Wrestling for a six year old

[Anonymous]

All DS wants to do is wrestling. We tried gymnastics and he liked it for a while. He really wants to play football but I won't consider it at all this young.

Is wrestling safe at such a young age? I found clubs in our area that take five year olds but I know nothing about it as a sport.

I'm considering Tae Kwon do instead....

[Anonymous]

Where are you located? I have tons of friends who are former D1 wrestlers and would be happy to ask around about youth wrestling programs. Most developmentally-normal boys (and plenty of girls) LOVE to wrestle. It's an excellent sport for kids and there are plenty of clubs and organizations in the area that are well-run. I would suggest looking for one that is affiliated with either a local high school or college wrestling program; ask if the instructors have been background checked, how often the mats are cleaned (MRSA and ring worm are no joke), whether there are after-school programs if you're interested in that, etc.

I would NOT sign a kid up for TKD in lieu of wrestling, personally. TKD doesn't do groundwork, and most TKD schools are just going to take your money and not teach your kid anything useful besides maybe some manners. If you want a sport that's similar to wrestling, look into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo or Sambo (might be hard to find a school around here, though). BJJ is probably the closest to wrestling, although chances are your child will enjoy any of the above.

[Anonymous]

Is contact sports safe for developing bodies?

[Anonymous]

TKD is just a money making machine. Black belt mills. You pay, you get promoted. You keep paying for lessons and tests, you keep getting promoted.

Judo is generally not for profit in the traditional Japanese model. It's also similar to freestyle wrestling with a jacket on. Lots of similar techniques. Major focus on safety. No chokes or arm locks for young kids, just falling, simple throws, and ground grappling, mostly pins for kids.

BJJ is going to cost a lot more than Judo and was derived from Judo. Less to no standing grappling. They may not have the same rules on chokes and arm/leg locks for kids because that's BJJ's bread and butter. Those things will translate less to freestyle wrestling later on.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the contact sport. I'm not a huge fan of sports like football where there's a high probability of concussions, even with helmets, or sports like boxing or kids' MMA that involve a lot of striking to the head. In midwestern states, kids' wrestling programs have been huge since most of our parents were children and lots of boys start wrestling around the time they get out of diapers. The probability of a head injury in kids' wrestling or BJJ is pretty low, because it's unlikely that they're going to be learning any throws or stand up techniques or anything like that until much later (and even at that, they'll be on a heavy mat, which is pretty good protection). Slamming an opponent is illegal and certain techniques aren't allowed except at more advanced levels. The likelihood of getting mangy cauliflower ears is high if you keep at it for long enough, LOL.

[Anonymous]

My DS wrestling since age 5. Now 8. Discipline, character, great exercise and gets all his boy energy out. He only competes if he wants to.

[Anonymous]

If you're in McLean, look up McLean Lions run out of Langley and McLean HS.

[Anonymous]

Where are you OP? Hustle and Muscle starts at that age in DC.

[Anonymous]

Arlington Judo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All DS wants to do is wrestling. We tried gymnastics and he liked it for a while. He really wants to play football but I won't consider it at all this young.

Is wrestling safe at such a young age? I found clubs in our area that take five year olds but I know nothing about it as a sport.

I'm considering Tae Kwon do instead....

it is safe. Coaches are very vigilant to match kids up with partners their own weight and experience level. In NOVA there is a flourishing tournament scene during the winter - lots of younger kids participate then have dropped out by age 13-14 -- decided it wasn't their sport after all.

[Anonymous]

My child is 7 and does boxing and wrestling, since age 5. The coaches aren't going to put them in with a grown man that will knock the shit out of them. They barely even do matches at that age. It's a great sport. Football is good to put him into as well. It's just best to do something that he wants to do.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I appreciate it. I will talk to his Dr and make sure it's ok to sign him up.

[Anonymous]

My son has wrestled since he was 10 though many kids start younger. Wonderful sport for kids who can handle the winning and losing -- even when they are young, there is a winner. Coaches have been great. When they are young, they do not do much, kind of fun to watch but really just a way of getting them interested, and very little likelihood of injury. Wrestling in general is a low-injury sport, particularly since it is seen as a contact and aggressive sport.