I am sure that this has been brought up in the past. I am wondering what everyones thoughts are on having the kids step on the scale as they are checking in before each match. Here are some questions about mat-side weigh-in.

1. Will it help the kids enjoy the sport more?

2. Will this help our kids become better technicians?

3. If they are better technicians will they have a better shot of going on to college if they do so choose.

4. Would mat-side weigh-ins upset the parents or the kids?

There are pros and cons for mat-side weigh-ins. The biggest pro i see is that the best "WRESTLER" will usually win. In turn this will push the others to learn technique and not just cut weight and use their strength to win.

What do you all think????


Jason Wood

What happens when u make weight your first match then get hungry and get a bite to eat then fail to make weight in the next match?

My son was close to weight and weighed in alot in the morning, that way he did not have to pull weight. So now instead of wrestling 46 he would have to wrestle 49, we would be at a big disadvantage. Next year we might be at a big advantage, it is hard to say. None of your 12U, 14U, or 16U would be able to make weight all day at one weight. The system we have now is not the best system, but it is the best system we have.

I believe the best wrestler usually wins as the system is now.I think those who make excuses after losses because of size difference would find an excuse no mater what. Cutting large amounts of weight will not make you stronger,faster or more mentally prepared to battle.During a meet wrestlers should be concentrating on their next opponent,or mistakes they made in the last match, not on the next weighin.Weight fluctuates during a tournament not only by food and water intake but the length,number of matches, and effort put into those matches.A wrestler who spends his practice time learning technique and tuffness has a HUGE advantage over someone who "just cuts weight ".If that person is getting stronger by cutting this weight I would guess he was overweight to begin with.We live in a time where overweight children are the norm with health issues at epidemic levels.I do agree some kids are cutting too much weight but these are not the cream of the crop by a long way.The best will however cut out junkfood,pop,and other unhealthy foods during season and find a weight where they're lean and mean.Dedication is a good thing.IMO

Any wrestler could be able to make weight all day long. You just have to wrestle in a class that permits you to fluctuate throughout the day. It is THE MOST fair way to eliminate the CRAZY weight cutting that exists today. ESJ you are blind to what is going on if you don't think their is an advantage and that the current system is being exploited.

There is a strong chance that tournaments such as the Roller events will be mandating 2nd day weigh ins for multiple day events. I can't wait to see the reaction over that change.

Will is right on. The first time a kid could not wrestle well from trying to hold a weight too low, or was DQ'ed in the middle of the day for not making weight they would move up. After the initial settling in people would figure this out and everyone would have to move up. Then you would be wrestling the same kids as you are now just everyone would be natural weight. Except the kids that were cutting a bunch now they are up with kids there same size. It would be awesome!

24/7

I am all for 2 day weighins and 1hr.before competition.I do not think weighing 3,4,5,or 6 times a day would stop those inclined to extreme weight cutting to stop, just change their strategy.These kids sometimes don't make weight now and most just try harder the next week. There is an advantage for a lean and mean wrestler over one with some flab on them.Unhealthy weight cutting is just that, unhealthy (loss of muscle, strength,endurance,mental focus,poor immune system).It takes much more than a few hours to recover from this type of preperation.The natural weight of many of our youth is at an unhealthy level and they could stand to lose a few pounds,(adults also)but I do agree plenty are cutting too much and I see most losing matches they would be winning at a higher, more healthy weightclass.My son wrestled last years NJCAA 133lb. champion in this years 125lb championship finals (don't think the cut worked out in his favor).I, for one, am very glad he chose to exploit the system as Raymond Stephens was lean and mean at 133 last year. He might have been slightly larger than my son at 125 this year but is not the 125lb champion.

I personally DONT think that a KID would make weight all day long... Have u ever been to a kids tournament. If 16 onces of water equal one pound then how much water could you drink. The concession stand make a killing off of gaterade, pizza, and prob the only think the kids could buy to NOT make them gain much weight during a tournament is CANDY.

I know one think we do after weigh ins at every tournament is drink a mix of water / gaterade eat a bagel and some fruit then chill for about 30 minutes and repeat.

It will take a lot to convince me that someone isnt gonna gain weight by drinking water etc. on a tournament day... Keep in mind that tournaments can be an all day event.

