Well wrestling season is about a month away so its about that time.

Im pretty sure this question hasn't been ask before on this forum but if it has oh well. Now that I have been coaching wrestling for Abilene I've had the unique opportunity to see wrestling for a different perspective. Throughout my wrestling years I have listened to people talk about the age of wrestlers in the aspect of how young they start. My parents wouldn't let me start wrestling until I was 8 years old, but I remember wanting to wrestle 2 years before that. Later sometimes I would think back and wonder if I would have been an even better wrestler had I started earlier. I have 1 kid right now im my club that is 6 years old and almost placed at state last year, Also our head coaches son, wrestled at 2 tournaments last year and he was barely over 3 years old. I have a nephew that I wanted to start practicing with us last year becuase he is 3, but all he wanted to do is play so his mother decided to keep him out another year. My question to everyone (mainly directed at parents and coaches) is... What age do you think is a good one to start kids at? Let me give my opinion first just to start things out. I think that a kid should start wrestling when ever they are mentally ready. Often times when a kid starts too young they end up getting "burnt out" Also the stress of not winning, when it is overemphasized by parents and coaches adds to this. Im my experiance if this is going to be a kids first real athletic experiance he should be introduced to wrestling around 5 or 6 years old. He/She could practice with a club when they are 3 or 4 but really should not compete at these ages. Anyway let me know what you think,

Nigel Isom
Abilene Kids Wreslting

I would agree that it should be when the child is mentally and even physically ready. It will vary with each child. My son started in first grade just before he turned 7 years old. It was the first time we were aware of the activity for kids. He maybe could have started a year earlier but I think this was a good time for him.

One issue with kids this age in any sport is their attention span and whether they will be serious about participating. If they are not ready in this way they could be disruptive. The coaches could end up spending too much of their time baby-sitting and it will be taking time away from the other wrestlers. To be honest most of the young wrestlers I have seen have been attentive and not disruptive or they simply did not last thru the season.

Another issue I see is whether the club prepared to properly supervise them with the other wrestlers. Will it be a safe environment at practice for them and the older wrestlers. They will require a little more supervision and need to be watched so that they are not to close on the mat to the older and bigger wrestlers during live wrestling.

If they're walkin' they're wrestling. Injury? Their bones aren't even hard yet, their like rubber.

All kidding aside, I'd have to agree with other posts about age appropriateness. In fact, I'd have to say the early age does not necessarily make the best wrestler. I started in 8th grade after getting cut from basketball and I had a successful career as an athlete. Laurice Reagans, my state champ from Wichita Southeast started his freshman year and was champ his junior year. And his road to champ was tough, each person he beat had actually beat him the in every meeting before the state tourney. My point is that the cream will rise to the top.

My kids know that the "he's been wrestling since he was five" is not a valid excuse for a loss. It may make mom and dad feel better, but it doesn't cut it in my room. I am the example, they have met Laurice and he is the example. Don't succumb to the theory that the longer a kid wrestles the better he is. Forcing a kid (though sometimes is needed) will create an athlete whose heart is not in it, and we have all seen that in the high school ranks.

Anyway, that's my take. Good luck to Abilene and tell Coach Gable I said hello.

coach gibson

Excellent responses by all! Another consideration is the kids enthusiasm to go to practice. A wrestling practice gives kids the opportunity to learn a whole lot of things other than double-legs and half-nelsons! As the Copper level now teaches, it is "training for life." The discipline, work ethic, body control, etc. that are learned are far more important than any wrestling move.

A kids enthusiasm for practice can be measured by their readiness. In other words, if a kid gathers his gear, does his homework, and is suggesting to Mom that is time to go to practice; he or she is ready! Conversly, if Mom has to drag a kid away from the Playstation, find his wrestling shoes, etc. I suggest that he or she is not ready.

Which brings me to another point. I use to be a firm believer and teacher that, if a kid signs up for an activity, he will finish it! That philosophy has changed a bit. If you as a parent are forcing or making your child finish an activity that they have lost enthusiasm for, perhaps you are doing your child a dis-service!

