Does Repetitive Drilling Drive Kids Away from Youth Wrestling?
In my experience, there are three primary means of teaching skills in youth wrestling:
- repetitive drills,
- video review, and
- structured play.
By far, the method used most by wrestling coaches is repetitive drills. The problem with this is that drilling wrestling moves repetitively is boring and boring practices drive kids away from wrestling. The fact of the matter is that wrestling is fun. So why take the fun out of it?
Yes, repetition is the key to mastery. Yes, repetition is a proven method for developing state and national champions. There is no arguing against this. However, is it worth it for a youth wrestling program to develop 1 or 2 state or national champions at the expense of the other 38 kids in the room? Is a coach maximizing productivity if he/she has two engaged kids in the room drilling like state champions and the other 38 kids are checking out after 10 minutes of drilling? I would argue no.
Today’s youth probably have the smallest amount of attention span than any other generation before them. We all know the reasons for this. YouTube, smart phones, and video games. The shrinking attention span is a problem parents and school teachers deal with daily. Coaches can’t ignore this fact.
What if youth wrestling coaches incorporated smart phones and YouTube into wrestling practice to facilitate video review sessions? In addition, what if wrestling coaches gamified drilling to incorporate structured play instead of playing dodgeball and other non-wrestling games?
Without doubt they’re some innovative youth wrestling coaches trying these methods. Unquestionably they’re in the quiet minority right now. It’s hard to do things differently when you become so use to the way it’s always been done. However, it’s time for youth wrestling coaches to try some new methods to engage young wrestlers in practice and help them love the process of learning how to become a better wrestler.