Wrestling 101

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Which tournaments should my son sign up for if he is new?

Definitely Stevenson 12/3 and Downers Grove 12/10. If it gets organized, go to the duals at Glenbrook South 12/17 (not an IKWF event so any beginner can go). As the season progresses, we don’t know how many kids will be at each tournament based on experience. But the only way to develop is to compete and we are not worried about winning or losing. Pick tournaments based on closer to home, and what dates work is fine also. The tournaments in February are going to be more challenging because wrestlers are gearing up for the state series. Please ask us for recommendations or suggestions.

How long does a tournament run on a Sunday?

Weigh-in’s are usually 6:30-8:00 am. At weigh-in, only wear your singlet, and they will check that your son has his nails clipped, do a skin check and do a weigh-in. We suggest wrestlers arrive between 7:15 and 7:30 am to be able to wake-up, eat, hydrate and then we warm-up as a team around 8:15 am on the mats. Each wrestler usually has 3 matches since weight classes are blocked off into groups of 4 wrestlers by weight. But sometimes you might have 2 or 4 matches. The wrestling usually goes by youngest to oldest age divisions and a tournament can end around 12:30 if run really well (like 300 wrestlers) or can end around 2:00 if they have almost 500 wrestlers. Wrestlers usually wrestle every 45 minutes, but it could be 30 minutes. Bring healthy snacks and money for a t-shirt or concessions. We will sit together at each tournament. Most tournaments do not announce the mat that your son will wrestle on, so you have to see when his age group is announced to the bullpen (where they wrestlers are grouped by weight) and then sent out to a mat. Some tournaments have wrestlers go to the first open mat and some go to the same mat. Don’t worry, the officials will not start a match without an Edge coach being at the mat.

What should my son wear/bring to practices and tournaments?

Wear a t-shirt (short on long sleeve) or a sweatshirt and shorts or sweatpants to practice and please bring water. We will have an online gear sale and each wrestler will get a long sleeve shirt and shorts next week. For tournaments, wrestlers MUST wear an Edge singlet and shirt, sweatshirt or warm-up. We will also be selling sweatshirts at practice. Wrestlers can bring a bag, or buy an Edge bag from Coach Tadelman. Please make sure you bring water/Gatorade and snacks and you must have a lace guard on your shoes or have your laces taped before you wrestle. We want all of our wrestlers to wear headgear also. We want to be proud of our club and look proud of our club.

Wrestling 101

Some Frequently Asked Questions

Does my son or daughter need any experience?

To start wrestling your child does not need experience. We have age and experience separated groups and coaching is specific for groups,

My child is undersized, is that an issue?

Nope. Wrestling is unique in that opponents and practice partners will be close to age, weight and experience of your child.

Will we have to cut weight?

This is wrestling 30 years ago. Cutting weight in youth wrestling for season tournaments is basically non-existent. High School Wrestling weights are closely monitored to eliminate the crazy weight cuts of years past. WE DO NOT ENCOURAGE WEIGHT CUTTING.

Are we required to Wrestle in Tournaments?

Wrestlers are encouraged to Wrestle in tournaments, but not required. Tournaments are encouraged for Wrestlers to test their skills, build mental toughness and learn the sport.

Is Wrestling dangerous? Will my child get hurt?

There are a number of reports and studies that rank Wrestling as safer then Football, Boys and Girls Soccer, Boys and Girls Basketball, and Girls Volleyball. Wrestling is an aggressive sport without high impact collisions and competition is done on a foam mat. At the youth level the most common injury is a bloody nose or lip.

Will my child get Cauliflower Ear?

The use of wrestling headgear will prevent Cauliflower Ear. Wrestlers that have Cauliflower Ear did not use headgear on a consistent basis.

Wrestling is a hard sport? Right?

Well I guess. But its not why you might think. The 'work out' piece is similar to most other sports. The kids are not throwing up in the corner or passing out, thats all fiction. The difficult part is mastering the wrestling moves, but that comes with practice. If your child played football, they already know the double leg take down.

Does my child have to wear that singlet thing?

The Wrestling Association has recognized that some kids have a hard time wearing a singlet and have decided against participating in Wrestling because of the singlet. Well - new uniform rules will allow a compression shirt and shorts as well as the traditional singlet.

Tournament FAQ's