery period to develop his coaching methodology. He’s experimenting with the Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) for training, focusing on three athletes of different skill levels: Nicky Rodriguez, Nick Mataya, and Ally.
“It’s kind of like the first time I’m really doing this because I don’t think people realize it’s very hard to be a head coach and a full-time athlete at the same time,” Ryan explained. “So now it’s like, you know, I’m forced to sit out and watch the rounds and stuff, and trying to take on more of a head coach role now.”
His coaching approach involves identifying specific areas each athlete needs to improve, designing games that force them to develop those skills, and then providing feedback between rounds. According to Ryan, the progression he’s seeing is “pretty crazy” with this method.
Ryan, who first gained notoriety as a guard-pulling leg locker before evolving into a well-rounded grappler with formidable wrestling skills, admits that competing has never been his favorite aspect of the sport.
“I hate competing. I love winning. I hate competing,” he confessed. “I hate the leadup to competition. I get so nervous every single time before I compete.”
Despite these feelings, Ryan still has major competitive goals before considering retirement.
“End goal one: at least accomplish something in the sport, win a big title, ADCC, CJI, something along those lines,” he said.
Looking beyond his competitive career, Ryan envisions himself running his own gym, expanding B Team with affiliates worldwide, and developing the next generation of elite grapplers “from scratch.”
While recovery continues to be his primary focus, Ryan‘s current coaching stint could be providing valuable experience for what may become his ultimate career path in the sport he loves.
