Looking for advice for young wrestlers

[NoVaLion2]

I have a colleague who has two young sons (late middle school) that are starting out in wrestling. He has very limited experience and was looking for advice. Without having a background he told them to just go out and be as aggressive as you can. The kids were worried about breaking the rules, and he told them that the coaches will help them with that and not to worry about it. Given the massive wealth of experience on this board I'm sure folks here have some other bits of advice they might give to kids starting out. Anyone?

 

[Rhino80]

Best advice I can give is to focus on effort and learning. Wins will come but its tough out of the gate. With older kids just starting , sometimes its better. They didnt learn all the bad habits that youth wrestlers get and they catch up pretty quickly. If they work hard, are coachable and can learn how to handle losses early they will be fine.

 

[wrestlinPSU]

Don’t ever Tweet about how you are going to slay your opponent and take their head.

And also try to have fun and not worry initially about winning.

 

[PSU Mike]

Do what Jason does.

 

[STAND with PRIDE]

“ If you’re not first, you’re last” Reece Bobby

 

[El-Jefe]

Don't cut weight.

 

[PSUer1989]

Ugh... Weird motion on RBY's knee

 

[BoHunter0210]

Early on don’t be ok at a bunch of techniques. Find 1 or 2 shots from neutral that they are good at and drill drill drill. Same goes for 2 techniques from bottom and 2 from top. Keeping it simple early on will help them gain some confidence and once they start to master these techniques then add something else. Camps and clubs can help as well to give them more mat time with different wrestlers.

 

[Dogwelder]

“Be aggressive” is so specific, so if one gives that advice and not all the other specific advice, it might semi-randomly skew the idea of what is most important in wrestling.

I would give very general advice. How about Cael Sanderson’s three principles for success, as reported by Matt Brown in his book? (Phrasing is approximate)

(1) know what you want, (2) it’s up to you to go get what you want, and (3) be grateful for the opportunity.

 

[johnstownsteel]

Everyone is missing the obvious....

Make it FUN.

 

[Dogwelder]

Best advice I can give is to focus on effort and learning. Wins will come but its tough out of the gate. With older kids just starting , sometimes its better. They didnt learn all the bad habits that youth wrestlers get and they catch up pretty quickly. If they work hard, are coachable and can learn how to handle losses early they will be fine.

Rhino’s is the best, most useful advice.

 

[a_mshaffer]

simply have fun and do your best. Then I would go into focusing on hitting one of the moves they may know. Always focus on hand control....

 

[Dogwelder]

My old coach told me, when I started volunteer-assistant-coaching kids, to watch my novice wrestlers (after they know a variety of moves and positions) and determine what positions they are good in (as in: usually “break even or score from”). He told me not to tell the wrestlers my opinion. He told me to ask a wrestler, at the time that I believed the wrestler would think of the “correct” answer. Once the wrestler has decided his own (and correct) answer, then I should teach and remind the wrestler to (for now) always try to get into this position and to not get into the other position that his opponent is trying to get him into. My coach said having the kid “discover” his own strong position is about twice as powerful as telling the kid his strong position.

 

[SRATH]

FUNdamentals.

 

[danoftw]

Don't get your arms stuck over your head.

 

[7brwnpsu]

Early on don’t be ok at a bunch of techniques. Find 1 or 2 shots from neutral that they are good at and drill drill drill. Same goes for 2 techniques from bottom and 2 from top. Keeping it simple early on will help them gain some confidence and once they start to master these techniques then add something else. Camps and clubs can help as well to give them more mat time with different wrestlers.

I like your post, but I say to learn 3 moves. Not a hard task.

Tell him always be Positive to their efforts. If they are winning by 10, tell them Positive things. If they are losing by 10 yet out Positive things.

If your friend didn't wrestle, he should learn the sport. I knew a dad from a different school district who knew nothing about the sport. His son started around the 5th grade. I did not wrestle but my kids started earlier and I knew a few things and I helped him coach at non school tournaments. Within a few years the dad absorbed the sport, found good camps and coaches and in high school his son won Fargo. As they say past performance doesn't.....but this sport is fun and great at turning young children into successful young men.

Best of luck to them.

Hopefully they embrace the sport and like it so much they write forum comments years from now.

 

[a_mshaffer]

and then eventually you have that talk about losing (assuming that will happen a lot) and that is more on the fun side and doing your best as well. I had a youth wrestler who never won a match (we would have scrimmage like matches against other clubs on the weekends) during his 3 years in my club. Of course we try to match kids up so no one wins all the time or losses all the time. But in the matches he should have won he would do something wrong, slip... always something... At some point you're thinking to yourself 'he just does not have it'. But you hang in there, gleam the positives the sport offers and move on. Few years later I saw him at a HS tournament and spoke to him and his parents. He turned into the plus side of a .500 wrestler! Puberty is wonderful as well as the proper mindset (regardless of God given talents).

Not to rant but there is the story with the parents here as well. We all know parents are the #1 problem with youth sports (over zealous coaching #2, ...). These parents did nothing but support their kid without any undo pressure. They were not making him wrestle, etc. Good environment.