I think some could, but what a way to spend a day if you want to be anywhere close to the weight limit.Weigh in before match,weigh in after match see how much you sweat off, then drink weigh again,take a dump,weigh again,eat something weigh again,go to the table before next match weigh again.Then repete for next match.
What a hassle especially with young wrestlers.Of course you could enter at a weight heavy enough where that would not be a problem but I am sure some will do this making a much larger size difference than what we now have.That time should be spent concentrating on wrestling,enjoying family and friends.As it is now maybe a few blessed with fast recovery ability from unhealthy weight cutting have an advantage, but most times a wrestler pays for unhealthy tatics.A few pounds difference is usually more of an excuse for a loss than a reason.

Just curious, what other combat sports that are weight specific have mat side or ring side weigh ins? Why expect more from kids then High School & beyond?

No other combat sport that weighs in that I am aware has over 8000 participants in KS and is nationally on this scale (get the pun). And I also believe that HS and beyond should do it, but I am more concerned at this point with the kids.

24/7

All of you detractors are completely missing the concept. Wrestlers enter in a weight that leaves them able to comfortably compete during the day without weighing more than the class they entered. It is a very simple concept. You step on the scale at the table, if you are on or under you wrestle if you don't you are disqualified. If you get dqed a few times you will move up a weight class. It totally takes the focus off of weight cutting. You might want to practice some weight management so you don't let your wrestler eat candy, drink pop, eat nachos, guzzle gatorade, etc. It is as simple as that.

I just posted this today on another topic on the high school forum and I think it is applicable here too:

Well well Will, sounds like so call detractors hit a nerve. By the way I haven't seen any detracting on this subject. Detract is defined as To reduce the value, importance, or quality of something; I see other opinions that are different from yours . Cutting weight is part of wrestling for older kids & professionls, same as boxing, MMA etc. end of discussion; as far as the younger kids go, my son wrestled at 58 lbs last year. On Friday his ritual after school was to check the scale to see if he was going to be able to have a bedtime snack after dinner or if he was going to have to skip the snack i.e. eat candy, drink pop, eat nachos, guzzle gatorade, etc. if he was under he would enjoy his snack, if he was over he would not, he never missed weight, he never ran, sweat, spit dehydrated, missed meals etc.; his reward for making weight was biscuits & gravy & an orange at the tournament for breakfast;why did he want to wrestle at 58 instead of 61? guarantee is wasn't that the competition was easier, he had goals & they all involved beating kids at 58 that had beaten him. now take that away from him along with the rest of the extreme sacrifice that he & the rest of our family glady endure every season & wrestling turns into a chore not fun kid sports. Your rule has to be reasonable for all ages as one of the greatest things about wrestling is the diversity of ages & backgrounds. Aren't the kids under enough stress already? Why add more stress to the tournament by weighing in 4-6 times a day!! Not to mention the bottelnecking problem that would happen at the tables. If anything adopt the same policly that high school has as far as hydration testing. That seems to be a pretty simple fix not to mention the logistics. "yes I know we don't have enough volunteers to work the tables but we also need 12 more for weighing kids 3000 more times." Yuck!

PatrickCavanaugh-I appreciate your opinion and welcome the conversation. I do believe you are missing the point. Matside weighins would ensure your son an all those he wanted to wrestle and beat were at 61. This would actually mean they could have more fun and have that bedtime snack. This would make less of a chore not more. This would make families learn about heathly eating at a proper weight and about and not purging and binging to gain an advantage. It would also mean those not as worried about their kids health as yourself would be forced to work within a tighter set of rules.

24/7

24/7- I also welcome the conversation but I feel the argument is flawed; regardless of the rules that are being suggested, the unhealthy practices that you listed will still be done. Only the kid will starve himself one additional day or will be like the horse jockey at the races & lined up to puke. Kind of reminds me of gun control laws; don't need new laws, need to work with the ones we have. Also, I feel fairly confident that this topic was not started to address 10/under wrestlers & younger; it is addressing the kids that already have one foot out the door as far as kids wrestling goes just like so many other topics that are talked about under the Kids Folkstyle section of this website. Is this rule that is being suggested going to help the majority of it's members? No. It is going to effect the minority that will have to go back to the old system as soon as they get out of kids wrestling! How about the logistices of this suggested rule change? We have a hard time rounding up 2-4 scales for a tournament, now we need 10-15? And they better be accurate. Otherwise kids are running from surface to surface arguing that the scale is wrong etc. Why not hydration testing 2x per year? This way we're not at the tournament til who know's how much longer then we are now. But hey, that's just my opinion.

