My Favorite Youth Wrestling Game: King of the Hill
Yesterday I made the case for why wrestling practice should be fun. However, I also clarified that games are not what makes a practice fun. Games can be fun, but they aren’t the secret sauce to what makes wrestling practice fun. If a game does not have a point that relates to getting better at wrestling, it’s not practice. It’s just a fun game that does nothing to make the sport of wrestling fun. Games like this are best left on the playground.
With that said, I do have a game that qualifies as practice and satisfies the criteria I set for fun yesterday. What’s more, this game also has the bonus of doing a great job building character. This game is “King of the Hill”.
I believe games and sports don’t build character; they reveal character. It’s the parents and coaches who build character using games and sports as the classroom. While it may sound simplistic, the truth is that if you can find a game that’s fun, makes wrestlers better, and builds character, then you’ve found the perfect game.
How to Play King of the Hill in the Wrestling Room
King of the Hill is a game where all the wrestlers line up from lightest to heaviest from my right to left as I face them with the lightest being to my far right. Sometimes I will separate the wrestlers into two skill level groups if there is both a large group and a big skill gap. If it’s a small group, then it’s sink or swim.
Then the two lightest wrestlers come to the center of the mat and wrestle for a takedown. Whoever gets the takedown stays in and continues to wrestle the next heaviest guy in line, and the loser is out. Again, depending on the size of the group, I may setup a parallel King of the Hill game for those who don’t get the takedown in the main group.
This process of elimination continues until one wrestler remains, typically one of the heavier wrestlers. However, occasionally one of the lighter wrestlers takes down all the heavier wrestlers and wins.
What Makes This Game Fun?
King of the Hill is such a fun game because it represents both mastery and progress. Research from the American Academy of Pediatrics finds that mastery and progress is critical for making sports fun for kids. This game encourages kids to master their takedown skills and puts that mastery on display for everyone in the room to see. It also symbolizes progress when a kid can take down multiple bigger kids and goes further in the game than previously.
As an added benefit, King of the Hill’s ability to reveal character also makes it fun. Character not only reveals itself when no one is looking, but also when someone is either at a significant advantage or disadvantage. The game King of the Hill potentially puts wrestlers in both situations. They are at an advantage when wrestling a lighter wrestler and at a disadvantage wrestling someone who is heavier.
Evaluating how a wrestler reacts, especially when the weight difference is significant always provides great teaching moments for coaches. Does the lighter wrestler make excuses or not try hard or does a heavier wrestler try to hurt the lighter guy or use their weight to crush them and win easily instead of using skill? These types of behaviors are always revealed by playing this game and that’s why I think it’s both fun and serves as a great tool for teaching wrestling and character traits.
What more could you ask for in a wrestling game?