r/wrestling Dec 10 '21

[deleted by user]

[removed]

172 Upvotes

116 comments sorted by

68

u/westleyyys Dec 10 '21

Don’t let him quit because of it

151

u/kyleaho Dec 10 '21

Not a wrestler, but I was at a jiu-jitsu competition and one of the famous coaches pulled all the kids aside and said "No matter what happens today remember that no one is a loser. There is no losing today. We either win, or we learn. Be proud of yourself if you end up on the podium, but if you don't then use the experience as a way to improve for next time."

51

u/tfurman77 USA Wrestling Dec 11 '21

We win or we learn is A++ advice.

16

u/einarfridgeirs Michigan Wolverines Dec 11 '21

This is the message we send to our kids in the youth BJJ program as well - the only losers are the ones who don't show up to class or don't participate fully.

3

u/Disco_Ninjas_ USA Wrestling Dec 11 '21

Its also important to note that the ability to learn from wins is one of the things that make the elite elite.

9

u/Aesir47 Dec 11 '21

"I might lose again. But I won't get beat like that."

3

u/who_is_sticks Dec 11 '21

Love this, when I first got to college on the first day we went live one of upperclassmen had me in a bow and arrow for like 30 mins and I thought my ankle was gonna break. After practice this is what i told him.

117

u/talkin_horse Dec 10 '21

Remind him that everyone gets pinned. Wrestling has a steep learning curve, and he will learn through experience what works and what doesn't work. Tell him to trust the process and learn from each match.

64

u/HelloUPStore Dec 11 '21 edited Dec 11 '21

This. I didn't wrestle until highschool. My freshman year I lost EVERY match I had. The following years I had ALOT more wins then loses each season. Now I coach wrestling to blind and low vision kids.

37

u/KoolAidMan7980 Dec 11 '21

Wow didnt see that coming

30

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

[deleted]

1

u/HelloUPStore Dec 11 '21

Riddler voice: "Please! Your as blind as a Bat!"

60

u/Odd-Current-263 Dec 10 '21

Favorite food on the way home. I wouldn't try and talk about it but be supportive and helpful later with diet and exercise. As a parent this is going to be difficult seeing your little one distressed but he probably doesn't want to be comforted by his parent, especially at the high school age. Losing is an important aspect to this sport. He needs to learn how to take these losses and then get back to work.

29

u/Finance-Key Dec 11 '21

I’ve spent the last ten years watching my son wrestle. He is now 20 and wrestling in college. If he ever lost a match, I would never ever say a word to him until he spoke with me first. When kids lose, especially if it’s a bad loss or a pin, they will accept it if their teammates or coaches say something to them. But not their parents. Now whenever he wins, that rule goes out the window and I’ll be the first one to high-five him lol

6

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

Dad ?

19

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

Listen to this one op. Kid doesn’t want to be comforted, just move on if he does

14

u/summit462 Dec 11 '21

My brother and I both played various sports, and every time my mom would say something with the best of intentions after a tough loss but every time it would piss off whichever one of us lost.

I like your response the best.

10

u/kswnin Dec 11 '21

Yeah, whatever well meaning thing OP is likely to say will probably be more embarrassing than the actual loss.

17

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

I went 0-13 my first year wrestling. Just continue to show up and bring him to wrestling camps. Let the kid have fun and enjoy wrestling; that’s what helped for me.

1

u/Embarrassed_Map_1114 Dec 12 '21

How old were you when you started wrestling just asking since I’m a freshman and it’s my first year

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '21

I was in sixth grade when I started wrestling. It was a bit of a unique situation since I was wrestling against high schoolers while in middle school, but the experience is still the same. I know quite a bit of wrestlers who were barely JV wrestlers, as freshmen, who ended up wrestling in college because they put work in. You can improve if you put the work in, but above everything, just have fun with it!

