Youth Wrestling Parents Should Be Happy When Their Child is Inconsistent
This may sound crazy, but inconsistency is a good sign in youth wrestling. I know, this makes no sense at first, but hear me out…
Some of the fondest memories I have as a dad come from watching my two sons develop in their first few years of youth wrestling. These memories are both a joy to think about and serve as superb life lessons for other wrestling parents who have kids new to the sport.
In youth wrestling, all new wrestlers start from the bottom. At this beginner stage, there is virtually no chance of success against an advanced wrestler. Therefore, the only way a beginner can experience any success is to compete with other beginners.
However, success against other beginners doesn’t necessarily mean the wrestler is actually getting better. The only way to know for sure your child is getting better is to see how they do against an advanced wrestler.
When a beginner youth wrestler first starts to compete against someone more advanced, they will fail nearly 100% of the time. If they’re persistent, they will eventually score a few points here and there inconsistently. Eventually with more persistence, more consistent success will follow. But there will be more bad days than good days until one day the persistence ushers in more good days than bad days.
Inconsistency is the Light at the End of the Tunnel
Herein lies the lesson for new wrestling parents. An early sign that your child is getting better at wrestling is inconsistent success. Most parents will look at this inconsistency like it’s a bad thing. While this may be true in the case of an experienced wrestler, it’s not for a new wrestler. When a child is new to wrestling, inconsistency is the light at the end of the tunnel. It means they’re on the brink of breaking through to consistent success.
All you must do now is make sure your child sticks with the process, then perfect the process that has taken them this far. The process that gets a young wrestler from consistent failure to inconsistent success may not be the same process to get them from inconsistent success to consistent success. However, all the clues you need to perfect the process are right at your fingertips. As a parent, it’s up to you to work with the child’s coach to turn these clues into steps for continuous improvement.