WHY WRESTLE?
IT'S THE OLDEST SPORT ON EARTH
It does not matter the size, everyone can wrestle. Everyone has an opportunity to be great, and natural born athleticism means less of a factor than in other sports. No one is a natural when it comes to wrestling. The work you put in is directly reflected on the mat. There are no excuses. You have no one else to blame but yourself when you lose. Wrestling teaches guys the importance of discipline, work ethic, working smart, leadership, and creativity. Wrestlers learn to keep a positive attitude, because the sacrifice and hard work needed to be successful in the sport could not be possible without a positive mindset. Wrestling builds character. The guy eating too many potato chips and spending too much time playing video games when no one is looking will always lose to the guy who keeps a disciplined diet, and is active throughout the day. Wrestlers will learn to be the best version of themselves that they can be. You will not be a successful wrestler constantly trying to do what others do, but rather by doing what you do, well. That being said, there is also a team component to wrestling that emphasizes teamwork and the importance of working together.
Most importantly, wrestling builds champions on and off the mat.
"Once you have wrestled, everything else in life is easy." - Dan Gable
The best description of the benefits of having your child wrestle is provided by one of the sport's all-time greats, Cael Sanderson. The following is excerpted from his article "Why My Kids Will Wrestle".
1. Foundation sport
Wrestling is the perfect foundation for all other sports. Wrestling is balance, agility, hand-eye coordination, flexibility, positioning, strength, speed, explosiveness, footwork, hustle, mental focus, mental toughness, core strength, concentration, competition, and endurance. Wrestling will make our youth better at all other sports.
2. Fun
Wrestling is a game. It is the most basic and instinctual game. Toddlers wrestle. The sport of wrestling is the ultimate competition where two individual take their individual strengths and match them up against each other. Wrestling is a battle of wits, technique, speed, agility, flexibility, and toughness. No two wrestlers are alike. Fun stuff!
3. Exercise
Wrestling is one the world’s most premier physical fitness sports. Wrestling develops strength and endurance. Poor health is a major issue in our society today and wrestling will help develop a love of exercise and physical fitness in our youth.
4. Self-Confidence
Very little is accomplished without self-confidence. Wrestling teaches self-confidence like nothing else I know. Insecure people have the most difficult time learning from others and make progress even more difficult than it already is. Wrestling teaches hard work, self-improvement, sense of accomplishment, camaraderie of team, 1 on 1 aspect, and self-defense to name a few. These promote self-worth, respect and confidence.
5. Self-Defense.
Although wrestling is not commonly considered a “martial art,” it is the #1 base discipline in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. Wrestlers know how to defend themselves and neutralize threats quickly. The sport of wrestling is all about controlling an opponent. If you want your kids to know how to defend themselves, put them in wrestling.
6. Humility
Nothing teaches humility better than a 1-on-1 sport. Winning and losing in a 1-on-1 setting brings humility. There is nowhere to hide and no one to blame but yourself. All wrestlers will lose at some point and doing so in these conditions teaches humility. Hard work and discipline are two keys to success in wrestling and both teach humility.
7. Respect
The challenges of being a wrestler teach you to respect yourself. After you learn to respect yourself you will learn to respect others. You learn to respect your team mates as well as your opponents. You learn to listen to and respect your coach. After you learn to respect others you are able to learn from them, a life lesson.
8. Self-Discipline
Wrestling is discipline. Repetition of drills, hard work, weight management, and continually doing the best thing instead of the easiest thing is discipline. Wrestling requires postponing instant “wants” to gain something more valuable long term. It takes discipline and focus to reach goals.
9. Roadmap to success
Wrestling is the perfect example of what it takes to be successful in life. Goal setting, hard work, determination, focus, love of challenges, love of competition, confidence, being coach-able, mental toughness, discipline, creativity, team work and accountability.
10. Toughness
Wrestling is a physical, contact sport. You learn that sometimes you just get poked in the eye. Physical and mental toughness go hand in hand. You learn that a little pain or struggle is part of the process of doing great things.
QUOTES ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING IN WRESTLING
“…I learned a lot about taking responsibility for my actions when I wrestled for 4 years…All professional athletes ought to spend a year wrestling. It teaches you something, You get pinned; you can’t blame the coach. You can’t blame your teammates. The guy you are looking for is staring back at you in the mirror”
— Former Phillies Pitcher Mitch Williams
Wrestlers compete as individuals yet the sport builds camaraderie like no other! Friendships built among teammates last for life!
-Cael Sanderson Olympic Gold medalist, 4X NCAA Champion, and Penn State Head Wrestling Coach
"When I wrestled, I would think about my opponent and if I'm training harder than he is. That's still true today. You pay your dues, you work hard, and you try and do the right thing. There are going to be bumps along the road, but you just have to stay focused on your goals and keep challenging yourself, and good things will happen along the way."
Sean McDermott-Head Coach of Buffalo Bills, 3X State Champion in Wrestling
WRESTLING MYTHS
Myth #1. Wrestling is unsafe.
Wrestling rules are very clear on safety. Illegal moves and potentially dangerous situations can result in penalty points and even disqualification. Coaches and referees work very hard to keep wrestling safe for all participants.
Myth #2. Wrestling is a brute sport.
Wrestling is not a sport that demands brute strength. Technique and conditioning are more important to succeed in wrestling than the ability to push someone around the mat for 30 seconds.
Myth #3 Wrestlers engage in unhealthy weight loss.
Wrestling discourages so-called weight cutting. High school and collegiate athletes' weight loss is now closely monitored by a tracking system developed by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), which prevents a wrestler from dropping below 7% body fat or losing too much weight too quickly. North wrestling want's its athletes to gain and increase their muscle during the season!