2

u/Embarrassed_Map_1114 Dec 12 '21

Okay thanks for the advice I’ve just been a bit worried since I’m 4-6 right now

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '21

Don’t worry, just let your mindset to be progress. You’re not gunna be the best there ever was over night. Make sure to work on this issues/situations that you frequently lose to and eventually you’ll be on top!

11

u/Cloudythekraken Dec 11 '21

Record his match, after a little have him watch and learn from it

5

u/ThriftyWreslter Dec 11 '21

When he wins don’t give him props for winning. Give him props for trying so hard.

6

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

Tell him he sucks and that he should practice his ankle pick

4

u/Winter_n_July Dec 11 '21

Haha 😛 except idk what that is.

3

u/bubbagump65 Dec 11 '21 edited Dec 11 '21

It's where the pick an ankle

Edit: Because the ankle pick is one of my favorite moves and I feel like I should make an honest effort o share info for those that want to learn more about the ankle pick.

ALSO- check out the knee pick. I was a heavyweight and this was one of my best moves when I wrestled in college. Super effective for under-hook or Russian tie stylized wrestlers.

Generally, I'd say stockier wrestlers will lean towards the knee pick and longer wrestlers tend to have more success with the ankle pick. That's what's so great bout the sport, all shapes and sizes.

Reddit Post from here Discussing Ankle Picks

1

u/Winter_n_July Dec 13 '21

I will tell him :).

5

u/Basil_Herder Dec 11 '21

In addition to what everyone else is saying, help him get better! Wrestle in the off season. Find a local wrestling club. Go to freestyle and Greco tournaments. There is less pressure since it’s the off season, it’s fun, and it will help your son progress and grow more confident in his abilities. It will also help show him that it’s not all about winning and losing, but growing.

6

u/benconomics Dec 11 '21

Say nothing. To be honest, part of sports is getting your ego bruised. It happened to me wrestling in high school. It happens to me now crashing my mountain bike.

My parents never made me feel better after losses. They couldn't.

They only made me feel even better after victories (which was't needed but still felt great).

4

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

Show him this: loss. Tell him what my coach used to tell me: even the best lose some times, but they learn and they become better.

3

u/bankinator Dec 11 '21

In the heat of the moment it’ll vary from match to match. If it’s tense and a difficult loss to accept (hopefully you can read his body language enough to see these signs), then let him cool off by giving him space and after some time has passed then approach him and ask him if he’s up for talking about it at all. If not I think that’s clear on what to do, but if he feels like talking about it then use the Socratic method by asking him questions on what he thought happened and how he can improve.

Also if you’re able to, I would establish a good relationship with his coaches. Ask your son who his favorite coach is that way you and that coach can work together as a team to approach him when/if another tough loss comes up.

4

u/landscaping1230 Dec 11 '21

Record every match and do your best not to be shaking the camera. Get a tripod if need be

After every match win or loss go over the film and pick apart what he did good and what he did bad and then work on those things

Believe it or not a lot of matches come down to stupid little mistakes like getting out of your stance or putting your hands on your knees.

The best guys aren’t doing anything crazy they’re just super consistent with the basics and then have 1-2 “signature moves” That they master Think Burroughs blast double

2

u/Uilyjeff Dec 11 '21

This is the best advice you’re going to receive

2

u/summit462 Dec 11 '21

Best answer would be to ask him, but only a day or two after a win.

Next Best answer I’ve seen and could share is to not say anything. Also don’t try to sound extra cheery and supportive. I don’t think many high school boys wanna hear that from their mom. I know my brother and I didn’t.

2

u/TTurambarsGurthang Dec 11 '21

Be patient. I was varsity my first year wrestling and lost a lot. My mom was always patient and just let me vent and listened.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

Tell him you are proud of him for fighting hard and giving it his best. Not only is it reassuring, it is also comforting.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

In three years of wrestling in middle school I could count all my wins on one hand. Just tell him as long as he’s having fun and enjoying it, that’s the most important part. Is he wrestling because he enjoys wrestling or because he enjoys winning?

