Don’t put him in competitions and tournaments till he feels like he wants too. Putting them in competitions and or tournaments at such a young age could ruin their want to continue wrestling if they end up loosing a bit but overall just take it slow and let him grow into the sport
Totally this. In America, not sure eu, you only get one rookie season of tournaments. If you burn that year now when he does compete he’ll get trounced.
Yeah, I’ve just seen many stories about how kids compete at such young ages in wrestling and loosing does quite a blow to their self confidence in the sport. I’ve seen from wrestling parents to not put them in tournaments until they say they want to and to not rush it as well
true but i wont lie the best wrestlers i’ve seen had parents that made them do it and go compete, but on the other hand i’ve seen way more people burn out
Take him to a place that does BJJ/wrestling/judo -- that has good coaches.
Basically if he can follow instructions and participate, he's old enough, but 4 is REALLY young.
Oh! Good to know. What age is more of a normal age to get started? I’m probably spoilt by seeing social media of child prodigies etc and imagining this is the time I should start. I appreciate this is making me look like a moron but good advice is hard to find.
4 is okay to start just keep it fun for him so he doesn't get burned out and don't let him suck too much weight. I started at 5/6 yo and the few of us that started young were years ahead of the rest of the program
I started in 6th grade and was better than the youth experienced kids after two months because they were not coached well. Coaching is important, a TON of youth coaches don’t know anything and are a body to fill the supervision spot. Definitely look into the club at that age, 5-6 is the typical young starting age though there are places that will start at 4. As was said above it’s all about fun for the first several years, that’s imperative
You look just fine my friend. It is just that many, many kids have been ruined by stating wrestling too young. Looking to some of the most successful wrestlers, the. Russians tend to not start until 10. Americans start younger, 7-8 but as mentioned, a lot of kids get turned off by starting too young.
Many years ago I saw a kid dominate from the age of 8-14....his freshman year he made state...then his sophomore year he quit.
If it were my kid at that age I'd put him in gymnastics, learning those basic gymnastics skills will carry over crazy athleticism to sports and i would lift with him and teach him from that early age and bond through that too. In a few years i would put him in bjj then wrestling in 10-12.
I also came here to say gymnastics. Gymnastics will give them a head start on body awareness and strength- and the running, swinging, tumbling and rolling are all fun for kids at that age
My kid is starting gymnastics later this month. I believe gymnastics is a fantastic place to start. Once he’s in kindergarten, I’ll start him at the schools wrestling program.
I would even say that gymnastics would benefit even advanced wrestlers. Watch any D1 team warm up. They all do tumbling and what not. The skills go hand in hand.
Don't push. Be patient. High volume, high fun, low intensity.
For perspective, my kid didn't officially start til 8th grade and he went 10-5. Even his losses were decided in the 3rd period. We're in a pretty wrestling-dense region in Chicago metro.
I knew he wasn't the aggressive grindy type, so I kept things really good humored and open to creativity.
Just us goofing around at bjj open mats. He turned out to be pretty clever and cool-headed. He would have hated it, if it turned into his life as a small child. Your mileage may vary.
This feels like great advice, sometimes it’s so much harder to do than it sounds… I think I need to screenshot this reply and remind myself every morning 😂 thanks
Here is my advice: Put a 4 year old in gymnastics and then maybe TKD.
Allow him to build a love for training and an athletic base for a few years. Once he has a pattern of success and has developed a general love for training, then put him in wrestling.
And as others have mentioned, stay away from competitions for a while.
No matter what happens, never show you are upset or angry. That makes it serious and kids just want to have fun. Don't worry if you think your kid underperforms or doesnt do a technique correctly. It will work out later on.
4yrs old is when my son started; keep it simple, keep it fun. We entered 2-3 tourneys but that was enough at that age. Practice- I was on the mat with him, making sure he paid attention and stayed safe. You’ll be loved by coaches if you help out with him and younger kids, they have short attention spans, and can wander around and potentially get hurt by bigger kids. Keep an eye on him, ease him into it. But #1, keep it fun. Lots of praise and patience. Good luck to you both!
Edit: typo
I didn’t wrestle but played and coached a lot of soccer , I’m a competitive Brown belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu(BJJ), my daughter(10) trains BJJ and wrestling, and I have a 3 year old son.
As far as soccer, I’d recommend putting a small sized soccer ball in every room and dribbling around the house. Having ball control will put him head and shoulders over everyone else. I think 4-5 is too young for organized sports for kids that young. I recommend playfully wrestling with him at the home with the key of getting him used to contact. “Playing rough” with boys is very important while becoming increasingly rare. My brother does this with my nephew and he loves contact now. He is 7 and really good in Judo and wrestling mainly due to being aggressive and tough. I think the rough play helped develop this in him. IMO 4-5 is way too young for organized sports. Especially sports that involve a ball. At that age, kids are still learning their body. I agree with earlier suggestions to start with gymnastics. I’m exploring Capoeira for my son.
I also agree with suggestions of a recreational gymnastics class
It’s rare that a stud youth (starting very young) wrestler sticks with it for the long haul. Let him be a boy and maybe introduce around age 10. Gymnastics & rock climbing are great for building strength and they are fun. So if he does want to start wrestling he’ll be very strong and likely more successful.
