Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
Is wrestling only for boys?
The answer is absolutely, NO! Wrestling has been around for thousands of years and women have participated in the sport at every level for many years. The large majority of participants in wrestling are in fact boys but over the last decade the women's programs have had a surge in memberships. There are fewer tournaments only for girls so many times the girls wrestle the boys. As their age increases the girls don't normally compete with the boys, although some female wrestlers choose to do so. They choose to do this to increase their speed, strength and agility as well as better preparing themselves for higher competition. We welcome and encourage the young women to come out for wrestling as it can benefit them as much as it does the boys.
Does Wrestling teach or promote aggressive or violent behavior?
Wrestling is thought of as a very tough and physical – which it is. But, it is certainly NOT violent and it does not lead to unruly or destructive behavior. One of the factors that make wrestling so different from most other sports is that wrestling involves head-to-head competition. Each wrestler’s efforts work in direct opposition from one another as in a tug-of-war contest. Success in wrestling requires the ability to attack, as well as the ability to stop your opponent’s attacks. The same factors apply with boxing and martial arts, but an attack in wrestling is non-violent. Wrestling does not permit opponents to strike one another and imposes strict penalties or disqualification for violent behavior. In essence, wrestling is unique in the fact that it can be very aggressive without being violent. The objective is not to harm one’s opponent, but instead to outmaneuver and gain control of them.
Is wrestling a dangerous sport?
There is a common misperception among people unfamiliar with the sport of wrestling, that it is a dangerous sport. It may be the aggressive nature of the sport, the incorrect association with “Pro Wrestling”, or perhaps fear of the unknown. A quote from USA Wrestling has the following to say about risk of injury:
“Wrestling is a contact sport and injuries will occur. As would be expected, wrestling has more injuries than tennis and swimming, but most wrestling injuries are minor, consisting of sprains and strains. Wrestling has fewer serious injuries than football, basketball, or ice hockey. There is a lesser chance of getting seriously hurt when wrestling than when riding in a car, skateboarding, or riding a dirt bike.”
Can wrestling have an effect on character development?
Definitely. Success in sports, or anything for that matter, are a combination of inherent attributes (such as height and size) and acquired traits (such as technique and endurance). Success in wrestling depends mostly on acquired traits, and unlike most other sports, wrestling does not favor athletes of any particular height, size, or weight due to the varying weight classes. Wrestlers learn, by the nature of the sport, that long-term success has much more to do with the investment made than the natural gifts one is given. Wrestlers learn the value of hard work and preparation in achieving one’s goals. Wrestling provides real-life experiences that build and strengthen the following character traits:
Wrestling, perhaps more than any other sport, is great for building confidence while retaining a healthy dose of humility. The long-term result is that it develops the champion from within, and leads to greater success both on and off the mat.
Will my child be required or expected to lose weight?
We look at this as a decision between you and your son or daughter. As a coaching staff, it is our job to educate our wrestlers and parents as best we can on proper nutrition and to offer opinions on any weight situation. As a parent and within reason, the decision is ultimately yours. Some parents automatically associate wrestling with excessive, out-of-control weight loss similar to anorexia and bulimia. In reality, the opposite is true. Wrestlers gain control of their body weight and body composition, obtaining an ideal weight. Furthermore, the California Interscholastic Federation prohibits any form of rapid or unsafe weight loss and has High School wrestlers perform a body fat test at the beginning of the year in order to calculate a safe weight/weight loss for that wrestler.
To some, the practice of any sort of weight control for the purpose of competing in a sport may still seem extreme and unnecessary. However, at the appropriate age, the proper education, proper planning, and discipline - weight control can be a good thing that carries into other sports and can be valuable in maintaining one’s health later in life. Proper weight control results in optimum body weight and composition leading to a healthier lifestyle. This allows athletes to compete in peak physical condition, with the greatest ratio of speed, strength, energy, and power compared to their body weight. Therefore, eating a healthy diet during the wrestling season is essential whether a wrestler is losing weight or not.
What if I haven’t wrestled in a while (or ever) and would like to join?
Go ahead and join. There are many different skill levels within the sport of wrestling with a lot of wrestlers joining later on in life. As a matter of fact there are plenty of outstanding wrestlers that did not join the sport until late into their middle school years or even high school. There is some advantage that comes with experience. However, wrestling is a sport that ultimately depends on the amount of dedication, commitment, and hard work on the part of a wrestler that makes them successful. Every season is a new season, which typically belongs to the person that works the hardest. So, if it has been a while, you may have to work a little harder once you join. But don’t worry, our wrestlers will be right there next to you working as hard as they can to be the best that they can be. Besides, our coaching staff is diverse enough to work with all levels.