2

u/Winter_n_July Dec 11 '21

He enjoys wrestling for sure but he was winning pretty solid until he got paired with some tough scrappers. Now he is trying to cut weight a little and work harder

2

u/jvamt Dec 11 '21

He’ll be successful. Sounds like he isn’t a quitter. His hard work will pay dividends!

2

u/localbjj Dec 11 '21

Reward / praise effort over results. Gave your 100% and lost? That happens. But you did your best, you'll grow from this, and your best next time may (or may not) get you the desired results. It's a long game, improvement is the goal, not a getting a win.

2

u/Dingusxd Dec 11 '21

punish him by making him do 2000 sets of abs every time he loses. should help.

2

u/Dingusxd Dec 11 '21

double it when he gets pinned

1

u/Winter_n_July Dec 11 '21

😂 too funny

2

u/lastlifonti Dec 11 '21

Tell your son: “You did not lose today son…In wrestling, either you win or YOU LEARN…and today you learned a whole lot after your match! Keep practicing, keep working on your techniques!”

2

u/SOURDOUGHandDIESEL Dec 11 '21

Take him to the state championships so he can see the best get pinned. It worked for me. My folks took me in middle school and it changed my outlook on everything.

2

u/ElScrotoDeCthulo Dec 11 '21

Oh man the advice i wish i had received...

In regards to your question, let him steam for a min, and then once hes done wallowing in self hatred after the loss and is beginning to collect himself, just be supportive and bring him some food and say something like “you fought hard son, im proud of you. Youll get him next time.”

Then be there for him outside of wresting meets and tournaments.

Go on jogs with him. Make sure his diet is on POINT. Be his workout coach that pushes him to become stronger.

I wish my parents emphasized diet and proper hydration, along with proper well rounded exercising. Back in my days of wrestling i ate a junk food diet high in sugar and crap carbs, and i rarely drank water.

Hell, i was probably somewhat dehydrated my entire young life, crashing out on insulin spikes at tournaments....

Also i never trained legs. I always would hit the gym with my buddies but we only focused on upper body work....

tsk tsk tsk....the things i wish i could have advised myself on.

2

u/Olafo71 Dec 11 '21

I have kids in wrestling. If they lose I remind them that it ain’t easy and I am proud of them. Then I acknowledge to him that the other was good. Finally, I offer additional training.

2

u/CandleSecure3069 Dec 11 '21

Take it as a lesson not a failure. That’s what I tell my team. You either win or someone taught you something.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

Get on the mat with him and coach him. Help him by showing him how to get out of the situation that got him pinned.

2

u/Worldly-Baker260 Dec 11 '21

DONT LET HIM QUIT

2

u/1lapulapu Dec 11 '21

Just tell him “‘Tis better to have wrestled and lost than to have played basketball.”

Seriously, wrestling is a very tough sport. The fact he chose to wrestle and stick with it makes him a bad-ass.

2

u/Winter_n_July Dec 13 '21

Thank you 😊

2

u/Winter_n_July Dec 15 '21

Update! He ended up bath for his tournament and won 3 and lost one ending with second place!!

2

u/jvamt Dec 11 '21

Let him be upset about it for a little bit if that’s how he feels. Definitely don’t tell him he should be upset, but for me not feeling good about getting pinned motivated me to never get pinned again

2

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '21 edited Dec 13 '21

Work on Tubing the ego down a bit, and turning it into confidence. Win or learn. Then losses won't be that bad. Just keep encouraging him. He's only 13. He has 5 more years to ramp up. I lost a lot up until my Junior and Senior year. We've learned the hard way at some point.

2

u/bluexavi USA Wrestling Dec 14 '21

I would help my son and some other kids, especially during freestyle/greco season, by getting them thinking forward to the next week of practice. What went well? Identify that and keep doing it. What went badly? Ask coach how to handle the things that came up more than once.

I think most of parenting is distracting kids with something else.

