What is everybody's thoughts about switching clubs? If you feel your son or daughter is receiving better instruction or a better workout at a different club but yet still don't want to hurt anybodies feelings at your current club. I'm sure some folks have experienced this before and was wanting some insight as to what happened

If you are switching clubs because the other club is perceived as "better" I am sure there will be hurt feelings. When my son was young and playing bb (we didn't know anything about kids wrestling) a local kid went to play with a nearby team because the team and the coach were "better". The boys are now in high school and there are still hard feelings - unfortunate because they are all on the same team. Also, will your child be considered part of the new team, or perceived as a newcomer? Just thinking about things you might think about before the switch.

First ask yourself, "why is my son wrestling?" If he is wrestling to become a better athlete and competitor, don't be ashamed to take him where there is good instruction and competition. People will understand if you are doing what is best for your son.

We made the decision to switch only because there were only three other wrestler close in age, weight and experience for our son to practice with. We chose a somewhat larger club with more kids comparable to him. It was a tough decision and some people are upset with us, but the improvement we have seen this year is worth upsetting a few people.

We practiced with this club prior to making an actual decision. He was begging to make the switch, he just enjoyed the practices so much more.

The choice is yours. If you (your wrestler) really like the club, but just need a better practice partner, ask around. We encourage our wrestlers to practice with other comparable wrestlers. Whether they come to our practice, or we go to theirs, it doesn't matter to us. Just remember that you are trying to help your wrestler, not win an election. Do what you feel is the best thing for your situation.

I am aware that there are a lot of restaraunts that make hamburgers but some make better hamburgers than the others. How long are you going to settle on eating the same old burger when you can go to the other restaraunt and have a steakburger with extra trimmings.

hey Wally, can I get fries with that? :p

Very interesting points in this topic. I usually don't look through the youth forum, but as some of my high school kids are going to wrestle little league, I happened upon this subject and it is near and dear to my heart. This is my second year as the head coach of a high school team and I have been to several youth practices in these two years. I understand a person's need to find the best workout partner for their child, one that will push them to excel, but from my perspective I see it as damaging to my program for kids to leave and practice elsewhere. You are taking someone else's "great" partner from them when you leave. Yes, your child might be above the rest, but he/she can improve without changing clubs. I have been fortunate enough to work with a current state champion and a former state champ (2x) that is now looking for a third straight national collegiate title, both wrestlers were far and away better than anyone in the room. It was their work ethic and focus in the practice room that created their titles, not partners. If the team was required to drill takedowns, they would do 2 for every 1 the average kid did. Had they left/if they leave, your program (or mine) loses those role models that can turn the average kid into a state placer. It's really cool to be part of the best team and win championships (ala the New York Yankees); but who did you admire the most this year, the team who bought all their players or the team that developed their players?

I agree with mawcoach,

Before you switch clubs you I think you should make sure your kid is doing everything at the original club he can to make himself better. I know that most kids at this level do not drill the way they are supposed to. We have some very experienced kids in our club that always want to get better, but they think they are above drilling with the less experienced kids. Not everyone in the wrestling room will have a perfect partner! The experienced kids should drill hard with everyone and help to make the whole team better. It is not a bad idea to find some other work out partners around the area to go live with on occasion, but don't blame other kids for your kid not improving. Unless your kid has more knowledge about wrestling than their coaches I don't think you should switch clubs.

Bravo to mawcoach and BigPin22! Rare to find viewpoints on this board that support team/club over individual. Of course those kids that do outclass their clubmates could simply move up against heavier practice partners too.

I agree. We have had this exact problem in the room. Sometimes it isn't even the "good" wrestlers, just the parents meddling in something they don't fully understand. I could go on for hours but I bet you all get it.

Coach Ed

I would agree that in most cases sticking with the ones who brought you to the dance is the best option. When switching clubs I believe you should do it at the beginning of the season if at all possible. However, in the instance that you are on a club that does not emphasize the fundamentals of the sport then get out. There are clubs out there that do nothing but live wrestle and overloads for two hours. This will lead to bad habits that can be very hard to break. We usually spend 20% of our practice on conditioning, 70% on fundamentals and situation drills, and only 10% going live. In this practice environment, good practice partners are judged by how well the kids work together and less on the gap in their experience level or weight difference. Most clubs in our area workout together anyway. It is not unusual to see 4-6 kids from area clubs in my training room on any particular night. Area teams reciprocate and my kid’s visit their rooms often as well. As long as there is space available and the kids have a USAW Card they are welcome. You might try this method out for the remainder of the year. This will also give you an opportunity to see if the grass is truly greener. I suggest you call the club to make sure that they have the room. “Unexpected” walk in participants can cause problems.

Mark Stanley
President
Junior Viking Wrestling

"There are clubs out there that do nothing but live wrestle and overloads for two hours. This will lead to bad habits that can be very hard to break."

Thanks, Mark, for pointing that out. While I agree that the middle of the season is probably not the best time, letting your kids experience a different "type" of practice or routine is not a bad thing. You may find that your child enjoys, appreciates and takes more away from a different format and/or coach. If the kid likes it more and is actually working harder, it is something to consider, don't you think?

Towards the end of the year I think practices should consist of mainly slow rolling, drilling, and live wrestling. It's to late to introduce more technique, other than working on stuff that has already been shown but the kids are having problems with.