IBCNU;1575386 wrote:Agreed. The problem with big guys in wrestling is if they do start young they struggle to get a lot better early on due to lack of competition. Lighter weights have dozens of kids to roll around with. Heavier kids might have 1 or 2. In addition, if the heavier kids want to compete in dual tournaments with traveling teams in grades 4 thru 6 they are often forced to wrestle kids older than them just to fill the spot and they get abused which can be discouraging. I really think you can take an athletic big guy and make them a great wrestler in high school if they are humble enough to handle defeat early on. The other problem with big guy numbers if you are 6' 5" 285 pounds you are looking to gain more weight and muscle to get a D1 scholarship and possible NFL Career.

I understand that but do you not think that football is important in NE and SW?
somehow they seem to get it done.
and I don't necessarily think that the big boys really have to start before 6 grade or even 7th grade.
heck didn't Eds have a hvy a yr or so ago that they recruited off the gridiron and he more than handled his own?

Cthelites;1575397 wrote:I understand that but do you not think that football is important in NE and SW?
somehow they seem to get it done.
and I don't necessarily think that the big boys really have to start before 6 grade or even 7th grade.
heck didn't Eds have a hvy a yr or so ago that they recruited off the gridiron and he more than handled his own?

That's my point with big boys, you could take an athletic big kid starting in 9th grade or 10th grade and make him a pretty good wrestler. Much more difficult to do it with a lighter or middleweight kid. When big kids are younger they are thinking football and basketball. I have seen many kids start wrestling in 3rd grade, hit a growth spurt, then start playing basketball, then come back to wrestling in the 7th or 8th grade when they realized basketball wasn't going to work for them.

I can't answer for why SW and NE are successful at both. Both have some pretty good wrestling clubs, programs, etc.

Lighter weight and middle weights wrestle year round, the top 2 or 3 weight classes 195, 220, and 285 have limited participation by big men year round due to football. I think this is a reason a big kid starting late can catch up.

Agreed!
which kind of proves my point about having the fb coaches wanting to get their front 7 on the mat.
it translates to almost everything you do on the line.
the problem with wrestling vs lifting for a lot of these kids is that the bar doesn't push back!