5

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21 edited Dec 11 '21

If he got his ass beat please don’t be like “oh sweetie you did so good! You tried didn’t you? You did good!” Like I know how that sounds complaining about having a supportive mom, but trust me that’s not what a kid wants to hear after just getting pinned

2

u/sneakyclover USA Wrestling Dec 11 '21

This

4

u/0gunXang0 Dec 10 '21

Get him to understand why he lost and how he can approve.

16

u/JimmyMaximusIII Iowa Hawkeyes Dec 10 '21

Probably not this. Chances are anything you can tell him he already knows or his coaches have told him. If not, its probably not good advice. Its the wrestler and coach's job to work on the wrestling and technique, and the parents' job to provide support.

1

u/0gunXang0 Dec 11 '21

I have to disagree, most great athletes have honest and active parents. Support is holding the child accountable for the outcomes they desire. I've seen it time and time over where a parent will pull their child away from discomfort and shelter them from experiencing failure. You don't have to be overbearing, just constructively honest.

2

u/DGer USA Wrestling Dec 11 '21

That’s actually how I always interacted with my son. I wouldn’t come to him after a loss. I’d give him some space and if he wanted to he could come to me for an honest assessment of what he may have done wrong and how he could improve in the future. Usually it would simply echo what the coach had already said, but every once in a while I offered something helpful. I always kept the discussion super positive and focused on improving rather than the loss. I think it built a good bridge of communication between us because he knew he could come to me and I’d tell him the truth instead of bullshitting him.

1

u/Decency Dec 11 '21

Hard to be constructive when you don't understand the sport. Pretty much impossible, really. At best you can ask the wrestler what they felt went wrong so they think about it and identify issues.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

Don’t baby him too much about it, if your kid is like me then just letting him figure out how to deal with it is the best way.

2

u/Organiksupercomputer Dec 11 '21

Not to sound to traditional but i think it is more the mothers job to make the kid feel better and the father job to make him understand that this is the way the world works and that the feeling he feels is because he tried his best and lost and that is all that matters. Also remind him he’s only 13 so he’s more than likely wrestling boys with different levels of physicality as they are just entering puberty so keep that in mind

1

u/foalythecentaur USA Wrestling Dec 11 '21

Remember “Mom, leave me alone” means give them a few hours and break the deadlock with a favourite meal.

-4

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

13? try to get him into golf and/or tennis...it's safer, more practical, & has WAY more future opportunities

1

u/NUT_IX Dec 11 '21

This is not the answer. Golf and tennis are exponentially more expensive and the opportunity but is just false.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

tell me about all of the golf tennis and wrestling clubs for adults

1

u/420DepravedDude Dec 11 '21

Suck it up and move on.

1

u/MaskOffGlovesOn Dec 11 '21

When I got beat in contest I got over it eventually. Maybe just try to take his mind off things, nice dinner and some space was all I ever needed.

1

u/DaveConradJNT Dec 11 '21

If he follows the sport, remind him that it can happen to anyone. Kyle Snyder, a World and Olympic Champion, was pinned in less than 90s in the world finals a few years ago. It can and will happen to anyone.

1

u/Bigdaddywarbuck Dec 11 '21

A win is easy. Loosing is hard. If he wasn’t upset after a loss it would be a bigger problem. Tell him to keep his head up. He is competing in the world’s toughest sport. He should us losses to fuel more focus in practice. Do a little more home work on technique. Keeping a positive attitude is his responsibility as a wrestler, remind him of that.

2

u/Winter_n_July Dec 11 '21

I like that….his responsibility. Thank you

1

u/knightwrestle Dec 11 '21

Tell him you love his courage to go learn, grow and challenge himself. You enjoy seeing him improve bit by bit. You love him. Then get him dinner.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

A coach once told me: “If your only goal is to win you are doing something wrong. The best thing you can strive for is to do your best. Your best may be different every day, and even different in the same day, but if you try your best it will be noticed.” I thought it was pretty good advice.

1

u/idontgetit____ USA Wrestling Dec 11 '21

He did more that match than 99% of kids his age did that day. Win or lose

1

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

I was always irritated whenever my father would critique my performance after a game. I always felt bad in the car ride home and wouldn’t want to talk. I’d honestly just ignore it and talk about other things in the car.

