I was just wondering what everyones thoughts were on cutting weight for kids. I have tinkered with it 1 or 2 lbs. at a time this year but I have heard some coaches talk about other kids cutting 6-8 lbs. to reach a certain weight. Are you kidding me. I have also heard about some really good kids cutting that much weight. I can see maybe cutting a few lbs. for a national tournament but for a regular tournament all I can say is wow. I have an 8 year old and do not like cutting the 1 to 2 lbs. Probably wont do it again after this week. My thoughts are if your that good then why cut the weight.

My current son has wrestled for 6 years and has never had to cut one single pound, starting the year you figure out where they are after a few weeks of practice. If they are over half way to the next I always wrestled him up knowing he would be there by years end.

If you go down in weight to dodge someone, well you will find that someone down there also. May just have a different name....lol

When sub start it get hard for a lot, 1-3 week in a row on the road at times in hotels at time is not a real good combo, but some of it is we are talking about growing kids.

To not hit a growth spurt or add weight from October to end of March is going to happen.

Adjust from the start and let them be good eating growing kids.

This subject gets brought up every year. Here is what usually comes out of the conversation. Yes, some kids cut alot of weight. Shame on the parents for allowing it. There is a difference between cutting weight and managing weight. Putting plastics on and running in a sauna is cutting weight. Watching a childs diet is not. Many kids can lose weight by cutting out sweets, pops, and eating 2nds. Do what is best for the child. Pulling weight is not the answer, working hard and getting better is.

You need to put that on a T-shirt.....lol

Perfect!

One important thing to think about is cutting weight and finding success is adictive. If you they cut two weight classes and win big tournaments. The kid grows and it gets to be harder harder to make it and when he or she could be competetive one class above they consider they want to win. Not have a chance to place but Win. And I don't consider cuting out sweets and such as cutting weight. If a wrestler is eating at least three meals a day even if its maybe just veggies, yogarts and proteins. Thats dieting and responsible weight management. Even if that last pound requires physical exercise. Thats not cutting weight. If they don't eat at all for any length on time and are true STARVING themselves. Thats cutting weight and I don't know many who do that at this level.

I refuse to let the kids in our club cut weight. If the parents do it outside of practice shame on them.I tell the kids in our club they have to make weight or be within a pound when we sign them up or they move up a weight class. If the kid is that good moving a weight class is not a big deal. Its good experience win or lose.

A. Steele

I like your style, kids need to eat and kids need to grow.

At the younger ages wrestling should be about learning and fun not weight

the reason I was dropping down at all was to wrestle better comepetion. not too many kids at 8 under 73 and 76 but lots at 70. Now I see there are a few more kids showing up at those weights though.

We have several heavier wrestlers on our team who wrestle in the upper weights of 6 and under, 8 and under, 10 and 12 & under. We never discuss cutting weight, but it was a pleasant surprise to see that several of our heavier wrestlers have lost between 5 and 15 pounds due to the strenuous workouts they have engaged in and better eating habits. I think every kid in school who is overweight would benefit from wrestling... I can see the confidence growing in these kids who are slimming down, gaining conditioning, and finding success in a support which embraces the big, small, and everyone in between.

Good post Scott. We won't do it!! Was willing to let Kade cut a pound (two at very most) if needed for Tulsa but ended up being 3 under. As for your 8 year old, I say let him cut. Keep him down there!! JUST KIDDING EVERYONE!! Scott knows what I mean.

I agree ... normal weight loss from strenuous practices and kids that have weight to give is good. I think the key is to help dismiss the image of wrestlers starving themselves and sucking weight. Kids need to learn the great lessons wrestling teaches. Hard Work, self displine, sportsmanship, and teamwork. Even in youth wrestling there is team work. Try to have a practice wear the kids don't help their "teamate".

A. Steele

Rossville Tourny had it right.Block wrestling. Show up, get on the scale & whoever else shows up around your weight gets tossed in your bracket & you wrestle. Took the scale leading up to the tournament out of the equation.

I agree with you Patrick, especially with it being the day after Christmas. No stress of being point whatever over, only the stress of driving in a snow storm. I am glad I could concentrate on my driving without having to worry about my son stepping on the scales.

So if a kid shows up at weigh ins and is a pound or so over do you have him put on extra clothes and run to cut the weight or is it an automatic SCRATCH??? I am not saying one way is ok and another is not, Im just asking your opinion.

IMO, a pound over at weigh in & running to lose the weight is not cutting, it's making weight.

