FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Participation in any sport carries an inherent risk of being injured, wrestling notwithstanding. Wrestling is always done in a safe controlled supervised environment. During competition, wrestling has the best referee to competitor ratio of any sport with 1 referee per 2 competitors. This allows the referee to totally focus on the safety first and foremost of these student/athletes. Wrestling has less incidences of concussions per athlete than a sport like soccer and significantly less than football and fewer lower body injuries in comparison to boys’ basketball. 

Wrestlers in youth competition are encouraged to wrestle at their natural body weight and wrestle against kids of similar size and ability level.  However, as competition increases, especially at the high school level, we promote a healthy eating lifestyle with a well-rounded diet and a supervised exercise program. We believe this helps with both performance and recovery which allows the student/athlete to perform at their highest levels daily.  More competitive wrestlers may choose to reduce body fat content.  The State of Florida maintains strict regulations on wrestling standards for the safe training of wrestlers by incorporating hydration testing of wrestlers throughout the wrestling season to ensure compliance of a healthy fitness, nutrition, and diet program.

Wrestling actually teaches a child self-control and discipline. Wrestlers learn how to control their emotions, behavior and actions through exercises, workouts and strenuous physical activities.  

Cauliflower ear is easily preventable by wearing headgear. All AWW wrestlers are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED to wear their headgear in practice every day, and it is already mandated in competition. In my years of coaching, of the hundreds of athletes I have coached, I have never had a wrestler develop cauliflower ear that has worn headgear. 

 All contact sports have an inherent risk of athletes contracting skin infections, including sports like football and basketball. Our wrestling coaches take vast measures to ensure that skin infections are both prevented and controlled and contained once identified.  However, should something suspicious be identified, we notify the parent to get the skin area diagnosed and treated immediately.    

The GREAT thing about wrestling is that children are paired or matched by weight, age and ability. Your child will be matched with another child that is similar weight, age and skill level.  Unlike sports like football where mismatches often occur to create an advantage, wrestling makes every attempt to ensure all efforts are made so that each match is evenly paired with size, weight, age and ability.