I think that some sacrifice is a good thing... within reason... if u read my other post on the two weigh class high school limit that I am FOR u would know that I dont believe in cutting extreme amounts of weights... however if a kids is at 62 and wants to wrestle 61 and say dad I want to cut out a bed time snack in order to help myself tomorrow make weight.... maybe that kid understand something about sacrifice which u can use in all phases of life.

Doing hydration with high school kids is tricky... I def dont recommend it with the younger ones. <<shakes head>>

OK,
I raised this question to see (in my opinion) how many coaches and parents felt that the only way to compete was to cut weight. I also brought up this topic because of first hand experience of wrestling up to get better. If you want details PM me, I will gladly give them to you.

PatrickCavanaugh--How many times would the kids starve himself after getting beat time and again because he is weak? At some point and time the kids and/or parents would say enough is enough after being DQ'd or getting beat. No not just the 10U and younger. If they learn how to wrestle using great technique instead of sloppy technique and extra strength will they be better wrestlers in HS? Also, it doesn't have to be before each match. It was put that way just to get the topic started. Yes, it was started for the younger kids. Are the younger ones cutting because of choice or is it the parents/coaches? Accuracy of the scales-----give them 1.5# for shoes and singlet. If this isn't enough they need to bump up to the next weight. If they can't compete at the next weight up then they are NOT being taught enough/proper technique. Kids won't be running from scale to scale if they are told not to. If they are their parents or coaches are acting the same way then the coach isn't taking care of handling his club. Maybe they act that way because the coaches/parents act the same way??????? Maybe i am wrong but it seems that the fence is below you on this subject.

PatrickCavanaugh posted this on a different thread:

Sounds like there's alot of 6/under kids dieting or God forbid dropping weight. Am i the only one on this thread that thinks a 6 year old should not be worrying about weight the night before a tournament? Maybe the 6 year old should be wrestling up. unless you want the kid to hate wrestling before they get to 10/under.


esj:
If cutting weight doesn't give you and advantage as you stated that it doesn't, why do they keep doing it?


Travius:
It appears that you are a coach as i am with our club. In no way shape or form do i nor our head coach promote weight cutting, watching or dieting on a continuous basis. Dieting is ok, if, the kids needs to diet due to unhealthiness prior to stepping in the room. WE stress proper technique, mental toughness and proper attitude on and off the mat. It does concern me that if you are a coach, you seem to be promoting weight watching, maybe not cutting.

Travius stated:
It will take a lot to convince me that someone isn't gonna gain weight by drinking water etc. on a tournament day... Keep in mind that tournaments can be an all day event.

The concession stands make a killing off of Gatorade, pizza, and prob the only think the kids could buy to NOT make them gain much weight during a tournament is CANDY.

Question to Travius:
Aren't kids suppose to drink as much water as they can? Isn't it healthy for them? Isn't pizza one of the most favorite foods of kids? I hope that they are allowed to eat more than just candy. I would hate to pay for their dental costs later on. Don't know about you but i feel "let kids be kids".


If the wrestlers are taught the proper technique by their coach and learn to use it against heavier kids they won't have to cut/watch their weight. If they have to cut/watch weight here are some reasons they may be doing so.

Poor teaching
Not born to be a wrestler
haven't grasped the sport yet (but will later on)


Main reason for weight cutting?
Parents wanting their kids to win so they can beat their own chest?
Coaches wanting to look good due to how their program stacks up.


It is pretty sad when you sit back and really think about what some of these kids are going through to please others. Some are going through it because someone is telling them "you have to if you want to win". NOT TRUE You don't have to cut weight to win.


Jason Wood

To answer your question many kids today in this country are overweight and yes pizza is one of their faviorite foods,thats probably why they're overweight.An inshape lean wrestler has a huge advantage over a squishy pizza eating kid. Maybe kids shouldn't have to watch their weight thats the parents job IMO (give the kid some veggies) being overweight is dangerous,we may be the first generation to outlive our children because of eating habits.Those who are cutting too much are trying to find a way to win but it just won't work, being weak, sick,and malnourished is not an advantage it's unhealthy.If the kid is gaining strenght,speed,endurance by cutting he needed to lose the weight.I've seen boys at all ages wrestling that Quite frankly needed a bra,watched a show on PBS where a panel of Drs.Said unless parents started changing their diets they would be lucky to see 50 yrs.