Do coaches/parents look for instant gratification?

In my own opinion I believe that there is to much emphasis put on winning and losing at the kids level. I say this because there are many talented kid wrestlers, who rely on one move. I believe that every one should have a go to move, although they should have more. I say this because I've seen kids who start out winning everything w/ it's one move or muscle. Once the other kids get stronger and actully learn how to wrestle they get beat.

I know this is true because my brother did not win a match for his first 2 1/2 years, but he learned how to wrestle and ended up as a 2* High School State Champ @ WW.

Patience is a virtue, once more kids club coaches learn this KS wrestling will grow as a whole. I say this because a house without a solid foundation will fall.

The reason I'm posting this is because I hate to see kids only do one move, when this sport has many different ones to offer. Plus, when we go to national against tougher competition those same 'ol moves will not work alone. So, coaches if you read this take time to prepare your wrestlers for the future, when winning really counts.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to win, because I want to win every time I step on the mat as a coach or competitor. However, if I teach my wrestlers the basics, to work hard, to stay focused on a good performance, and to take their best to the mat, winning and losing will take care of itself.

P.S. I know I'll wrestle my hardest on the mat, but will I bring my best to the mat?

Competitiveness is a double-edged sword. I really struggle with my thoughts on this. But, as it applies to coaching and parenting, I have these thoughts.

I see some kids that are unbelievable motivated and strive to compete at the highest levels in our sport. I see some kids that are having a great time and simply want to be involved in a recreational activity for the winter. And, I see adults that also run the gamut in their level of competitiveness.

What happens to the kid who is semi-serious when he or she has a coach that is “ultra” competitive? Of course, if you have followed my recent posts, what if that coach is also a parent?

We all have heard the horror stories of over zealous parents. I myself have heard parents tell 8 year olds, “I didn’t get out of bed at 5 am, drive halfway across the State, and spend $200 for you watch you lose.”

I have lots of thoughts on this but will limit them for now. What do you think?

I think that this subject could go in many directions, but heres are my thoughts. If we as coaches make a commitment to our club, wrestlers and ourselves to move this sport in the right direction, we have to take the time to teach our kids the right way. basics are a necessity in this sport at any level, however we all have seen the kid who has one move that constantly works. but what happens when that kid moves to another division and that move no longer works. If we are trying to prepare our kids to move on to jr high and high school we have got to take time to make sure that our kids have mastered the basics. having been a wrestler or a coach since the age of five. I have learned that the more time a wrestler devotes to learning and drilling the basic techniques the better all around wrestler he becomes and if we as coaches are not taking the time to teach and drill these techniques, then we are not helping the sport move in the right direction and possibly limiting the amount of success that our kids can achieve. as for the ego maniacal coaches out there, no matter how badly you want win, if your not teaching and drilling the basics. you are are in for many frustrating saturdays to come.

Parents that complain about driving across state to watch their kids lose is nothing...My parents went to see me wrestle up in Nebraska at the UNO Open only to be outscored 26-0 in 2 matches.

As for the parents that I see yelling and screamming at kids like crazy apes for losing and not being tough, I want to know where they are at when they really need to be yelling at their kid for spitting of a balcony or putting gum in someone's hair. But the moment some Bubba with a wad of dip shakes his kid and yells at him I get furiated and want to go on an *** kicking mission.

I think it is true that if at a young age that a wrestler relies too much on one quick move to constantly pin opponents that it could hurt their development in the long run. I have seen young kids successfully use that headlock or head & arm throw (excuse me if I am using the wrong term because I did not wrestle in high school) or other quick pin moves from the mat. My son was fortunate I think in that he was not at an early age successful at doing any of these pin moves. In fact most of his victories when he was starting out came from points not pins. I feel this helped him to learn how to compete for an entire match. I think this is an important thing to learn because sooner or later you will meet up with someone who you are not going to be able to pin with your signature move.

As far as parents getting overly upset with their kids if they lose a match, I have also seen this. I saw a mother do this to her son after he lost a hard fought double overtime match to my son when they were both very young and novice wrestlers. I never saw the young boy wrestle again. It was very unfortunate and I am sure the boy would have been a very good wrestler. I think it can be a sure fire way to drive your child away from wrestling or any sport for that matter. We can give them direction, advice and encouragement, but we have to let them go when they step on that mat. This is where they become strong independent young men and women. We can help them on their way but we can definitely hurt them if we do not let them ultimately take charge of their own wrestling future.