Rules to help keep kids enjoying and involved in wrestling?

[Handles II]

Our HS wrestling numbers have dropped to under 8000. As I attended a coaches meeting for youth baseball (a sport that eventually only needs 9 players on varsity with a few extras in support roles) I was once again intrigued and perhaps impressed at the rules (both national and local) that are put in place for the different age groups of the sport (AAA, Minors, Majors). These are put in place for safety, success, and continuation of the sport for as many kids as possible.
Examples could be:
new bat-types to protect the pitcher and infield players
different ball (softer) for the youngest players
sliding rules for safety
# of  pitch rules
# of innings played by each team member to more equalize playing time
New this year, # of pitches caught by catcher. More than 40 pitches and he/she can't pitch that day due to the amount of throws they have already had. In reverse after 40 pitches, a pitcher can't catch (for the same reason, protection of the arm as well as allowing other kids to gain experience in those roles).

More and more football programs have adjusted tackling and other game rules (no rushing a punter/kicker for example), along with LOTS of programs getting rid of tackle completely until 7th grade or so.

Hockey has a multitude of rules at each level that limit checking, etc for safety and enjoyment of the sport for new/young/developing players.

Other than 1-1-1 periods, what does wrestling, an extremely emotionally and physically demanding sport have in place specifically at youth/MS levels to help protect our wrestlers, as well as to attract and retain players for long-term participation?  What would be some that we  really should be thinking about putting in place?

[ramjet]

I do not think you can legislate "having fun". That's a cultural issue best handled at the grass roots level.

[bigoil]

Less ind. tournaments, I remember reading a post by the father of a second grader stating his son was 155-5 Over the past three years. So in Kindergarten, wrestling over 50 matches.

Include a dual component either in the club or with a neighboring club.

Gymnastics - build an athletic foundation.

[DocWrestling]

Anything to protect kids from parents

1) Get rid of weigh-ins at local tournaments so parents do not starve their kids.  Coaches weigh in kids at practice.  Hold coaches accountable
2) Get parents away from the mats
3) Limit number of tournaments parents can bring their kids too.  I know they like to go but kids also like to eat candy every day and we don't let them
4) Less competitions and more fun inter-club tournaments camps-  Imagine if a club invited clubs to their gym for a Saturday for a camp from 9am-1pm.  Practice skills, games, matches followed by pizza party.  Kids become better wrestlers through this and have more fun. Parents are all in stands watching.  Charge each kid $5.  No awards, minimal volunteers.  All Good

[FoldEmUp]

Anything to protect kids from parents

1) Get rid of weigh-ins at local tournaments so parents do not starve their kids.  Coaches weigh in kids at practice.  Hold coaches accountable
2) Get parents away from the mats
3) Limit number of tournaments parents can bring their kids too.  I know they like to go but kids also like to eat candy every day and we don't let them
4) Less competitions and more fun inter-club tournaments camps-  Imagine if a club invited clubs to their gym for a Saturday for a camp from 9am-1pm.  Practice skills, games, matches followed by pizza party.  Kids become better wrestlers through this and have more fun. Parents are all in stands watching.  Charge each kid $5.  No awards, minimal volunteers.  All Good

All of this!

[bman]

Anything to protect kids from parents

1) Get rid of weigh-ins at local tournaments so parents do not starve their kids.  Coaches weigh in kids at practice.  Hold coaches accountable
2) Get parents away from the mats
3) Limit number of tournaments parents can bring their kids too.  I know they like to go but kids also like to eat candy every day and we don't let them
4) Less competitions and more fun inter-club tournaments camps-  Imagine if a club invited clubs to their gym for a Saturday for a camp from 9am-1pm.  Practice skills, games, matches followed by pizza party.  Kids become better wrestlers through this and have more fun. Parents are all in stands watching.  Charge each kid $5.  No awards, minimal volunteers.  All Good

This reads as if you have appointed yourself as the authority on all things parenting and wrestling. The arbiter of what is good and bad.
I know that is not your intent.  However, legislating to correct "bad parenting" is a head scratcher.  This list of improvements are about your attempting to dictate what you think parents should or should not be/do.  You can't eliminate poor parenting through legislation/rules.  Let's limit how much soda everyone can buy at one time because someone else dictated kids (but not my kids) are drinking too much of it.  The potential problems listed in items 1-3 are being avoided already by parents who choose to do so.
"Bad" parental behavior will continue, but just from a different vantage point or in a different manner.  The issue with trying to ban parents or family members from being mat side is there aren't enough coaches to cover every match going on. Also, what is the motivation for banning parents in the corner anyway?  Is it you have decided too many other parents are exhibiting bad behavior and therefore you have decided they shouldn't be there?

