If we look at the very best wrestlers in high school, most of them do not look like they belong in a muscle magazine. Tenacity certainly comes into play, but technique is the most important factor in winning. Conditioning is a close second, and strength is probably well over rated. Angle, pressure and position are much more imortant. You see the brawlers have some success, but not at the highest levels. Overall, there is no doubt that wrestling is better than it was in the past. Coaching is better, and technical wrestlers are much more common than they were 10 years ago. I will say that dedication and the willingness to put in a lot of time before seeing results is not as common as it was. Most kids simply are not willing to put in the work necessary to become a solid wrestler on the JV team for a few years.

my son sizes a kid up if he feels he is stronger then the other guy he lays the muscle to him. put if he feels the other guy is just as strong he uses techniqe he trys to out smart the other guy he is more of a counter wrestler.

Well said Shelstin. I think we've gone from the days when you might have 15 good, hard workers in your room who eventually become average to good wrestlers and let the chips fall where they may. Today, I think it's gone more to a few elite kids, a few more that were in that were in that group of 15 (but not as many), and a few more who, as you put it, like the sport, but aren't willing to put in the extra work. And this is too bad.

For the most part, I think numbers are down across the state. Kids are simply not willing to pay their dues. Many successful kids wrestlers will sit out for a year until they can make varsity. They will still wrestle kids, but do not have the ego to handle being on JV. It is a mind set that is hard to change.

In some ways Shelstin, that's not such a bad thing. We had numbers situations at times that had me putting woefully inexperienced kids on the mat as freshmen and sophomores that were basically forfeits with a pulse. There's always a danger there of having them get so discouraged that they pack it in before they ever get good.

With some kids — especially 80-pound freshmen 103-pounders, that might not be so bad. At least they're competing. Don't get me wrong; I am all for paying dues, but it should be dues, not a life-savings.