How's that for opening another can of worms!!!

Randy

Randy (USAWKS1,
I also do not believe that a child needs to finish an activity that they signed up for 100% of the time. I would follow that rule if they had signed up for a sport that requires more than one participant playing at the same time (football, basketball, etc.). I would encourage the child to at least finish the season if his teammates are depending on his or her participation.

I do agree that you could do the child potential harm by forcing them to participate in a sport. When I took my son to his first wrestling practice as a first grader, I had no idea if he would make it. I was hopeful he would like it, but I knew he was not in for something easy and that he might not be ready. Fortunately he did like it and thru his five years of participation he has never complained about either going to practice or meets. I think your examples of how they would show rebellion were pretty good.

I think that they need individual enthusiam for the sport to be successful in the long run, no matter what the sport is. I think it is especially true for contact sports like wrestling and football. I was a football player not a wrestler. My son tried football a couple of years ago. He did not show the same enthusiam for it as he has for wrestling. He likes to watch football just not play it right now. I have not pushed for him to play it again. If he does play football again it will be because he has told me that he would like to try it again.

Nigel, this is an interesting topic.

Both of my boys started in Kindergarten and 1st grade. We approached it week to week, I asked if they wanted to sign up for a tournament before I actually signed them up. When they said they were done for the year - they were done. They still continued practicing they had just had enough of the tournaments!

Advice from a Mom by observations made for the past 7 years of wrestling for parents:

Do not drop your six year old off at practice - stay at practice until you are sure that they are mature enough to handle practice - the coaches are not there to babysit your kid - they are there to coach and they can't do that when they are chasing a six year old down the hall!

Be at matside to hug your kid - win or lose - after the match. I have seen way too often very young kids being yelled at by their parents for losing - we have all seen this! It's bad enough to see the older kids getting yelled at but seeing a little kid crying is too much!

Lastly, remember that they are very young and the focus is to get them to high school wrestling - if you burn them out and make wrestling no fun at 6 then they will turn to basketball!

I think there are some good responses to an excellent yet overlooked topic.

Personally, I do not enjoy coaching nor do I recommend starting a child younger than 8 or 9. One reason is maturity level and attention span is usually very short at this age. I introduced my own kids to wrestling at around 9 or 10 years of age.
When I initially introduced them to the sport, I did so with the idea of just practicing and not competing for about 6 months to a year. But after a month and a half or so they were begging me to take them to competition to compete. So I took them to a few. For the next 2 years I was coaching them and they were very successful even at the national level. Recently though I decided to stop coaching them since me coaching them was interfering with our relationship. Furthermore, even though they never were overexposed to tournaments competing in no more than 10 or 11 tournaments in a calendar year(this includes freestyle, folkstyle, reg. nationals, etc.) they do not have a desire to compete in tournaments, at least not many of them. So I decided the following:
1) I would no longer coach them but will be
supportive of their wrestling and other
activities.
2) I will not take them to nationals this year,
and let them and their coach decide what local
and state tournaments they would compete in
if any this year.
3) I will only make suggestions and recommendation
regarding wrestling, camps, etc. but I will let them decide what they
want. After all, a true champion has to want
it himself.
4) I agree with the post from coach Gibson, a
kid can start in the 8th grade and in a few
years with motivation and good coaching he can
step on the mat with anyone. So being that
he is now in the 13-14 year old division I
think it's best to backoff now, and hopefully
the hunger to compete will comeback and he'll
be ready for big time competition in highschool. If not oh well, but I do not think it's a good idea to push a young kid in this sport because he can burn out and not want to do it again.

i think if oyu can walk you can wrestle so start them off as soon as you can

Somers, I totally disagree with the the concept
"If they can walk they can wrestle".

Only because one can walk does not mean he has balance, sufficient coordination, or emotionally ready to physically mix it up with someone else on the mat.

It's ok, I know many people who thinks the same and start their kids at 4, and 5. Some of those people are also surprised when kids that I've coached who are 10,11,and 12 years of age and have been wrestling for only 2 and 3 years are beating some of those kids that started wrestling when they were 4 and 5.