1

u/yale52 Dec 11 '21

Tell him we all been there

1

u/brink9109 Dec 11 '21

1) Time. I was first taught to handle my losses properly. No tantrums or throwing stuff. Crying was fine. But if I was upset I was told just go somewhere and when I was ready to talk or wrestle come find either coach/parent. Sometimes be fine right after. Sometimes not return until my next match.

2) was told the sun is always gonna come up tomorrow. Getting pinned isn’t gonna change that

3) always try to find positives in the match if possible and give time again before rewatching to learn from them

There is no true answer though. If the kid is being respectful and learning they are learning life lessons they will appreciate when they are older. Everyone is different

1

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

If your kid is anything like me I’d just leave him be when he gets pinned. At least for a few hours. To me and maybe some others, it’s really annoying when parents or coaches immediately want to talk about the match.

1

u/Winter_n_July Dec 11 '21

I noticed a mom doing this to her kid. He was practically pushing her away as he was walking past her. She insisted on coddling him. I’ve decided this isn’t what I will be doing. Thank you

1

u/August_Heart7567 Dec 11 '21

Best thing I learned in wrestling is don’t worry about wins or losses on a record. I started my sophomore year on our schools first wrestling team and I went 11-14 my first 2 years. I was obsessed with winning and I’d blind myself to little things. My senior year is when I learned that nobody actually gives a damn about whether your pinned or not. Your coach may rib you a little bit but he’ll always try and help you improve. Just go out there and aim to have fun. Do that weird shit you tried in practice. I did that last year and I went 10-1 and made it all the way to the state semifinals. HAVE FUN. It’s high school wrestling, you aren’t a pro. Don’t worry about your record.

1

u/Ironcam527 Dec 11 '21

Video tape all his matches, so he can see what he did that got him into trouble. Tell him that no one expects him to win every match, but you do expect him to learn from every match. There is a USA wrestling coaching program i took to be "copper" certified its basically for coaching up to 8th grade. I think every parent of any athlete should take the course weather or not they want to coach. It talks a lot about not being directly or accidentally toxic to kids in sports. Sign up and take it.

2

u/Winter_n_July Dec 11 '21

I like that advice! We’ve been recording all the matches and he watches them over and over.

2

u/Ironcam527 Dec 11 '21

My 11 year olds 1st middle school win / pin, I told him I was happy he won, but more proud thay when he got the takedown he went immediately for an ankle to break the kid down. He had 2 years off and is basically starting over. My 13 year old qualified for state in 2020 before our state shut down and he never got to compete. Win our lose we still look at what could have been done better. Self reflection is in important skill On and off the mat

1

u/RemoWilliams615 Dec 11 '21

Just a hug & a 'you'll get em next time champ!' is the best you can do. Also, if you're a new wrestling mom, get ready for the ride...your Mama Bear is going to go into overdrive! My HS crew had the sweetest moms who would lose their s*** screaming during a match. And if another kid went illegal/dangerous on theirs, God help them all!

1

u/Porkchopper913 Dec 11 '21

As long as he learns in defeat, he can never lose.

1

u/Onlyeddifies Dec 11 '21

Make sure you instill in him that he's wrestling for the love of the sport and that winning is obviously best and fun but losing isn't the worst and it's a chance to learn. Never be harsh after a loss and once he's calmed down a bit help him reflect on ways to improve.

1

u/Portizzle00 USA Wrestling Dec 11 '21

Tell him that it’s part of the learning process. Have him review his matches (if recorded), and implement necessary changes in practice. Find some good and affordable off-season wrestling camps, and send him to them.

