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Football dad advice

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SteelerSask2

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If you have a kid you want to put in tackle football some day get them in the sport of wrestling. My oldest is a really good qb but never has really liked the contact aspect. My youngest has been in wrestling since he was 6 and had his first contact camp today. He is small but absolutely cleaned up and loved the contact. Other kids were grabbing cloth and going for rides and he was rapping and dropping bigger guys on the spot.
 
Yep. Son wrestled varsity 3 years in high school, and definitely helped his fitness and his football abilities. The hand-fighting techniques and balance exercises are directly applicable to football.
 
Absolutely. Its hard to block someone if you can't keep your hands on them. Plus the leverage aspect. I highly recommend wrestling.
 
I remember when our high school wrestling coach (who was also my sophomore gym teacher) convinced me to come to one of the wrestler practices; talk about an ***-kicker...even during the roughest football two-a-days, I was NEVER huffing and puffing like I was in that wrestling after-school practice. I told coach, "thanks but no thanks, i'll stck with just football" lol
 
I remember back in the 80s out O line all wrestled. (+ others) certainly translates to football. Good technique goes a long way.
 
Omar10213245 said:
I remember when our high school wrestling coach (who was also my sophomore gym teacher) convinced me to come to one of the wrestler practices; talk about an ***-kicker...even during the roughest football two-a-days, I was NEVER huffing and puffing like I was in that wrestling after-school practice. I told coach, "thanks but no thanks, i'll stck with just football" lol
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Yep - exactly what son told me. The wresting practice ended with the wrestlers running up a steep 50 yard dirt hill ... multiple times ... one of them while carrying another wrestler in a fireman's carry.
 
I fully agree, wrestling was WAY tougher !!! Boxing is pretty extream too. Of coarse anything is ONLY as hard as what you put into it.



Salute the nation
 
I hated wrestling in gym class. The matches were the toughest, most exhausting sport that I've ever tried.
 
I am sooooo glad my son ONLY played goalie on REAL grass. 25years ago that was the rage concern of most parents.

Really though, I find that article interesting as to synthetic cancer threat to goalies. I would have thought players as they are way more active on the surface with closer contact than average goolie. Player breathing way harder if it is giving off fumes ect..



Salute the nation
 
I played football and wrestled. Never had the endurance for wrestling. If I wasn't dominating my opponent, I better get a fall early or I was going to get exhausted and lose.

I remember one match, I was dominating my opponent but could not get him on his back so I decided to go for the technical fall by doing takedown after takedown. I damn near got pinned I got so exhausted and whiffed during one of the takedowns. I eventually won something like 31-16 or something ridiculous.
 
Steeltime said:
Yep. Son wrestled varsity 3 years in high school, and definitely helped his fitness and his football abilities. The hand-fighting techniques and balance exercises are directly applicable to football.
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I played both. You are correct. I thought Wrestling was actually a bit harder than football, mostly because it requires a different type of stamina.
 
Long versus short exertion/engagement.

A football play may last 5-8 seconds, with limited physical engagement maybe 3 to 6 seconds.

In wrestling you've got at minimum a 60 second period, it may take a few of those seconds to be fully engaged, but once you are, it is total physical exertion to keep control or from being controlled using multiple groups of muscles literally from head to toes.
 
Best collision of the day was my little guy in Okie. It was thunderous and even the pros (cfl and one nfl guy) were like whooooooooooo!!!!!!!. He got him to the ground and got up himself. Wrestling from a young age rules if you want to be a defensive player.
 
I was a varsity wrestler, played S and some MLB when playing football. Most definitely helped from fitness and techniques. We had a game where we played a much bigger team and our OL got decimated. We needed a fill in guard due to injuries and I got the assignment because one of our assistants frequently trained with the wrestling team. Man I was giving up about 100 lbs to the guy across from me, but I did not allow a sack or tackle for loss that game. I wasn't moving him anywhere in the run game, but he wasn't getting in our backfield either-I call that a victory with no training at the position giving up 100 lbs.
 
My 7 and 4 year old started wrestling this year. The 7 year old is way more timid than the 4 year old. I think some kids are naturally inclined for contact sports and others aren't. The 7 year old wants to play WR and the 4 year old doesn't know yet beside wanting to be Troy Polumalu lol. Next year though the 7 year old wants to play basketball and they practice the same nights as wrestling so he will have to choose. The problem is the 4 year old then will want to wrestle and that's in a different town than the basketball so we wouldn't be able to take him to wrestling then...
 
I wrestled in high school. I'm a proponent.

I've coached youth football for 12 seasons. While I fully agree - if you wrestle, then move on to football - it can/will greatly benefit you.

However, it's not necessary in the least. Of the thousands of kids I worked with, 2% maybe also wrestled? There were/are some fantastic football players in those groups. These kids feed to high schools that consistently put players into D1 collegiate programs.

If I had infinite time and money, I'd have had all of my players wrestle and play football. It would have certainly helped.

Also, kids that are afraid of contact are also probably less inclined to want to wrestle as well. That's a mindset.
 
As a high school and Jr high coach I can definitely agree. Most of my best players I've ever coached were also wrestlers. Teaching low center of gravity is much easier to teach to the wrestling kids vs the football only kids. Once they have that and the ability to never say die they are far superior to the kids who only play football.
 
Tim Steelersfan said:
I wrestled in high school. I'm a proponent.

I've coached youth football for 12 seasons. While I fully agree - if you wrestle, then move on to football - it can/will greatly benefit you.

However, it's not necessary in the least. Of the thousands of kids I worked with, 2% maybe also wrestled? There were/are some fantastic football players in those groups. These kids feed to high schools that consistently put players into D1 collegiate programs.

If I had infinite time and money, I'd have had all of my players wrestle and play football. It would have certainly helped.

Also, kids that are afraid of contact are also probably less inclined to want to wrestle as well. That's a mindset.
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Totally agree not a prerequisite but huge advantage. Especially for the smaller guy who has to play with more leverage. Also agree that the close contact in wrestling are very helpful. The double leg is not the same as a tackle as you hit one knee down on the double leg. But all the leverages and strike and wrap are similar.
 
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