Bottom line, in the long run it doesn't make a different if you start them at 4 or 9. Actually it does, the 9 year old is better prepared to learn the sport.

well look at all the great wrestlers in the state, and i'm not talking about the ok ones take shawn bunch did he start when he was nine (no) Gabe, Bork, Stevens, Dyer they all started young, you really need to look into things before you say something like that

but You do make a good point when you say that some 2-3 year wrestlers beat some that have wrestled since 5 because some kids get burnt out so good point.

Good topic with many good responses. My son started when he was 7 and is still wrestling at 13. He has 2 state championships and has placed in the top 3 in state 7 times. He also has placed in numerous national championships including winning one and I would consider him a great little wrestler. I will give great validity to all of the posts up to this point, with the possible exception of maybe one. There are I believe, a couple of other things to consider however.
1: Location of practice and practice room facilities need to be also taken into consideration. Is the facility, coaching and wrestlers age appropriate for the child. For example, I have seen many smaller children practicing in a room and become a distraction to the other wrestlers in the room. This is certainly the case in drills and conditioning. I have seen many of the little guys and gals literally get ran over and knocked around. Parents should not place their children in a room that is not suited for that kid.
2. I think that children of all ages can benefit from the basics of wrestling. So in some ways I have found that the case is not always if the child is ready, but are the parents ready? As someone who has done quite a bit of study on child behavior it is primarily important that the parents be able to handle the stress and intensity of wrestling. Often times, if not most of the time, the reason for burnout and bad experiences center around the parents more than the children. I know that even for myself this was the case for the first 3 years of my son wrestling. I as do most parents, have melowed out over the years and my son enjoys the sport now much more because of it. That is not to say that at times he doesn't have difficulty, it is a tough and grueling sport when you compete mostly year round and on a national level. It is important though to allow your child the opportunity to have fun and even experience other sports. Once you see where your child excels then maybe push as you need to for that sport but still allow individual freedom. This is one of the things that the movie Reversal is actually quite good about in my opinion. It shows a loving father that goes over the edge and the consequenses of those actions. While some may be critical of the movie I believe from what I have seen and observed that those things happen far to often.

Somers,

You bring up only a few names of wrestlers that have been exceptional in the nation that started when they were young. What about all the others that started out at the same time, but did not reach the notoriety? As a wrestling coach, I have seen kids that have been wrestling forever that were horrible. Vice versa, I've seen kids that just started beat defending state champs. There's one thing you forgot in your equation - athletic ability.

Bunch, Bork, and others are gifted athletes. They have reached their potential by great coaching surrounding them in combination with athletic ability. Everyone would agree that you can't take a "fish" and make him a "shark". My father always said that if "the boy don't bite as a puppy, he ain't gonna bite when his a big dog." Having watched Bunch since he was in junior high, I can tell you right now, he was a ferocious competitor. Starting a kid as soon as possible doesn't do it - it's what kind of disposition a kid has in combination to athletic prowess.

Some things to consider. When a person first starts to wrestle, their knowledge of the sport shoots up extrememly quick. We then have a leveling off period in which continues to accelerate, but not at the rate we once learned. After that, it's all up to knowledge and pure athleticism. This is why some "experienced" wresters will be a 1st year wrester and then have problems with him the following year or two. The experienced wrestler is no longer wrestling someone who is clueless, but knows strategy, etc. I have personally coached a kid that started wrestling his freshman year and in his junior year, beat a state placer in the 1st round, a state champion in the second round, another state placer in the semis, and another state placer in the finals. I should also make note that he had wrestled each of those wrestlers through those three years multiple times and had NEVER beat any of them. It was one of the proudest moments of my life (I don't have kids of my own yet).

I have even had this discussion with college coaches and some of them like the kids that are athletic, but have started later in their lives because they haven't developed into the wrestler that says, I don't do that, it's not my style. These late bloomers are diamonds in the rough and the coaches have the opportunity to make them into something. I've seen collegiate wrestlers that are unwilling to change a technique and are resistant to change. They don't go as far because they want to stay in their old habits and collegiate wresting is another step up. Those that have wrestled in college will tell you it is true.