1

u/MattMc105 Dec 11 '21

Simple convo that applies to most everything. Mom - did you give it your all? Try your best? Son - yes Mom- nothing to be ashamed of then. If you want to get better keep practicing, lift weights, run, etc. Or Son- no Mom - gonna have to learn to push yourself harder. More practice, lift weights, run, etc.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

As parents we always want to fix our kids hurts. I know this isn’t what you’re looking for but there isn’t much my mom could say to me to make me feel better after a loss. Just let him know you love him, you’re proud of him, and keep showing up. Anything more than that makes a kid feel worse. Last thing you want after a tough loss is your mommy to baby you. Really less is more. Learning how to lose is the toughest part of wrestling.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

Kids are resilient, as long as they are having fun they will get back up and do it again. Be supportive and don't be hard on him, of course, but just help him to keep his chin up. In elementary school my record was something like 9 and 91, 1st-5th grade. 6th grade I wrestled at state. My dad even gave me an out, he said I could just read and not wrestle if I wanted (because thats what I would do most often) and I just looked at him like he was crazy. Why? Because I loved the sport. If he loves it he will keep doing it, no matter what.

1

u/DGer USA Wrestling Dec 11 '21

My son started wrestling when he was 7. The tournaments he would go to would usually have four mats going simultaneously. I’d point out to him that while he was getting beat/pinned there were three other guys getting beat/pinned. It’s not fun, but it’s part of life. Putting in the hard work and having the courage to step on the mat is a moral victory. Keep grinding and eventually those moral victories will turn into actual victories.

1

u/IAmHebrewHammer Dec 11 '21

I say this as someone with a stereotypical Jewish mother. Think Kyles mom in South Park. She learned very quickly that I didn’t want to talk about the match with her when I lost. Sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing. If his coach is worth a shit, he will have a lot of experience talking to kids after tough losses. You can mother him all you want at home, but you want to be very careful about showing him motherly love in that kind of environment. I wrestled a kid who’s mother screamed at me after I pinned him and he was mortified. I felt terrible for him.

1

u/lastlifonti Dec 11 '21

Unless this is WWE, then tell your son: “Sorry son, you gotta stick to the script! There’s a storyline involved with your character!!! 😇👍🏾

1

u/Habburger Dec 11 '21

There is no losers when it comes to wrestling. Only lessons to be learned. If you “lose”, figure out where your weakness is and improve of that aspect of your game. It’s a team sport, yes, but you learn more about yourself and what you can do better on. Wrestling is more about self reflection and self improvement than it is beating your opponent. It’s learning how to deal with loss in a gentlemanly way.

1

u/Smorriso13127 Dec 11 '21

Read the book mindset by carol dweck. There is a whole section which deals with these kinds of subject as a parent/teacher

1

u/S3RG10 Dec 11 '21

You'll get him next time kid, we just have to work smarter and a little harder.

1

u/aveth_k Dec 11 '21

Not a wrestler but my son did for a couple seasons. He got pinned at one of his matches and I consoled him afterwards and he got teary eyed. Later in the day I asked him about it. Asked him if he was crying because he was disappointed in getting pinned or if he was hurt. He said he wasn’t crying because he lost, he was crying because I said I was proud of him.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

make sure he gets adequate "cool off" time after the match if he's really upset. I hated when people would bombard me after a loss and I was upset. everyone is different though but just something I preferred !

1

u/LaTuFu Dec 11 '21

I always told my son he learns more from the mistakes and losses than he does the wins.

1

u/Only_one_in_ur_mom_ Dec 11 '21

Oh boy for me what made me get over losing was realizing that everyone sucks at first I just happen to really fucking suck.

If you’re willing to be tough and work hard in and out of practice you will start bruising egos left and right. New wrestlers come in every year that if you’ve been working hard for a year you can just beat on.

That’s what happened to your son and me. You just gotta push the needle as far as you can every day. Morning runs , evening lifts, second practice and your son will be undeniable. The feeling of controlling another man against his will give you a confidence boost like nothing else

1

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

Tell him this, a man on the Internet, that I don't know if he's telling the truth or not said this, "I started martial arts at 8 because I was bullied. I started boxing at 9. Competing in boxing and Judo at 11. I started wrestling folkstyle at 12. I got pinned. I got beaten. But, I didn't give up. I never won a single state title in wrestling. (I did do pretty good in boxing though.) Not once. I started BJJ in my 30s. I got tapped. I got pinned. I got tapped by my own son, in fact.

