What age to start your kid in wrestling?

[WildTurk]

My son is 3 and I'm already thinking he would be ready to rumble. He likes and talks about wrestling a lot so I think he would enjoy it. I don't want to push him by any means, like some parents. I'm just asking how young is too young?

Little kid wrestling is entertaining! The kids don't have a care in the world and don't take it too seriously yet.

 

[Grip220]

Uncage that critter and let him get after it, no time like the present.

 

[FarvaHawk14]

My son is 3 and I'm already thinking he would be ready to rumble. He likes and talks about wrestling a lot so I think he would enjoy it. I don't want to push him by any means, like some parents. I'm just asking how young is too young?

Little kid wrestling is entertaining! The kids don't have a care in the world and don't take it too seriously yet.

Our coaching staff all has young kids and our HC’s son is 3 almost 4 and practiced this year. No meets and he doesn’t want to. We all help coach youth and try to keep practice challenging while being engaging and fun, (luckily a couple of us have taught elementary, which hugely helps) and some of our upper level kids club elsewhere as they get older. You can only do so much in a school club without alienating certain kids. It’s a tough balance.

Bottom line, I think, is that if they have a reason to want to do it outside of us as parents (friends at practice, growing up around it, whatever..) and DO want to, then let them go! I think the obvious keep it fun bit, have the right priorities, and all the other important stuff is implied. Competition is a whole other animal.

 

[so cal hawkfan]

If in utero was possible, that’d be my take.

 

[Iron Doc]

Back in the day, our HC (the great Al DeLeon) had a grades 3-6 tournament for Britt Elementary. Wrestling was King in those days, so a LOT of the kids participated.
Having that system in place gave Junior the incentive to wrestle. Had we been some other place, wrestling may have never happened for him. There was no family tradition to serve as incentive and the last town we were in didn't even have the sport.
With that said, I have a grandson in Minnesota that has started this year at the ripe old age of 5th grade. The key factor was school friends talked the sport up as it is a big deal up North. The system in place was numerous youth wrestling clubs with high participation. Where they moved from was not exactly a hotbed of wrestling so wrestling was not a big deal there.
FarvaHawk14 above also has a "System In Place" where he lives. It sounds like a great environment for encouraging the sport. The common denominator here is having something in place to draw kids to the sport.
To answer your question, Grip220 is right. if he has the interest, NOW is the time to start.
(By the way, the grandson is picking up the sport quickly for only having wrestled for 2 months. He got his first pin last week.)

 

[so cal hawkfan]

My son is 3 and I'm already thinking he would be ready to rumble. He likes and talks about wrestling a lot so I think he would enjoy it. I don't want to push him by any means, like some parents. I'm just asking how young is too young?

Little kid wrestling is entertaining! The kids don't have a care in the world and don't take it too seriously yet.

3 huh? So we’re penciling in a stud recruit for the 2037 season. What weight should we be projecting him at?

 

[Iron Doc]

If in utero was possible, that’d be my take.

Ma might have concerns about that.

 

[Spoons]

Started my son at 4 won a lot of matches early on 2nd and 4th at Super Pee Wee got sloppy as he got older qualified for AAU every year placed 1 time till Jr. High went through a burnout stage and just staring to get back to liking it again as a sophomore. Bottom line every kid is different be careful to monitor how much and many tournaments you do. Also might help if every tournament you go to growing up you don’t have to wrestle Tate Naaktgeboren.

 

[WildTurk]

3 huh? So we’re penciling in a stud recruit for the 2037 season. What weight should we be projecting him at?

183

 

[Iron Doc]

Started my son at 4 won a lot of matches early on 2nd and 4th at Super Pee Wee got sloppy as he got older qualified for AAU every year placed 1 time till Jr. High went through a burnout stage and just staring to get back to liking it again as a sophomore. Bottom line every kid is different be careful to monitor how much and many tournaments you do. Also might help if every tournament you go to growing up you don’t have to wrestle Tate Naaktgeboren.

Good advice.

 

[WildTurk]

Our son is a talkative, kind toddler that would probably rather hug his opponent than maul him at this point. He definitely got that from his mother.

The thing that gives me hope is when I see other kids try to take his toys/candy he turns into a little monster. The Ramos stare, throwing hands, head butts. He doesn't care if they are twice his size, he gets nasty mean. Got that from me if I do say so myself! 😆 Now to harness that rage into wins on the mat..

 

[grapplefann]

Ma might have concerns about that.

Yeah, it's too late. At conception?

 

[armbartilt]

Big fan of starting young with youth wrestling but not a big fan of youth competition. In our club we recommend practice as early as they can follow commands but must be wrestling for 2 years before competition.