I do think pulling clubs together for practice/matches/games/pizza on a saturday is a great idea, and can be implemented immediately. Start planning this people!.

[ramjet]

Choice ......... youth clubs that have fun and get positive results (this does not mean undefeated records) are the ones that attract the wrestlers.

Rule, rules, rules are not going to change the culture or even make bad parents good.

Less emphasis on weight is certainly important and several youth tournaments are doing this.

Grass roots changes at YOUR club that's where it starts.

[bigoil]

Some rules enforced do help set the stage for a more fun environment, specifically roping off the mats with only one screaming parent per mat.

[DocWrestling]

I have seen so many wrestlers lost in this sport because they went to a tournament to enjoy a sporting event like other youth sports and what they really saw was parents screaming and yelling as they kneeled and crawled out on the mat.  I am so hesitant to ask parents to bring kids that have never been to a tournament before because of the turnoff.  Need them to fall in love with wrestling before they go.  All sports have over the top parents but no sport gives them a front row seat like wrestling. Even if the kids enjoyed it the parents are disgusted.

We had many new families in our youth program this year and they enjoyed the year as they learned about wrestling.  We ended the year by asking some of them to volunteer at registration for the youth qualifier.  They were disgusted by what they saw and heard from parents actions in what they did for their kids to make weight.  I can tell you from how they responded that the actions of these other parents will have an effect on whether their kids wrestle next year.  Really wish they would not have been there on that Friday night.

I have seen many HS wrestlers refuse to ref or work at a table because of the abuse they took from parents.

I cannot legislate what you can do to your own kids but these actions are affecting so many others and are affecting our sport.   We are the diehards of the sport and we understand the greatness and the faults of the sport.  But to improve we have to look at the sport through the eyes of families that know nothing about wrestling and compare it to other youth sports experiences.

Whatever your 4-man bracket is at a tournament I would guess the kids would have more fun and would improve more if those wrestlers got to be partners over a 3 hour practice with multiple live goes and lots of fun, etc all while there parents stayed in the stands

[ramjet]

Some rules enforced do help set the stage for a more fun environment, specifically roping off the mats with only one screaming parent per mat.

OH I am not disagreeing with you where we differ is that it is the choice of the Tournmanet director not sweeping legislation. That way folks can pick and choose the best tournamanets for thier wrestlers.

[bigoil]

I can tell you that crying kids and screaming parents are the feedback I hear most from non-wrestling parents that have been to a youth tournament. If someday their kid has a desire to wrestle, they have a negative perception already.

[DocWrestling]

Lets be honest and say that there is something wrong in all youth sports when youth sports numbers are the same as they have always been yet high school participation numbers in all sports is declining.  Not just a wrestling issue.

Top reasons I read about
1) Parents/coaches not making it fun
2) Parents/coaches focusing on the competition part only and wins/losses and not the journey.  By the time they get to high school they are all competed out and winning and losing is a blur.
3) Too much pull from to many sports with length of seasons so fewer multiple sport athletes.  Parents keep saying yes to keep up with the jones'

The kids that truly enjoy the sport are still there in high school for the most part but all their teammates are gone

[ramjet]

I can tell you that crying kids and screaming parents are the feedback I hear most from non-wrestling parents that have been to a youth tournament. If someday their kid has a desire to wrestle, they have a negative perception already.

So run smaller tournamanets with time slots for Marcus over the entire day instead of cramping 500 kids in gym with 9 mats.

[bigG]

I can tell you that crying kids and screaming parents are the feedback I hear most from non-wrestling parents that have been to a youth tournament. If someday their kid has a desire to wrestle, they have a negative perception already.

Bingo. Even my custodians will comment how nice our school run duals and tourneys are, then the big youth tourney and psycho dads, kids snivellin' left and right.

[wrastle63]

I can tell you that crying kids and screaming parents are the feedback I hear most from non-wrestling parents that have been to a youth tournament. If someday their kid has a desire to wrestle, they have a negative perception already.

Bingo. Even my custodians will comment how nice our school run duals and tourneys are, then the big youth tourney and psycho dads, kids snivellin' left and right.

Think we are better off abandoning/moving away from youth tourneys and moving towards youth scrimmages or duals with teams. Coaches coach their wrestlers, parents stay in the stands, and wrestlers get a better atmosphere to wrestle in.