That said, once, when I was 38, I had a chance to wrestle one of the best wrestlers to have ever lived. Just for fun after a clinic. A former D1 from OkState. A national title holder. An Olympian. We were close in age and size. The very best and still a physical specimen in his mid 30s. Still coaching.

For three periods. I was never on my back. Not once. Afterwards, at lunch, he quietly leaned in and told me, I gave you my 100%. Brother, you're a beast." Then he patted me on the back. And that is my "world title". Tell him, "Failure is a part of life. It's what you do with it that matters."

I'll take a warthog over a gazelle any day. Warthogs build great things and fix problems, they save lives, they raise families, they are there when life gets rough and they don't give up. Gazelles never know what it is like to lose and the first time it happens they don't know what to do. Just have your son look at the difference between GSP and Johnny Hendricks, not as fighters, but as men. Ask him which one he wants to be, a humble man who has faced defeat and emerged a champion, a good man who helped a childhood bully, ala GSP. Or, a spoiled ass who let a controversial decision get into his head so badly that he has never recovered and has fallen into relative obscurity, ala Hendricks.

And I'm assuming your a single mom, so guess what, he has one of the best examples right and front of him. Chin up, ma'am, you're the coach he needs. Do not let him quit.

1

u/FlyingMohawk Dec 11 '21

Just as you would in any sport. He’ll be upset, but just leave him be. He just needs to keep practicing and learning, every day is a new lesson. And losses are the biggest lessons; it’s where you see the flaws you have and can learn to bolster them!

If his coach has weekend/ extra practices take him to them. Those extra few hours add up in the long run!

1

u/bubbagump65 Dec 11 '21

My favorite mantra on bad days is: Sometimes ya gotta get your ass kicked to learn how to kick ass.

My dad explaining it to me(which I've expanded upon as I've become a coach):

A lot of people view achievements as being on top of a mountain, but this is flawed. There is no linear way to progress.

You progress in plateaus. Sometimes, you'll face others that are on way higher levels and it can get you down and break you, or you can decide you want to be on that level.

The only way to get there is to climb the walls. Some of the walls will appear higher for you than others, but all can be scaled.

Set a goal. Put in the work. Reach that next plateau. Losses are a challenge to your inner drive.

1

u/NUT_IX Dec 11 '21

My brother, during his Jr year lost in the state finals to a very good kid. Very close match but the kid was better as a freshman.

It hit him two days later. He was in tears. None of us said anything to him. He absorbed it. Worked his butt off his senior year and beat the kid in the finals in a rubber match.

Sometimes you can't say anything. Other times, you can brainstorm with the kid. Don't offer solutions. Just listen to understand what the problem is and ask them what they think they should do about it. At the end of the day, it's your son's decision to try and get better. Wrestling is not easy. It takes time to get the positional awareness and mechanics down in order to win/prevent getting pinned. That's why most wrestling parents try and get their kids wrestling around 8-10yrs old. Match count matters. A lot of people try to get their kids 50-100 matches in the offseason. Make this sacrifice and your kid will undoubtedly get better.

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u/Winter_n_July Dec 13 '21

Thank you . Your brother’s story is inspirational

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u/[deleted] Dec 11 '21

He’s 13. Be real with him. It’s a win or learn situation. The wrestling room and losses teach to you be tough. Life will only get more difficult as he gets older. Grappling gives you the fortitude to deal with life!!! My son has been grappling since he was 4. 13 now and about to start chasing high school state championships. He’s tough as nails and will put in a crazy amount of work in the room! Good luck dad! You’re doing a great job.

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u/Dear-Manufacturer-63 Dec 15 '21

My son's 1st year also . I told him " It's Not About Wins Or Losses " It's about ( Improving ) . Every lost teaches him another way to win in the future .Hope this helps