use of time in kids training

[seamus1979]

interested in some people's opinions on this. was chatting to one of the dad's at my son's wrestling club and was chatting about our kids training. I commented about how my son had stopped bjj after two years because he didn't like the new black belt coach at the club. The dad in question is a brown belt and he made the comment he doesn't want his son learning bjj until he turns sixteen and thinks wrestling was the better use of time for his sons training and adding bjj to good wrestler was a better recipe for success than just pure bjj.
This isn't a pushy dad thread but was just interested in people's opinions on what the dad said.

 

[blandy]

Success at what? While a wrestling base looks to be a good idea for current mma rules it doesn't mean it's going to be the best every one.

 

[lechien]

Success in what? Mma?

 

[mattemate]

I know a guy-- most people in Austin will know who I'm talking about-- who started in JJJ and then BJJ as a kid. He had VERY good skills, probably high level blue to purple belt skills when he was 12 or 13. A couple years later, he gets to high school and starts to wrestle, and it just comes super easy. He got to train with some world class wrestlers, which helped, but basically he ran through everyone in Texas, won the state title a couple of times, lost only a handful of matches in 4 years (and got his purple belt from Relson in the meantime, when he turned 16, so you know it's legit-- Relson is stingy with purple belts). Went to a Big Ten school as a scholarship athlete. Pretty good wrestler in college, but got injured a lot, so didn't compete as much as he would have liked.

Pretty much the opposite of what this dad was saying, but very successful. There are many paths, not just one.

 

[Skip Reming]

90% of kids training should be dedicated to the retention of candy.

 

[freaky]

interested in some people's opinions on this. was chatting to one of the dad's at my son's wrestling club and was chatting about our kids training. I commented about how my son had stopped bjj after two years because he didn't like the new black belt coach at the club. The dad in question is a brown belt and he made the comment he doesn't want his son learning bjj until he turns sixteen and thinks wrestling was the better use of time for his sons training and adding bjj to good wrestler was a better recipe for success than just pure bjj.
This isn't a pushy dad thread but was just interested in people's opinions on what the dad said.

Obviously anything + anything > pure anything. Welcome to 1990. Look up MMA.

Now as for doing wrestling first or bjj it doesn't matter. Wrestling + BJJ > pure bjj and pure wrestling.

 

[DoctorTaco]

I'm going to come off as the portland dad, but the time should be spent what ever the kid wants to do. If he likes wrestling better, then wrestle. Big bjj, then that.

 

[Uchi Mata]

I think focusing on wrestling makes sense. Wrestling, in the US at least, is mostly a scholastic thing. His best chance to learn and get good at wrestling is when he's in school and has access to the school team. That's not true of Judo or BJJ, he can pick those up whenever. Even if he just does a season or two and decides it's not for him, those skills will benefit him forever in any grappling art.

 

[Ton]

I'm going to come off as the portland dad, but the time should be spent what ever the kid wants to do. If he likes wrestling better, then wrestle. Big bjj, then that.

. Disclaimer, I'm not a parent. But I agree that this is the best approach. The kid will get burned out if they do a sport they don't find appealing, then no one wins.

 

[Coati858]

90% of kids training should be dedicated to the retention of candy.

Piñata BJJ FTW, but my kids will tell you that the soccer/dodgeball/freezetag at the end of class is absolutely critical.

 

[Russky]

Most of the kids are scared to be choked, and cannot tolerate hard punches in the face. If your kid has no problem with that, you can take him to BJJ, karate, TKD, boxing, etc. first and train in wrestling/judo later. Otherwise it might be better to start with wrestling first and move on to BJJ sometimes later.

 

[Thrawn33]

As a past assistant coach for the kids' team (5-10 year olds) of two different judo clubs:

Games

Promise them games at the end if they behave. Games that teach skill, but when it all comes down to it, it's fun as hell....even for you the 30-something year old coach that gets to play with them.

Teens/tweens are another story...I'd rather coach young kids or adults...those little shits are too young to smash as adults when they are insolent and too old ("coo"l...lol) to keep interested with drills and games.

 

[Ivaylo Ivanov]

I think focusing on wrestling makes sense. Wrestling, in the US at least, is mostly a scholastic thing. His best chance to learn and get good at wrestling is when he's in school and has access to the school team. That's not true of Judo or BJJ, he can pick those up whenever. Even if he just does a season or two and decides it's not for him, those skills will benefit him forever in any grappling art.

This.
BJJ is private owned club sport, meaning anyone can walk in and practice.
Wrestling is very limited to time frame and age, a kid can go and learn.
Also, if the kid suck at wrestling, he will not be able to continue, while in BJJ it doesnt really matter if a student is good or not- as long as he is paying, he will stay in the school.
In short, my advice is, go for wrestling while he can and later on practice BJJ or whatever the kid wants.

 

[Codger]

I'd need to define "success" here. it's not like they're going to get rich of either sport so from that perspective Tennis would be better. If you mean being the best grappler they can be - does that really even matter? Chances of them actually giving a shit about that all the way to adulthood is quite low.

So I'm with the people saying they should just do what they enjoy. Obviously if your kids shows enormous talent at something then it's worth considering being this strategic but for 99% of people it just isn't.

 

[Grrrr]

My boys are 10 & 12. They practice and compete in both wrestling(5yrs) and bjj(1.5yrs) . They also play football and baseball. If I were forced to have them only do one grappling sport it would be wrestling.