How to Retain First Year Wrestlers

In today's ultra-competitive world of youth sports, ensuring a positive first-year experience can be crucial to retaining athletes and growing the sport.

That’s especially true in wrestling, a tough sport, where instant success is never guaranteed, and kids can get discouraged if the focus isn’t on fun, fundamentals, and long-term growth.

“The major reason kids come out for any sport is to make friends, or be with friends,” says Danny Struck, head coach of the Jeffersonville High School (Jeffersonville, IN) wrestling team, and coach with Team Jeff Youth Wrestling. “If you don't hook them, you don't have them.”

Whether it’s basketball, hockey, soccer, lacrosse—or many of the other popular youth sports, kids have more options than ever. And in an era where kids start to specialize at a young age, recruiting and retaining kids after their first year of participation is crucial to the long-term growth of the sport of wrestling.

The Coach’s Role

Coaches need to approach the first-year wrestler with the mindset that you do not want to be a child’s last wrestling coach, says Greg Bach, Senior Director, Communications and Content for the National Alliance for Youth Sports.

“When coaches do a great job of making learning the sport fun and rewarding they can be a catalyst for that youngster going on to compete in the sport for a long time,” Bach says. “But when coaches fail, and end up turning kids off from the sport, what happens is kids are unlikely to ever return, and so you now have been that child’s last coach for the sport and their memory is not a pleasant one.”

Kids have so many options these days, so if a coach runs boring practices, fails to show they genuinely care about each child, is a poor communicator, or doesn’t display energy and enthusiasm for teaching every time he or she steps on the mat, there really is no incentive for kids to stay involved with the sport, Bach adds.

Kids are fickle. A coach’s mood or attitude can influence one falling in or out of love with wrestling.  

“If I come into practice in a bad mood, and there is a first-year wrestler there, that is his impression,” Struck says. “Teams generally take on the disposition of their coach. How do you act most of the time? That is how your team will act.”

How a coach reacts after a win or loss is also important. There have been Olympic medalists, NCAA champions and All-Americans who never won a match their first year of wrestling.

“Kids don’t like getting beat, none of them do, but how you react as a coach or make them feel after a loss can be a key factor if they come back or not,” Struck says.

Make Practice Fun

Practice. The word makes some athletes cringe. But not if it’s fun and fast-paced.

Adding game nights to practice is one way to make it fun. No drilling or wrestling—play dodgeball or Spike Ball, for example, or other games. Even when the focus is wrestling, do it with a smile, and a positive attitude. Make kids feel wanted and welcome. Don’t spend too much time talking; kids have short attention spans.

“Kids want to be on the mat learning, not listening to a lecture,” says Scott Kluever, State Coach with the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation, and a middle school wrestling coach in Kaukauna, WI.

Steve Richardson, Kids Director for Michigan USA Wrestling, and Director of the Michigan Matcat Wrestling Club based in South Lyon, MI, focuses on the fun in fundamentals. Practices are about 90 minutes. Athletes of all skill levels get a chance to demonstrate moves in front of other team members. This helps them feel comfortable when they are alone on the mat in those first matches. Richardson likes to choose a team captain for a practice, focusing on the kid who has demonstrated good sportsmanship, leadership, and hard work. Never select only the best wrestlers, and find the right time to highlight or recognize an athlete who may be struggling or losing interest.

During Competition

Before a match or tournament, Richardson always asks who is nervous. More than half of his athletes raise their hands. First-year wrestlers are going to be nervous.

“There is a comfort in knowing you’re not the only one with butterflies,” Richardson says. “I always reassure the kids that the other guy is just as nervous and that we’re all here for the experience and to get better.” 

Before each match, Richardson asks each wrestler to smile at him. He reminds them that this is fun, and that coach is there for support. Remaining calm during a match is helpful. “Yelling and screaming will only confuse or upset the wrestler,” Richardson says. “After the match, win or lose, I congratulate the wrestler. It’s important that they leave the mat knowing they did something correctly—maybe with head positioning, hand control, or maybe just sportsmanship. Kids need acknowledgement of success.”

After Competition

In that first practice after a match or tournament, Richardson makes sure to talk about the positives of the event, and some of the negatives, but with a positive spin. He points out successes and focuses on those who wrestled with the most heart, showed improvement, or accomplished a goal—not just those who won. Constant positive reinforcement is essential in that first year.

The Parent’s Role

Most wrestling programs benefit from parents and kids who are already involved with the program to recruit wrestlers. They can also play a role in retaining a wrestler and wrestling family.

“People are more likely to listen to a friend whose child is having a great experience than some coach they don’t know,” Kluever says. “Our experience is most parents want their children involved in something that is positive and organized. We live in a time where kids and parents have many options for what they can get involved in. You need to make a great first impression, so wrestling is not just something they do but part of what they are. If you are doing things right, your supporters will sell your program.”

Think Outside the Wrestling Room

At Jeffersonville, Struck creates numerous strategies away from the wrestling room to create a positive environment, one of inclusion, and most of all, a chance to be part of a special group of kids and parents. He encourages elementary wrestlers to proudly wear their “I wrestle” shirt. He recognizes wrestlers for perfect attendance at practice. He recognizes kids for making the honor roll, being in band or choir, and/or community involvement. He sends birthday cards to kids on the team. Here are some other strategies to help retain first-year wrestlers:

Connect with kids: Struck makes a point to call one athlete a night on his way home from practice, especially if it was a kid’s first day. “Call and say that you are glad they came,” Struck says. “Show them that you care, and they are welcomed.” Make them feel like part of the wrestling family.

Make it social: Set up social events with team members/parents. Laser tag, rent a community pool or have team swim night, pizza nights, team potlucks—anything that gets kids and families together to promote social interaction in a fun environment is beneficial. Attend local high school or college events as a team. Try to set it up so wrestlers can get autographs after a match.

Promote, promote, promote: Use social media to share team news, highlight a wrestler of the week (easy to do on team Facebook page) with a picture, and/or send team news and notes to the local paper. Parents and kids love getting recognized.

Benefit for other sports: Emphasize how wrestling can help kids who also play other sports, such as football, baseball, track and field, cross country, and so on. Talk about other sports. For example, during a drill, tell a newcomer that a drill they just did can help their footwork for football or baseball, or that a live session of wrestling can improve their endurance for track or cross country. “If the kids are there to become better at other sports, make sure you talk about other sports, Struck says.

Most of all, make newcomers—both wrestlers, and parents—feel welcome, wanted, and a part of something special.

“When it gets around in your community that you are fun, and no nonsense, parents want their kids to be around that type of environment,” Struck says.