Anyway, lunch is about over and I have kids coming in.

gibby

Coach Gibson, I have found your two comments very interesting. I agree that a good athlete can pick up about any sport and become successful at it. But would they ultimately have been better if they had picked it up earlier? Are you saying that a young wrestler would be better off to wait to start in high school? I was getting that idea after reading your last comment. A second question I would have is: Do you think that a national quality wrestler like the wrestlers mentioned Bunch, Bork, Dyer, etc. would be better potential wrestlers if they had not started at a young age? Did starting early make them better or worse?

Personally, I do not care if my son goes on to wrestle in high school. He is in the sixth grade now and this will be his sixth year of wrestling. He has enjoyed it and has experienced some success with it. But I still approach it like I did the first day I took him to practice in the first grade. If he likes it and wants to continue, he can. If he wants to stop it is his decision to do so. I just want him to be physically active and not spending all of his free time in front of some electronic device. If he decides to stop at any time now, I will still feel real good about the positive things he has experienced from his participation so far.

I didn't start organized football untill 7th grade, but we played constantly (football, basketball, baseball and even backyard wrestling) when I was a kid. Today I don't think that we have the same kind of physical play activity going on with kids unless it is in an organized sport. I know there is a danger of burnout but there might be a bigger danger of no physical activity and exercise if they do not participate in organizied sports at a young age today.

Husker fan I'm glad you agree with me at least on some of the points i made i think that the people that have had expirnce starting at a young age can really agree with me, or started later and wished they started younger i really don't like when i put down a simple comment and somebody trys to make me look bad thanks for you respoce

what i ment in that last message was thanks for sticking up for me on the subject it didn't sound like what i was shooting at so thanks

Somers,

Yes, you did correctly guess from my questions to Coach Gibson that I agree with your point. I do believe that it is advantage to start wrestling at a younger age. I still strongly also agree with Coach Gibson that a gifted and motivated athlete with no experience can eventually overcome a less gifted and motivated experienced wrestler. I just believe that all things being equal that the more experienced wrestler has the advantage. But if I was a parent of an athlete who did not compete as a youth, I believe I would be lucky to have son or daughter wrestle for Coach Gibson because he obviously could really motivate the wrestler to reach their potential in a short period of time. I am still interested in Coach Gibson's answers to my question to him, because I do respect his opinion and I am interested in his answer. Coach Gibson has wrestling experience and knowledge that I do not have, so his opinions do have weight with me.

I will use some examples from another sport. Let's take the most obvious one, Tiger Woods. He had a nine iron in his hand before he could probably walk. I saw him at the age of about four or five on a national TV show demonstrating his early skills. I really do not believe that Tiger would have accomplished everything he has so far if he had started as a high school golfer. I know Tom Watson also started golf at a very young age. He won a Kansas City tournament against adults when he was about 13 years old. He has accomplished a great deal in golf. I believe that Larry Nelson in contrast started in his twenties. He was a great athlete and has done very well but not to the level of Tom Watson. I believe he would have if he had started earlier.

I know golf and other sports are not the same as wrestling but I bet there are examples in wrestling too. I believe I saw a short filming of Cael Sanderson wrestling at a young age when I was watching a special on him last Spring.

I just think that on the average that youth wrestling is a help and not a hinderance to a future wrestler. I believe that more athletes have been given an advantage by wrestling as a youth. I bet that more average athletes have achieved more than some better athletes who did not start untill high school. I know that there are exceptions, but I would be very surprised if normally that the inexperienced athlete did better than the athlete with youth wrestling experience. I realize that the exceptional and motivated athlete can overcome most less gifted athletes. But I believe this type of athlete is exceptional and is not the norm. It would be interesting to hear from some wrestlers who did wrestle as youths and find out what they think about this issue.

Sorry it took so long to respond. I haven't looked at the site for a few days.