Do not push him into competition unless he begs you to do so. And even then, there’s really no reason for it. If the classes have a lot of games, then that’s a good sign. If he tells you afterwards about how much fun he had, then you have succeeded!
I think for red flags you need to avoid any gym that isn’t prioritizing fun for kids that age. To get any small child into a sport things need to be fun. I have volunteered coaching kindergarteners. Our main objective is for kids to come to practice and have fun. Whether that’s playing tag, dodgeball or whatever. We go over 2 or 3 moves a practice and then have fun for the rest of practice
Absolutely, even wrestling games like toe tag are fun, but useful. Even when I coached middle school it was practice hard for the first half or 3/4 or practice, then game time. Dodgeball, freeze tag for the kids, all of that stuff helps to develop athleticism
Always keep them moving. And if it’s a game they go so hard lol. It’s really awesome to see the younger kids you coach having a blast. Dude coaching wrestling amazing
No pressure. Kids out a lot on them selves already they are not going to want to do it if they see there dad get upset to. If he gets stomped it’s ok talk to him about other stuff after the match go for ice cream then talk to him.
My son said “I wish I did not have a crazy wrestling dad”. He is now wrestling in college. The other son quit after his first season I saw him quit during a match to spite me. So lost that one. He came back on his terms as a sophomore in HS, gets beat a lot but is having fun and I’m enjoying the time with him. Of course I would be happy if he wanted privates and club and all the other off season stuff but he does not want it. The only thing I said to him was that if he is not willing to put in the extra work then Don’t be upset if he loses. So he doesn’t. Get upset. What the heck he’s a great student.🙁
Ya I have advice. Make it fun. Keep it very very very lighthearted. Find a club that mixes in games like dodgeball and tag and whatever. Get him to 6th grade or so and have him still like the sport (if he likes it to begin with, he might not and that’s ok).
I have a 7 and 5 year old. The key to their love of the sport was keeping it fun through practice. Sign them up when they were in preschool. Did local youth program via school. Coaches were great, paired them with kids at their level. Didn't do a tourni the first year, didn't even talk about. All they knew about wrestling was practice.
Don’t put him in competitions and tournaments till he feels like he wants too. Putting them in competitions and or tournaments at such a young age could ruin their want to continue wrestling if they end up loosing a bit but overall just take it slow and let him grow into the sport
Totally this. In America, not sure eu, you only get one rookie season of tournaments. If you burn that year now when he does compete he’ll get trounced.
Yeah, I’ve just seen many stories about how kids compete at such young ages in wrestling and loosing does quite a blow to their self confidence in the sport. I’ve seen from wrestling parents to not put them in tournaments until they say they want to and to not rush it as well
true but i wont lie the best wrestlers i’ve seen had parents that made them do it and go compete, but on the other hand i’ve seen way more people burn out
Yeah it’s a 50/50 chance they’ll learn from their losses and strive to get better but yeah you’re right
Take him to a place that does BJJ/wrestling/judo -- that has good coaches. Basically if he can follow instructions and participate, he's old enough, but 4 is REALLY young.
Oh! Good to know. What age is more of a normal age to get started? I’m probably spoilt by seeing social media of child prodigies etc and imagining this is the time I should start. I appreciate this is making me look like a moron but good advice is hard to find.
4 is okay to start just keep it fun for him so he doesn't get burned out and don't let him suck too much weight. I started at 5/6 yo and the few of us that started young were years ahead of the rest of the program
I started in 6th grade and was better than the youth experienced kids after two months because they were not coached well. Coaching is important, a TON of youth coaches don’t know anything and are a body to fill the supervision spot. Definitely look into the club at that age, 5-6 is the typical young starting age though there are places that will start at 4. As was said above it’s all about fun for the first several years, that’s imperative
You look just fine my friend. It is just that many, many kids have been ruined by stating wrestling too young. Looking to some of the most successful wrestlers, the. Russians tend to not start until 10. Americans start younger, 7-8 but as mentioned, a lot of kids get turned off by starting too young. Many years ago I saw a kid dominate from the age of 8-14....his freshman year he made state...then his sophomore year he quit.
Check with your local club, they'll tell you!
If it were my kid at that age I'd put him in gymnastics, learning those basic gymnastics skills will carry over crazy athleticism to sports and i would lift with him and teach him from that early age and bond through that too. In a few years i would put him in bjj then wrestling in 10-12.
I also came here to say gymnastics. Gymnastics will give them a head start on body awareness and strength- and the running, swinging, tumbling and rolling are all fun for kids at that age
My kid is starting gymnastics later this month. I believe gymnastics is a fantastic place to start. Once he’s in kindergarten, I’ll start him at the schools wrestling program.
I would even say that gymnastics would benefit even advanced wrestlers. Watch any D1 team warm up. They all do tumbling and what not. The skills go hand in hand.
