MEET COACH BRANDON RIPPLINGER

Brandon Ripplinger was the head coach at Viewmont High School from 2008-2021 where his teams won four State Championships and where he also ran one of the most successful youth programs and coached Centerville Junior High to multiple district championships. His TECH Gold club group was the starting place for many future state champions who advanced to become some of Sanderson Wrestling Academy’s most decorated wrestlers. Brandon is known among those he has coached as “Coach Ripp”, a title he has shared with his father, Mike, and which he honors.

Coach Ripp is known for his ability to work with wrestlers of all ability levels and ages, beginners through all-Americans. His coaching philosophy centers around a systematic approach to wrestling which is scaffolded from beginners to advanced wrestlers. It includes the most important skills to learn, at what point to learn them, and the best drilling systems that lead to mastery.

He has had the opportunity to work with and learn from some of the most respected coaches in the country. His approach has been influenced most by his father Mike Ripplinger, father-in-law Mike Clapier, Shandell Smoot, Cole Sanderson, Cyler Sanderson, brother-in-law Cam Jones, and Bob Christensen. He has also modeled some of his processes after those of several of the nation’s leading college coaches, most notably Cael Sanderson (Penn State University) and Tom Ryan (Ohio State University). He has learned from countless others and greatly appreciates and recognizes their mentorship in molding his approach to coaching, wrestling, and life. When he’s not coaching you may see him trail-running or hiking, cheering on his kids, or working on different home projects.

WHAT IS A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH

Coach Ripp is passionate about helping people understand and master the sport of wrestling, and to do so he uses a "systematic" approach. A system of wrestling is not just a handful of moves and tricks, which is the route many wrestlers take;  instead, it’s a systematic approach called “Option Wrestling” to set up your opponent with simple but proven techniques and then capitalizing on the opponent’s reaction to score points and pin, then repeating the process. The best wrestlers and coaches use a system.

TESTIMONIALS ABOUT COACH RIPP’S COACHING

“The golden standard for coaching in Utah!” -Jeb Clark, Head Coach, Payson High School 

"I am so impressed by your camp and coaching. My son is learning so much about how to wrestle smart with his brain vs random moves he attempts to string together just to get a pin. We have traveled to other big name camps. My wife and I agree that you have been a bigger impact on our son in three short weeks. Thank you for such a great program." -Colten Fry, wrestling parent

“I have coached wrestling for 19 years and in those years have coached against the Ripplingers. From the dynasties of Box Elder and Viewmont wrestling programs and even to the recent district titles of the Centerville Junior High program, so much of their success can be attributed to Mike and Brandon. They know wrestling. Their combined wisdom is something special in their ability to teach competitiveness, technique, and passion for the sport of wrestling.” -Bo Roundy, Head Coach, Davis High School

“It is quite telling that when my boys have been asked to name one person who has been most influential in their lives, all three of them name Coach Ripp. Beyond his seemingly encyclopedic wrestling knowledge, it is apparent that he truly cares about the physical and general development of each wrestler, using wrestling as a vehicle to teach important and memorable life lessons, of which we are so grateful!” -Lisa Astling, parent of former wrestlers

“Coach Ripplinger brings out excellence on and off the mat in a way that endears him to wrestlers and parents. He is a gifted coach and elevates through words and example. We are so grateful he coached our boy!” -Cory and Becky Money, parents of former wrestler