First off, no I'm not saying that the gifted athlete would be better off if he waited till later in life. What I am saying is that the earlier they start does not mean that they will be better off as high school wrestlers.

There are variables that go beyond just the date a wrestler begins. One is coaching. I mean no disrespect to other coaches, but the athletes mentioned by Somers have spent quality time around a staff that is regarded as one of the best in the state, even the nation. So one could say that the benefits from them outweigh the benefits from other staffs. Two, practice partners. The practice partner has much to do with the benefit of a wrestler. So just because a kid has been wrestling for a while with a horrible partner does not make him a fantastic wrestler. Third, competition. What kinds of competitions and what kinds of competitors are they facing? Bunch, Dyer, and Bork went to major competitions across the nation and competed against top notch athletes.

These are just the topical variables. Tie in maturation rates of each athlete and athletic ability and desire, the combinations are overwhelming. A simple start when they walk ideology makes no sense and doesn't take into consideration the amount of thought that needs to be placed into making someone a champion. And even that is contingent on the reality of could the athlete or does the athlete have that drive and desire to be great.

Most people start their kids in wrestling to get them an outlet to let off some energy or to expose them to a sport that allows them to compete against people their own size.

Two, and finally, am I insinuating that a wrestler is actually worse off if they start earlier or later? No. But I have seen and have had athletes that have not progressed and have become comfortable with the same techniques or bad habits they developed as a child. As those athletes have had some success with them, the become complacent and actually resistent to change. This is a battle college coaches have had to deal and that's the point I was trying to make. There are many techniques that are vital wrestling, but there are also techniques wresters develop that are nothing more than bad habits. This unwillingnes to change from their style they developed at 6 or 7 years of age kills them at 16 or 17.

Somers, I was not trying to belittle you, but trying to illustrate a point that there is way too much that goes into a top performing athlete than years experience. There is no perfect plan that involves years of experience. It's what the experience entails as well as the athleticism and desire of the athlete. That make him a champion. That's the point I was trying to derive at. Sorry for any confusion

coach gibson

Coach Gibson,

Thank you for your detailed reply. I understand where you are coming from better now. I can imagine that it is probably frustrating for a high school coach to have to change bad habits that may be impossible to break.

I agree with you that all of those things you mentioned are major factors (the coaching, partners, level of competitive matches, etc.) in an athlete's ultimate success. I think that is true in all youth sports and activities. All parents probably struggle in trying to find the best environment for their children to succeed in their activities. It is not easy to always find that.

As a parent, my motivation was close to what you described. Yes, I intially wanted a sport where he could use his energy on kids his own age and also against kids his own size in contrast to football and maybe even learn a little self defense. But as he has progressed over these last five years, there are many other positive things that he is picking up from his participation in this sport. As I have stated before I'm just concerned about what he is gaining by participating now. I might even feel that it is more important for him to be acquiring these good things now than in high school.

Even though his ultimate success in high school is not my main objective for his participation now, my gut feeling is still that he would be a better high school wrestler due to his youth participation than if he tried to start as a freshman in high school. It seems to me that many of the kids who start young have parents who are coaches or were former wrestlers, so I guess they must believe there is some value to starting at a young age. I do understand your position and I do appreciate you sharing it with us. It would be interesting now to hear from some other coaches, parents and athletes on this.

Hats off to a number of interesting responses...and all seem to be directed at the best intersts of each wrestler as an individual. And, even though wrestling is a very individual sport, it is also a team sport. I think that the early development of a rec level wrestling program is a crucial element in developing a prominent high school program. As with most of you, I think that when a boy/girl begins to wrestle should depend on the maturity, development, desire of the child AND the suitability of the available program. But, if you want to promote tradition and team unity, you make that opportunity available to them at a fairly young age...say, when they start school. Take a look at the strongest and most prolific programs in the state, and behind each of them you will find a motivated and team-centered youth program. I know some very successful high school wrestling coaches who credit much of their success to the success of those youth programs. Talent is talent...and it takes great talent to be great. But experience is an edge that most wrestlers hope to have when meeting an otherwise equal opponent.