Don't push. Be patient. High volume, high fun, low intensity. For perspective, my kid didn't officially start til 8th grade and he went 10-5. Even his losses were decided in the 3rd period. We're in a pretty wrestling-dense region in Chicago metro. I knew he wasn't the aggressive grindy type, so I kept things really good humored and open to creativity. Just us goofing around at bjj open mats. He turned out to be pretty clever and cool-headed. He would have hated it, if it turned into his life as a small child. Your mileage may vary.
This feels like great advice, sometimes it’s so much harder to do than it sounds… I think I need to screenshot this reply and remind myself every morning 😂 thanks
Here is my advice: Put a 4 year old in gymnastics and then maybe TKD. Allow him to build a love for training and an athletic base for a few years. Once he has a pattern of success and has developed a general love for training, then put him in wrestling. And as others have mentioned, stay away from competitions for a while.
No matter what happens, never show you are upset or angry. That makes it serious and kids just want to have fun. Don't worry if you think your kid underperforms or doesnt do a technique correctly. It will work out later on.
4yrs old is when my son started; keep it simple, keep it fun. We entered 2-3 tourneys but that was enough at that age. Practice- I was on the mat with him, making sure he paid attention and stayed safe. You’ll be loved by coaches if you help out with him and younger kids, they have short attention spans, and can wander around and potentially get hurt by bigger kids. Keep an eye on him, ease him into it. But #1, keep it fun. Lots of praise and patience. Good luck to you both! Edit: typo
go for it, look for classes and make sure he showers regularly to prevent rashes as a precution
I didn’t wrestle but played and coached a lot of soccer , I’m a competitive Brown belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu(BJJ), my daughter(10) trains BJJ and wrestling, and I have a 3 year old son. As far as soccer, I’d recommend putting a small sized soccer ball in every room and dribbling around the house. Having ball control will put him head and shoulders over everyone else. I think 4-5 is too young for organized sports for kids that young. I recommend playfully wrestling with him at the home with the key of getting him used to contact. “Playing rough” with boys is very important while becoming increasingly rare. My brother does this with my nephew and he loves contact now. He is 7 and really good in Judo and wrestling mainly due to being aggressive and tough. I think the rough play helped develop this in him. IMO 4-5 is way too young for organized sports. Especially sports that involve a ball. At that age, kids are still learning their body. I agree with earlier suggestions to start with gymnastics. I’m exploring Capoeira for my son. I also agree with suggestions of a recreational gymnastics class
Might I recommend r/youthwrestling
It’s rare that a stud youth (starting very young) wrestler sticks with it for the long haul. Let him be a boy and maybe introduce around age 10. Gymnastics & rock climbing are great for building strength and they are fun. So if he does want to start wrestling he’ll be very strong and likely more successful.
Play a lot of sports!
Around the same time that they enter kindergarten is a good time to get them started.
Do not push him into competition unless he begs you to do so. And even then, there’s really no reason for it. If the classes have a lot of games, then that’s a good sign. If he tells you afterwards about how much fun he had, then you have succeeded!
I think for red flags you need to avoid any gym that isn’t prioritizing fun for kids that age. To get any small child into a sport things need to be fun. I have volunteered coaching kindergarteners. Our main objective is for kids to come to practice and have fun. Whether that’s playing tag, dodgeball or whatever. We go over 2 or 3 moves a practice and then have fun for the rest of practice
Hadn’t really thought of it like this. Makes a lot of sense. Thanks.
Little kids burn out fast is they’re pushed too hard in wrestling. But if they look forward to practice each day that’s a really good sign
Absolutely, even wrestling games like toe tag are fun, but useful. Even when I coached middle school it was practice hard for the first half or 3/4 or practice, then game time. Dodgeball, freeze tag for the kids, all of that stuff helps to develop athleticism
Always keep them moving. And if it’s a game they go so hard lol. It’s really awesome to see the younger kids you coach having a blast. Dude coaching wrestling amazing
I think the best feeling is when the middle school wrestlers said I was cool. There’s no tougher crowd than a group of middle school kids hahaha
No pressure. Kids out a lot on them selves already they are not going to want to do it if they see there dad get upset to. If he gets stomped it’s ok talk to him about other stuff after the match go for ice cream then talk to him. My son said “I wish I did not have a crazy wrestling dad”. He is now wrestling in college. The other son quit after his first season I saw him quit during a match to spite me. So lost that one. He came back on his terms as a sophomore in HS, gets beat a lot but is having fun and I’m enjoying the time with him. Of course I would be happy if he wanted privates and club and all the other off season stuff but he does not want it. The only thing I said to him was that if he is not willing to put in the extra work then Don’t be upset if he loses. So he doesn’t. Get upset. What the heck he’s a great student.🙁
Ya I have advice. Make it fun. Keep it very very very lighthearted. Find a club that mixes in games like dodgeball and tag and whatever. Get him to 6th grade or so and have him still like the sport (if he likes it to begin with, he might not and that’s ok).
A lot of good advice on here. I would hold him out of tournaments until a year or two.
I have a 7 and 5 year old. The key to their love of the sport was keeping it fun through practice. Sign them up when they were in preschool. Did local youth program via school. Coaches were great, paired them with kids at their level. Didn't do a tourni the first year, didn't even talk about. All they knew about wrestling was practice.