With Kayla Miracle 

Kayla Miracle knows what it takes to compete at the highest level, and in 2026, she stepped into a new role as a coach for the United States U17 Women’s World Championship team. From the warm-up room to the tunnel and beyond, Miracle’s experience offered a firsthand look at what it means to coach young athletes on the world stage.

“It is such a cool opportunity and experience getting to coach while still competing. I'm lucky enough to be able to work with wrestlers in the warm-ups and in these practices leading up to the U17 Women’s World Championship, and I'm doing this so I can give them exactly what they need.”

Every athlete responds to competition differently, and a coach has to be able to recognize those differences. 

“You really have to be able to be a chameleon to coach. It’s not one size fits all; everybody is so different. The way somebody warms up is going to be different. The way somebody wants to do a hand smack as you walk on the mat, or they want a hug. Everybody is so different. So feel it out; that’s the fun part. I’m grateful to be part of their journeys.”

For Miracle, adapting to each wrestler starts with understanding who they are and what they need in the moments leading up to competition. That can change from athlete to athlete, and sometimes from match to match. The challenge is recognizing those needs quickly and knowing when to adjust.

“Some wrestlers need to be locked in with music, things like that. Some of them need to be joking, vibing, whatever. Finding that and engaging it really quickly is hard to do. I have my personal coach, and he knows exactly what I need, but figuring it out for these new wrestlers is a challenge, but it's a really fun challenge.”

That shift from athlete to coach has given Miracle a new perspective on the pressure of competition. Instead of controlling the outcome herself, she has to trust the preparation and be ready to provide whatever her athlete needs in the moment. 

“It's cool to be in this because I know exactly how it feels, so I can relate to them in a cool way. In the tunnels, I'm more nervous as a coach standing in there than I am as an athlete. And it is the weirdest feeling.”

That feeling of nerves is part of what makes coaching so different from competing. As an athlete, you control what happens on the mat. As a coach, you have to trust the preparation, read the moment, and trust yourself to give the athlete what they need when it matters most. 

The best coaches are chameleons. They understand that every athlete is different, adapt to what each athlete needs in the moment, and know when to push, when to listen, and when to simply be there. Coaching is not one size fits all. It is about finding what makes each athlete better and helping them become who they are capable of becoming.