I’ve been thinking, (yes I know, quit bragging) about several posts lately!

One, are Will’s figures that show a decline in sub-district numbers. Another concerns the “burn out” factor. Another, that maybe we are losing kids who just aren’t very good at wrestling and their getting tired of being beat on.

Kansas has a huge number of 6U and 8U! That number declines substantially by the time they reach 12U and 14U. This is not an anomaly … there is a study that shows 70% of kids are done with competitive sports by the time they reach the age of 13! There are two primary reasons this happens; one, they aren’t having any fun and two; they get too much pressure from adults.

But there may be another factor … perhaps they aren’t developing skills! A lack of development means they may give it a try and because they perceive a lack of success, they quit!

Wrestling is a complex sport that requires the development of complex skills. I’m not intending to diminish the skill level in other sports but wrestling requires a skill set! If a newbie does not develop these, s/he grows frustrated, and s/he won’t be back!

We have to have newbie’s in wrestling. A certain percentage of those will be naturals! They may be natural wrestlers because of genetics, osmosis or they simply are good at learning and paying a great deal of attention. Or they may be natural “brawlers!” Either way, these “wrestlers” are finding some early success. But are we losing the rest!

I think that a lot of issues can be solved, if the wrestling coach dedicates himself to developing skills in ALL his or her wrestlers! We need to strive for having a balance in our rooms!