 

[paednoch23]

My son is 3 and I'm already thinking he would be ready to rumble. He likes and talks about wrestling a lot so I think he would enjoy it. I don't want to push him by any means, like some parents. I'm just asking how young is too young?

Little kid wrestling is entertaining! The kids don't have a care in the world and don't take it too seriously yet.

Oldest son 6th yonger son 3rd grade. We backed off of frequent tourneys in 5-7 grade...he was showing signs of burning out.

 

[artradley]

3 huh? So we’re penciling in a stud recruit for the 2037 season. What weight should we be projecting him at?

2039. Gotta delay starting school until he’s six. Then repeat 8th grade. If you start college before you’re 20 you’re just not taking it serious.

 

[Iron Doc]

2039. Gotta delay starting school until he’s six. Then repeat 8th grade. If you start college before you’re 20 you’re just not taking it serious.

Redshirting! BRILLIANT!!!!!!

 

[Boomhawk52]

mine started at 4 this year, smallest kid there.. and he was done after a handful of practices. He didn’t get pushed wrestling around for the smallest kid, just the big kids in practice running them over in warm ups was enough lol maybe in a couple years if he wants to

 

[artradley]

Our son started at age seven. The local rec league was divided into age brackets 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, and 13/14. So it generally took them from 2nd grade to 8th. Some dads brought younger kids, but I'm not sure anything was gained from it - although for some of them it was a good activity to let them burn off energy.

We were in a very well-structured league, with fifty towns. Each week kids would get one or two matches against someone of equal skill and experience. So he wrestled about ten matches for the season. The next season was the same thing, but he entered the Novice tournament; which was just for first and second year kids. So it was a good league for "easing" them into competition.

By fourth grade he was ready to be competitive and wrestle in open tournaments. By fifth grade he was on the "dual team" which was hyper-competitive.

 

[artradley]

Oldest son 6th yonger son 3rd grade. We backed off of frequent tourneys in 5-7 grade...he was showing signs of burning out.

HEW - had enough wrestling. I always backed my guy down late in the season; skipped some practices and chilled. That way his energy and enthusiasm picked-up when the tournament season started in March. A lot of kids will just go along with whatever dad tells them to do. But if you're aware, you see the signs that enthusiasm is waning and back off.

 

[Gobblin]

My son is 3 and I'm already thinking he would be ready to rumble. He likes and talks about wrestling a lot so I think he would enjoy it. I don't want to push him by any means, like some parents. I'm just asking how young is too young?

Little kid wrestling is entertaining! The kids don't have a care in the world and don't take it too seriously yet.

You’re in the QC right Turk?? If needed, I have a ton of great info on area clubs, coaches, and private lessons.

 

[Rhino80]

I started mine at 5. I was coaching at a pretty competitive club with mostly serious kids and parents. He loved the traveling but basically put up with the wrestling. He played football and didnt wrestle after the first 2 years. At 10 he asked to wrestle again and has been at it year round ever since. When it is their idea it sure makes the world of difference.

 

[AFHawk86]

My oldest daughter became interested in wrestling as a result of attending tournaments with me during her impressionable years. She tried to start at age 16 because we were stationed in Hawaii and they sanction girls high school wrestling. Unfortunately the school system would not allow her to participate because she was home schooled.

 

[Birky]

The correct answer is “when he wants to.”

 

[armbartilt]

The correct answer is “when he wants to.”

I agree sort of... make them go to practice but only let them compete if they want to.

 

[Chuck C]

2039. Gotta delay starting school until he’s six. Then repeat 8th grade. If you start college before you’re 20 you’re just not taking it serious.

The Mark Hall route. Nice.

 

[texhawkeye]

1. Take fertility drugs
2. Let the womb wrestling begin (worked for T & T)

 

[Iron Doc]

I started mine at 5. I was coaching at a pretty competitive club with mostly serious kids and parents. He loved the traveling but basically put up with the wrestling. He played football and didnt wrestle after the first 2 years. At 10 he asked to wrestle again and has been at it year round ever since. When it is their idea it sure makes the world of difference.

Truth.

 

[ao_coachphil]

Started mine at 10. He tried it at 6 and was a HOT MESS. Didn't want to hold him back a year. Threw him to the wolves and let him get his teeth kicked in. Seems to have worked pretty good so far.

 

[CaliHawkFan]

Started at six, hot mess as others have noted. Our club is very technical and it was too much to absorb. In hindsight, I would have started him at about eight years old. He did/does enjoy it.

He gets some live action at practices but we have not gone to any tournaments yet.

 

[GG121AND2]

We tend to overlook the fact that, for many kids, middle school is the first opportunity they have to wrestle, because it's free. A school here in Cedar Rapids had 17 kids sign up and 15 have no experience on the mat. It's a daunting challenge for them and their coaches. They get hammered on by kids with years of club experience and coaches must try to keep them motivated.