Bleacher Report Article on Weight Cutting in Combat Sports

[1Iota]

This is the most comprehensive article on weight cutting I have seen. 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2555772-weight-cutting-solving-the-biggest-problem-in-combat-sports?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial 

[ramjet]

Interesting and a good read.

[npope]

It's about time more light is shed on these dark shadows of our sport. Things are better at the lower levels than they once were, but the college and international ranks (especially the latter) still have long way to go. The wrestling community generally simply doesn't get it; one more death associated with weight cutting could easily be the nail in the sport's coffin.

[lizard king]

Keep in mind there is a difference between cutting weight and losing weight.

[npope]

Keep in mind there is a difference between cutting weight and losing weight.

In its best sense, that is true. Unfortunately, for many it is just a game of semantics. But I do have to give props to the efforts to limit weight cutting at the HS level. Yes, there are still programs, coaches, and kids who manage to find an angle that allows for cutting to take place, but what is happening today is nothing like it was 30 years ago - it used to be brutal.

My wife and I were recently discussing weight loss (as middle aged people are wont to do). So I told her how much weight I lost when I was wrestling in HS and how I would have to go at least a day without eating (and not eating much in the days before that) in order to make weight. My wife, who understands nothing of wrestling, tells me "That must have been hard. Did you fill up on water to keep your stomach full so that you weren't so hungry?" I just had to laugh - non-wrestlers and heavyweights just will never understand.

[Jimmy]

Agreed very interesting article. Npope are you aware they instituted a maximum weight limit for heavy weights also? Did it several yrs. ago.

[npope]

Agreed very interesting article. Npope are you aware they instituted a maximum weight limit for heavy weights also? Did it several yrs. ago.

Yup...that was a joke on my part - tongue in cheek.

[Ty Clark]

Keep in mind there is a difference between cutting weight and losing weight.

"That must have been hard. Did you fill up on water to keep your stomach full so that you weren't so hungry?"

The lighter side of weight cutting....

I had a kid last year hear, "Eat something small and lots of water," when he was told, "Eat something small and watch the water." The bad (or good, depending on how you look at it) thing is, after he missed weight and told us why, he said, "It didn't really make sense to me, either, but I figured I should do what the coaches tell me to do."

Another time I was sitting there and noticed one of my wrestlers step on the scale, go get a drink from the water fountain, step on the scale, drink of water, step on scale... he repeated it about eight times or so before I asked him what he was doing. His response, "I thought water had zero calories? Why does our school's water have so many calories?" I didn't really even understand the question, and asked him to repeat. "Every time I drink it, I gain weight." Still not understanding, I ask what that has to do with calories. He goes on, "Only stuff with a lot of calories can make you gain weight, right?" I left the room.

[Troy Grindle]

 "That must have been hard. Did you fill up on water to keep your stomach full so that you weren't so hungry?" I just had to laugh - non-wrestlers and heavyweights just will never understand.





Heavyweights are so funny when they talk about "cutting weight".  My favorite is seeing the really big heavies carry around the scale at 2 day tournaments so they can "check their weight".  I always wondered for what, to go see how much they can go eat before they are over?  Those big guys drift 4 lbs overnight from just sleeping.  LOL.

[Dale Einerson]

One of my favorite young wrestlers shared his exasperation with a heavyweight on a way to a weekend tournament that was rattling the chip bag on the bus, as others tried to sleep in the early hours and ignore the dry mouths...

Another one of my favorite stories was the experienced varsity wrestlers, more than 1, almost tackle a newbie on the scale as he goes to take a drink of his water, knowing he was close to the limit.  Holding it was 1 thing, about to deposit it internally...dangerous.