Not everyone feels this way. But I have to disagree with "Its a good experience win or lose." If you wrestler is 62lbs and moves up to 64lbs and little Joey is 67lbs and drops to 64lbs. Walking around weight thats around a 5lb differnce. Thats just about 10% of his weight. Thats quite a bit differnt in kids this size and age. And how is having a kid thats 10%ish bigger, strong and taller than you try to tear you head off a "good Experience"?
Now I agree it all depends on the wrestler. Its my job to keep him healthy and happy. My son makes all his own choices when it comes to weight and what hes wrestling at. I only interfer when it becomes unhealthy. He likes to wrestle up and down in weight. Up in age. To see all diffent kinds of kids or kids hes never wrestled. He thinks its fun. But I always worn him be very careful who you decide you want to wrestle cause it might not be a "good experience" in other words you could very well lose. But in the end its a lesson in nutrition and control and in this sport its a nessecary evil. Just do it right teach it right and make sure its safe.

We coach our kids the proper techniches on wrestling moves. Why should you not take the same approch on weight managment and nutrition. This is something you don't want them to learn on thier own like most of us did. Chewing tabacco to spit off weight, Starving your self, complete dehydration, 1 spoon of wheat germ in the morning so I didn't pass out. I think its just something they need to be taught while thier young and still listen. Not figure out for themselves later when in highschool and already think they know everything.

Make them eat healthy and feed them before practice (right after school) instead of after practice and see how much weight comes off naturally.

BLT If a kids wants to wrestle 76 and weights in the day sign-ups are due at 77 we move him/her up and sign them up for 79. We don't tell them to lose that pound.

Hotrodder I will agree with you that it is about weight managment and nutrition. We don't bump kids up so they get worked over by a bigger stronger wrestler. We try to teach them to cut the sopa pop and junk food out and maintain weight. I just think that a wrestler who is a pound over the morning of a tournament and spends an hour running and is exhausted, or does not make weight and gets schratched ia not the way to go either.

With all that being said it does really depend on the wrestler. If the kids has 30% body fat then maybe health eating and some extra exercise to help lose some weight is a good thing but if the kids has 8% body fat then it may not be such a good thing.

A. Steele

PARENTS: good habits/ structure, will solve alot of these problems of being 1 pound over here 1 pound over there. i hate to see kids running weight off too, BUT there is a lesson to be learned when it has to be done.

1- eat before practice- burn off the calories- they have recess, after breakfast and lunch at school don't they?
2- sensible meals, snacks-
*NO SODA POP/ KOOL-AID (even diet, it's loaded with sodium and promotes bloating, as well as being a poor thirst quencher.)
* drink more water- hydration, nutrients, minerals, limit gatorade etc. to replenishment only after practice/ matches. not all day.
* limit sweets- 1 dessert a day not 1 each meal- cereal is an issue too, give them a good whole grain cereal with some artificial sweetner, it will taste just a good as their favorite "triple sugar dipped fun pops".
* calorie awareness- wheat bread/ white bread can be up to 50cal PER SLICE difference. turkey and cheese, rather that PB&J, less calories, better nutrition, no significant protein loss. turkey burgers instead of beef, don't knock it until you try it (it's actually good in spaghetti/ chili/ and tacos.
* read the box- you will be suprised at the pros/cons of "diet" "low cal" foods.
3- excercise- DO the push ups, sit-ups, stand ups, mat walks etc. on "OFF" days, this will provide TRIPLE RESULTS (weight control, better strength, better skill set)
4- weight/ nutrition management- weigh your child at least 2x daily, it only takes seconds. many wrestlers (even kids) weigh approximately 2 lbs less in the morning, know their weight when they wake up AND before they go to bed. get up early to go to the tournament. i know it's not the norm now, but don't starve a kid all day to make weight at the (early/night before the tournament) weigh in. what happens is we take them to the nearest buffet afterwards. their body stores nutrients, but will rob itself of essential vitamins and minerals, all throughout the day, (even sitting in a desk). the body can't replenish them fast enough at the "last supper". the next morning breakfast will be for recovery, instead nutrient surplus needed to compete at a top level all day.
5- sensible rewards: don't work all week, then load up on chili cheese nachos the day of, maintainence is key. there must be some rewards but save them for immediately after competition, saturday night, sunday morning. get back on track sunday noon.


ignorance and laziness- change weight management to weight cutting. we ALL can learn to manage our weight better, and save some face as far as the weight cutting reputation our great sport has.