 

[amattaro]

Nolf! NEXT TOPIC.

 

[palmettolion]

Wasn't going to chime in because I wasn't overly successful, I didn't start wrestling until 10th grade and took quite a few beatings. The more I think about it, maybe that perspective has some value.

1. Don't ever give up. You're going to lose, especially as a newcomer. Everyone starts some where. Don't worry about it, just keep working. In practice, in matches, in the off season. Kids that don't wrestle might run their mouths at school, doesn't matter. They aren't gutting it out like you are in that room and they'd get their asses handed to them too, if they had the balls to try. You can't get experience by watching from the bleachers. Losing matches doesn't make you a loser, quitting does. It is far worse than losing, so just keep working at it and success will come.

2. Don't be timid. Don't worry about doing stuff wrong, screwing up, looking foolish, etc. It happens to the best, it'll happen to the new kids. Being timid isn't going to keep you from getting hurt or from making mistakes or keep you from losing. It'll only hinder your growth. F it, let it fly.

3. There is no substitution for experience and that takes time. You know what doesn't, comparatively? Strength and conditioning. Build your endurance, lift weights. Eat a little smarter but don't cut weight. You probably won't be a great wrestler right out of the gate. You can have a good gas tank and get stronger and that will help to equal some things out and keep you in some matches. You don't need wrestling knowledge/experience to do this.

4. Wrestling is probably the toughest sport both physically and mentally you'll ever compete in for lots of reasons. Hardest practices, always something hurt (not injured), no teammates to bail you out, mistakes on display, constantly getting humbled, losses much harder to deal with. However, that feeling from getting your hand raised the first time after giving everything you have from start to finish, legs shaking, arms burning, hands stuck in a grip, sucking air, is unparalleled. The feeling of accomplishment is unlike any win in a team sport and you'll never forget it. It makes everything you've gone through well past worth it.

Others have hit on the finer points here with technique and starting small but the above seemed important as an outclassed new guy on the mat who started too late.

 

[RoarLions1]

Others have said it, but it's worth saying again...just have fun and enjoy it. Unless one is born into a wrestling family and exposed early, I've found in talking to many over the years that wrestling is sort of an acquired taste. If the kid likes the sport, the rest will follow.

 

[razpsu]

I was always successful as a defensive wrestler. Wrestled for 7 plus years but I played 6 sports so I wasn’t year round like some may be now or the best we’re then. So I let the other person be aggressive and i worked on counters and I was very good at tumbling so if some one put me in a cradle I would roll out of it and usually put them in their back. Also the move that nichol did in championships was one my favorites because I wasn’t great at takedowns but I had very strong legs and funny thing is big feet so I could roll them when they shot the single leg.

I also loved throwing legs in from the top
Position. Man I loved the sport. Wish I could have narrowed all the sports down sooner to just wrestling and my other sport was golf.

 

[Locolion]

Don't get your arms stuck over your head.

My wife’s into that

 

[NoVaLion2]

Thanks to everyone for all the comments. I knew you guys would come through with some great advice!

 

[Locolion]

I was always successful as a defensive wrestler. Wrestled for 7 plus years but I played 6 sports so I wasn’t year round like some may be now or the best we’re then. So I let the other person be aggressive and i worked on counters and I was very good at tumbling so if some one put me in a cradle I would roll out of it and usually put them in their back. Also the move that nichol did in championships was one my favorites because I wasn’t great at takedowns but I had very strong legs and funny thing is big feet so I could roll them when they shot the single leg.

I also loved throwing legs in from the top
Position. Man I loved the sport. Wish I could have narrowed all the sports down sooner to just wrestling and my other sport was golf.

Nickals move - elevator

 

[razpsu]

Is that what it was called?

Rob koll taught me that move.

 

[Waste Management Consultant]

I have 3 youth wrestlers 5-8 grade. I think all of the advice is pretty spot on. I would add don’t get sucked into the big travel, “national” tournament thing. And do other sports during other seasons. My boys play football in the fall, wrestle in the winter and play lacrosse in the spring. They wrestle with some year-round kids. When football is over and my boys start wrestling, the first week or two the year-round kids usually beat on them, but after a few weeks my guys are right there with those “special year round” kids. Often frustrating them and then I hear the other dads talk about :”we’re going to Tulsa or VAC’s in this many weeks and you aren’t destroying this kid who has only been here for 3 weeks.” I have no illusions of my kids getting any kind of athletic scholarships or any of that stuff. Our only expectation, we ask them after every practice/ game/tournament whatever the sport:
1. Did you do your best?
2. Did you have fun?

I always tell them how much I enjoy watching them compete. It has worked out pretty well for us. Good Luck, hope they enjoy it.

 

[yekrut321]

Most important wrestling wisdom nugget .........bring your hips to the party!!!

 

[PSUranger]

Go to every match to let them know you are there for them.
hug them when they win: hug them when they lose.
let heir coaches coach, be their dad not "that guy"
make sure they understand that it is a process and they will take their lumps
assure them that wrestlers are like no other athletes (wrestling is hard)
And understand the fire comes from within. Don't push... encourage.