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Discussion Topic: Any creative solution to a kid wanting to play basketball and start wrestling?
Brandon Gambucci added to this discussion on June 1, 2020
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My (very) athletic 10-year old nephew is a good basketball player, but really wants to try out wrestling. Anybody encounter a similar situation or know of any solutions given the obvious overlap that they have? Thanks!
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Discussion Topic: Any creative solution to a kid wanting to play basketball and start wrestling?
Jeff Streu added to this discussion on June 1, 2020
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Quote from Brandon Gambucci's post:
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"My (very) athletic 10-year old nephew is a good basketball player, but really wants to try out wrestling. Anybody encounter a similar situation or know of any solutions given the obvious overlap that they have? Thanks!"
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The first person I thought of when I read this post was Mark Noble. Mark was a walk on for the University of Akron basketball team, but wrestled as a youth. Despite not wrestling competitively in high school (I could be wrong but I don't think he did), he competed at a college open tournament a year or two ago. Yes, you read that right. He didn't win any matches, but I give him major credit for having the guts to go out there and compete against some of the best. Mark had gone to a few wrestling practices here and there, but to my knowledge hadn't been training specifically for wrestling.
If your nephew wants to compete in wrestling, maybe he could try a couple off-season tournaments next year (after getting at least a primer on wrestling)? Mark Noble is an athletic, well-rounded guy, so he might be worth talking to, even if this post isn't helpful. I have met him on a couple occasions and can get his contact info. PM me if interested.
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Discussion Topic: Any creative solution to a kid wanting to play basketball and start wrestling?
Ethan Moore added to this discussion on June 1, 2020
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Brandon - the kid should do both. Plenty of time to focus later on. Most youth basketball teams may practice 1-2 times a week and 10 year old wrestlers probably about the same.
My opinion is kids should play every sport they want to.
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Discussion Topic: Any creative solution to a kid wanting to play basketball and start wrestling?
Justin Hayes added to this discussion on June 2, 2020
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Discussion Topic: Any creative solution to a kid wanting to play basketball and start wrestling?
Brandon Gambucci added to this discussion on June 2, 2020
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Thanks guys! I think the challenge is that basketball practices more than 1-2x per week. I'll see if I can get some clarification. For obvious reasons, would love to get him on a mat.
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Discussion Topic: Any creative solution to a kid wanting to play basketball and start wrestling?
Dan Strope added to this discussion on June 2, 2020
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I know this will not be a popular opinion but I would not suggest him doing both at the same time. Two of the most important lessons learned in sports are the value of commitment and the effort required to being the best version of yourself in everything you do. Fragmenting your time, focus and effort just doesn't seem to send the right message. I am not advocating a 50 match season topped by another 3 months on the freestyle circuit. Go at it at the appropriate pace for your interest but you should be very weary of the messages you are sending. Life will be tough enough but decision making will always be a part of it. Make him comitt and make a decison one way or the other. It will pay off in the long run.
I have had a lot of kids in this exact scenario and almost always the kid ends up quitting one sport for the other for several reasons including but not limited to simple preference, experiencing more success in one of the other, parental influence (their experience is important too) and the social acceptance of his peers/teammates.
Just my worthless two cents.
PS: For those that will say we need to grow the sport and make some concessions in doing so keep in mind that I have NEVER had a kid return to the sport after he decided to quit. Gained some wrestlers, lost some wrestlers but you never got a second shot at the kid.
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Discussion Topic: Any creative solution to a kid wanting to play basketball and start wrestling?
Brian Nicola added to this discussion on June 2, 2020
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I have had some kids return after quitting, but it is usually like a one year absence.
Tough call on the nephew. Maybe get him to some off-season open mats and see if he likes it? We started a girls team this past year, and the best girls basketball player in the building started to come to open mats. She was a captain and two-year starter, but had such a great time wrestling, that she eventually decoded to take a chance on us. She considered doing both, but basketball wasn't interested in a shared deal. As a senior, she went 18-5 and finished 3rd in girls state. She said she knew after just a few open mats...get him rolling. If it sticks, he'll stay.
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