For as big of a fellow as Mike Whitehead is, you wouldn’t think he’d be able to walk such a fine line.

The 6-foot-2, 265-pounder is a rock no matter how many different elements seemingly chip away at him from day to day.

Whitehead is one of the favorites this season to claim the NAIA national championship as a heavyweight wrestler at Southern Oregon University.

He’s also a standout in the field of full-contact fighting, sporting an 11-3 record to go with his work as a trainer at the Fight Factory in Ashland.

He even claimed his first national championship in submission wrestling three weeks ago in an event outside San Diego, Calif., shutting out three foes for the title. He will be one of six Americans to compete at the World Championships in Rio this April.

As you can imagine, friends and family are behind his collegiate pursuit.

The other interests ... well, that’s another story.

"For the most part, my family’s against it and not supportive of it," Whitehead says of his full-contact activities. "It’s not accepted. They see it as a brutal thing, and I see it is as the most competitive sport out there because it takes everything to succeed."

To be fair, Whitehead certainly has been successful and has come out of each match remarkably unharmed in his four years of action. His biggest injury has been a separated rib.

"There’s risk to it," admits the 21-year-old, "but it’s just like wrestling. You have to know how to get out of areas that could get you hurt."

Of course, that’s easier said than done.

Just as soon as he tells you how he advanced to his submission championship by shutting out two 6-4, 290-pound competitors by a combined 13-0 score, he then lets you know the title was secured when the other finalist blew out his knee as Whitehead went for a takedown.

In Whitehead’s world, it’s all give and take.

"I get a lot from my parents about getting hurt," he says, "but the same exact move could have happened right in the wrestling room at Southern Oregon."

In that wrestling room is another figure not too pleased with Whitehead’s off-season interests: SOU coach Mike Ritchey.

"It’s dangerous," says Ritchey. "I have concerns about the submission wrestling because of the pressure on the joints and those kind of things.

"From a coaching standpoint, it makes me nervous that he could possibly get hurt for this upcoming season."

To garner a submission, any measure of choke or joint lock can do the trick. Elbow, knee, hip, ankle ... it’s all fair game and just a matter of time before one, properly wrenched in, can lead to a submission.

Because the three wrestling ventures have similar moves, it’s a wonder submission holds haven’t seeped into his collegiate wrestling.

"It is tough sometimes, but it’s just gears to me," says Whitehead, who has been wrestling since age 6. "I just switch into a different gear or different mode and then it all falls into place. I’ve never once had the thought in the heat of a scramble to throw out a submission move or something."

On the flip side, his Raider mates are never too far from his mind when he steps into the ring for a full-contact or submission match.

"I wouldn’t take a tough fight real close to wrestling season," says Whitehead. "The team is always in the back of my mind."

Prior to his trip to the national tournament, Whitehead researched the injury history of past tournaments. The last thing he wanted to do is jeopardize his standing on the team or its ability to chase down an NAIA championship.

In fact, had it come down to a choice of tapping out or risking injury, the ultracompetitive Whitehead says there really was only one option.

"I would’ve tapped," he says. "I told myself going into it that if there was anything close, I would have to tap. Fortunately it didn’t go that far."

Whitehead wouldn’t even get to that stage if Ritchey had his way.

"If I was paying 100 percent of his tuition and books and he was on a full ride," says the coach, "there’s no way I’d let him do it."

But being at an NAIA institution that has little money to throw around prevents the coach from that stance. He instead leans on each of his wrestlers to act like adults and make their own decisions.

"I’d rather have them make a right decision than try to force something on them," Ritchey says. "My philosophy has always been you control your own destiny.

"I don’t feel it’s my position to step into their life and tell them they’re making a bad decision on everything they do. Somebody can’t be standing there holding their hand all the time."

That’s not to say Ritchey doesn’t have rules in place. When the collegiate season is under way, that is the only training allowed, and all focus is on being a Southern Oregon Raider.

None of that bothers Whitehead, who says he understands why his coach and family members do not approve of his outside pursuits.

"It’s a tough line to walk right there," he says. "I can see both sides, but this is what I want to do right now. There are families out there who don’t let their kids wrestle because they think that’s brutal. It’s just how far you want to take it."

And no matter how far that is for some, it’s a safe bet Whitehead is willing to go one step further.

Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail khenry@mailtribune.com