Collegiate and varsity wrestling season is upon us, and the sons and daughters of Warren County will soon begin training.
Middle school wrestling participation in Warren County and throughout northwestern Pennsylvania continues to decline. This drop in participation resulted in individual withdrawals from many high school dual meets. I recently had the opportunity to interview Sergei Beloglazov, a two-time Olympic champion (1980 and 1988) and six-time world champion from Russia, about the U.S. wrestling youth development program. He currently coaches high-level international wrestlers at the University of Michigan’s Regional Training Center.
“terrible!” This is the one word that Sergei Belogazov used to describe the wrestling youth development program in this country. “They (young wrestlers) don’t learn how to move, how to stretch, to be athletes. We’re not worried about competing, we’re more concerned about being athletes.” He further stated: “Coaching is not good, especially at the younger levels and even in many high schools. I’m going to college to become a coach in the USSR.”
I am a career educator, work as a consultant for NWCA conducting sports leadership seminars for high school and college coaches, and would like to share research-based information with local coaches and parents of youth wrestlers. Masu. Mainly in the U10 age group. Most parents and coaches would agree with the information I provide. But many of the same parents and coaches who agree with this research will one day see the brilliance of their child’s talent and adopt a thought process like this: “My child is special.” And they fall into the trap of excessive competition.
Once that happens, it becomes too much, too hard, and too long a problem for those in youth programs. Parents who notice their child’s success (often due to the child’s physical, social, and psychological development) become obsessed with so-called “success.” “Tiger Woods Effect” Then, encourage your child to study hard to become a regional/national champion at age 8 or 10.
As Warren YMCA board president and former college wrestler Thad Turner recently pointed out: “There are very few Carrie Korats in the world.” And most children need a broader range of sports experience. Therefore, the question parents face is: do they want their children to grow up to be competent individuals who can acquire sports literacy and enjoy physical activity throughout their lives? Or is the small chance of becoming a college or Olympic champion worth the gamble?
Sports research reveals that U10s simply need to learn to move, play, have fun and explore a variety of sports and athletic activities with limited competition. Our wrestling youth sports program has adults running the program and having the kids’ backs, as evidenced by personal coaches, travel teams, and so-called national championships for kids held all over the country. In a sense, it has become a specialized model where you make money by doing so. All age groups (including U6). Why are there so many youth and beginner wrestling tournaments in our area? Because they make money with high school varsity programs.
Reflecting Belogazov’s statements on youth sports, I spent two weeks in the Soviet Union in 1982 studying wrestling and sports training. At the time, the Soviet Union suggested that many of its wrestlers did not start their professional careers until they were 16 years old, and that some could become world champions within four years. Please try to imagine. The world’s best wrestlers didn’t specialize until late adolescence. However, they had spent the previous years engaged in the following: “developmentally appropriate” Organized sports training to learn to be an athlete (i.e. agility, balance, coordination, speed, etc.).
We who live in this country need to understand that our children are not like that. “Mini Adult” And they shouldn’t be taught that way. Did the early emphasis on novice/youth wrestling in county programs have a negative impact on middle school and high school wrestling participation numbers? This early specialization and year-round training/competition mentality This may be contributing to an increase in burnout, overuse injuries, and dropouts from wrestling training and competition. Do youth coaches understand the developmental readiness of children? As coaches, do they employ coaching methods experienced in the final stages of competition (usually in high school practice formats)? Do we continue to hope that increased emphasis on youth wrestling tournaments in local newspaper articles and photos will increase participation in upper grades? why?
Parents and coaches who want their children to become competent movers and physically literate athletes should be familiar with the Long-Term Athletic Development Model (LTAD) when working with youth sports. there is. LTAD is his seven-step framework that guides the path of participation, training, competition, and recovery in sports and physical activity. Of particular importance to youth wrestling programs are the Active Start Stage (U6) and the Fundamental Stage (U6-9). These stages have very limited or no formal competition and the emphasis is on physical literacy (see https://sportforlife.ca/long-term-development) /).
The Kinzua Wrestling Club of Warren County supports the LTAD model for youth development in sports. For example, KWC recently conducted two four-day summer camps for the U10 age group that focused solely on educational activities (athletics, tumbling, games, etc.) rather than wrestling. We also strive to improve the quality of coaching by holding coaching development seminars and are currently working with Northern Pennsylvania Regional College (NPRC) to develop a sports coaching workplace certification. These efforts are being developed to increase the knowledge base and educational practices of area wrestling coaches.
Finally, we hope that parents will follow this research and offer a wider range of physical activity to their children, especially in the U10 age group. Other ball sports such as soccer and team handball, educational gymnastics, tumbling, martial arts, rock climbing, and dance are ideal activities for young people to lay the foundation for becoming athletes. When it comes to youth wrestling programs, parents should resist the urge to make kids this age specialize and focus on competition.
It is our hope that youth wrestling coaches and program administrators will continue to focus on the LTAD model so that our youth grow and develop the athletic confidence to remain physically active throughout their lives. That way, perhaps more kids will continue the sport of wrestling and join their high school wrestling rosters.
Dennis A. Johnson, Ed.D., is a sports leadership consultant for the National Wrestling Coaches Association and secretary of the Kinzua Wrestling Club.