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Why Wrestling?
Tough People Require Tough Lifestyles
At the age of seven, every male Spartan was sent to military and athletic school. These schools taught toughness, discipline, endurance of pain (often severe pain), and survival skills. At twenty, after thirteen years of training, the Spartan became a soldier. The Spartan soldier spent his life with his fellow soldiers; he lived in barracks and ate all his meals with his fellow soldiers.
Very few places in American Society can provide an environment to toughen the human body and mind. That's where wrestling comes in. A young wrestler is like a Spartan. In his early years he is taught toughness, discipline, endurance of pain and a work ethic unmatched in any other sport. As he gets older he spends time training, traveling, eating (and not eating), and staying in the same quarters with fellow his wrestlers. He will sacrifice things, which appear abnormal to other Americans, such as dieting and going without water, while still having to train with an extreme amount of intensity. He learns the lessons of sacrifice; they give him a better understanding of the sufferings of the world outside of America. It teaches him that life is not easy, but the human body and mind can endure while under stress and pain. The sport teaches the body and mind to endure the unavoidable stress and adversity that life hands them.
Wrestling is one of the last places in American society that molds Spartans.
Reasons for Kids to Join Wrestling
Wrestling is a(n):
- Individual Sport - Since a wrestler succeeds or fails solely on his own efforts on the mat, the sport is a prime developer of fighting spirit, tenacity in the face of adversity, and self-reliance. His mistakes cannot be covered up by teammates and the coach cannot make decisions for him.
- Team Sport - it takes the whole squad--every participant working at his utmost potential and each member supporting one another--to win important dual meets and the big tournaments.
- Family Sport
- Demanding Sport - Wrestling's vigorous demands require top physical conditioning and result in the development of better coordination and greater muscle strength. As a result wrestling is a great sport for football players and cross-country runners who want to stay in shape during the off-season.
- Safe Sport - Wrestling is one of the safest sports one can participate in. Over 95% of the injuries are slight muscle pulls. There are three reasons for this safety record:
- 1) It is the only sport that takes place on a 1-1/2 inch thick, foam rubber mat.
- 2) There is one referee for just two participants of a match and the referee's first responsibility is to ensure the safety of the two wrestlers.
- 3) The rules and regulations of wrestling are written with the safety of the wrestlers taking paramount importance. Among the rules are: no biting, punching, or grabbing of clothes; the body slam, full nelson, hammerlock and grabbing of less than four fingers are all illegal.
- Sport for Everyone - It's the only sport where participants of all shapes and sizes compete against other competitors of equal weight. Where else can someone of 100 pounds win a championship in a contact sport on a varsity level?
Reasons for School Administrators to Institute a Wrestling Program
Many schools only have a basketball program during the winter. Although basketball is a wonderful sport, it only helps typically 15 kids during that season stay active, be fit, and enjoy competition. Wrestling would be the perfect fit in that it is a winter sport and it allows every kid to participate regardless of size. Weight classes start at 103 and go through 285 pounds. For the young man who gets a late growth spurt or simply isn't going to be big enough to play football or basketball this sport gives him a great chance to compete.
Wrestling teaches discipline, teaches kids how to eat right, and is one of the most demanding sports fitness-wise. A six-minute wrestling match (3 periods of 2 minutes each) will take about all the energy out of you that you have. The fact that it's an individual sport is nice as well because there are no concerns about who will be the starter for the high school team. You typically "wrestle off" for the starting spot. Also, there's nothing like being put in a one-on-one situation out there in the middle of the mat where you have to get it done all by yourself and there's no one to help you.
One neat thing about wrestling is that it's a very safe sport and one in which even if you lose you're very unlikely to get hurt. The worst thing that happens to you is you get pinned by having your two shoulders be held on the mat for a couple of seconds. Wrestling is different than boxing in that you can compete without the fear of a major injury. The sport helps to develop discipline, fitness, and confidence in a way that is unique to almost any other sport. Wrestling will also keep kids busy and out of trouble and is a sport that every high school needs.
- from the Arkansas Wrestling Association
Why Wrestling? - by Dan Gable
Wrestling Lays a Foundation for Other Sports - This article by Ben Peterson outlines the benefits of wrestling with regard to other sports.
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