As a parent, I never wrestled and am not really sure about this sport.
Do not worry. Many wrestlers, even many of our own, have parents that never wrestled. Wrestling is a very exciting and emotional sport with a lot of passionate fans. It doesn’t take long to understand wrestling and get involved in it. All you need to do is sit by our parents in the stands and they will be more than happy to explain scoring or point out key matches/wrestlers. If you are unsure, please do not hesitate to ask our coaching staff any questions or express any concerns that you may have regarding your child joining this sport.
Will wrestling take up every weekend?
Although we do wrestle many of our tournaments on Saturdays and a few Sundays, we do enjoy some weekends off. We also have holiday breaks during the season, which also allows time to do other hobbies. It is necessary to wrestle tournaments on weekends due to the time that it requires to drive to them and how long they run. We encourage our wrestlers to attend as many tournaments as they can. Live tournaments are the opportunities the wrestlers get to see how they are progressing against other wrestlers in and outside of our region. It is not a requirement to attend every tournament but we highly suggest they attend as many as they possibly can so that they can grow in the sport.
What are weigh-ins?
Weigh-ins are held prior to a contest, whether it be a dual match or a tournament. Typically, weigh-ins are held the morning of the tournament but on occasion we weigh-in at our practice and e-mail the weights to the director of the tournament (dependent on the tournament). Weigh-ins are conducted by the licensed officials/referees in order to certify that each wrestler does not weigh more than their respective weight class. For High School wrestlers it is also used as a tool to insure that wrestlers are not falling below an acceptable percentage of body fat. This is due to the fact that weights are recorded throughout the entire season and can be examined at any given time if extreme weight loss is suspected.
What equipment do I need to buy for my wrestler?
Typically, the mandatory things our wrestlers need to buy are wrestling shoes, headgear, and mouthguards should your child have braces. All of these are required to compete. Knee pads are totally optional. It is relatively inexpensive for your child to wrestle. But, if you need assistance, please let our coaching staff know.
How involved do parents have to be?
Making sure that your child has transportation to and from practice is a great start with being at most events being outstanding. We encourage parents to be there to support their children but also understand that work and other kids activities can conflict. Normally we have two BUSD vans to transport the wrestlers to event but, on occassion we need assistance with the growing number of wrestlers on our team. You can always transport your own child to and from a tournament. For other wrestlers to ride with you, you must complete a BUSD volunteer form and provide a copy of your driver's license and insurance (Note: There is a minimum insurance requirement). These forms can be obtained and returned to any of the Benicia Schools or the District Office. The success of our wrestling programs and wrestling club depends primarily on volunteers, especially during our hosted tournaments and other fund raising activities. If you have any questions about volunteering, please do not hesitate to ask.
Can my child ride the BUSD van to a match or tournament and then ride home with me?
If your child rides the BUSD van to an event they MUST come home on the van unless prior arrangements have been made through the coaches. Under only very strict rules will another wrestler (not your child) be allowed to return home with another parent that is not theirs. These rules are: A letter from the wrestlers parent given to the coach ahead of time, indicating that their child has permission to come home with another specified parent on a specified date. The parent accepting this responsibility will also have to of been through the BUSD volunteer process with their Driver's License and insurance information on file with the school district.
What age groups / experience levels Can participate in Benicia Wrestling?
We have three different teams: Benicia Middle School - grades 6-8, Benicia High School – grades 9-12 and Benicia Club Wrestling – grades 4-12. We accept all levels of wrestlers from beginners to State Champions. The only restriction is that the wrestlers attend a school in the City of Benicia.
What is a typical practice session like?
Practices begins with a 10-15 minute warm up, followed by a drilling session that includes teaching new techniques and refining skills. The amount of teaching dictates the intensity of the drill session. Some practices are hard drilling, while others have drilling to learn new techniques. This also varies with each age group. Drill sessions last any where from 45-60 minutes. After drilling, live wrestling takes place for approx. 30-45 minutes, then followed by about 15 minutes of conditioning. AGAIN, this is a general practice as all practices vary. Some days may consist of all wrestling or all technique – this usually occurs when we have special guest clinicians.
What is a USA card and why is it needed?
USA Cards are purchased through USA Wrestling. USA Wrestling is our national governing body of wrestling. The cards provide member benefits, including insurance. ALL members of Benicia Club Wrestling MUST have a CURRENT USA card to participate in practices and events. Middle school and high school wrestling team members will need to get a USA membership card if they want to attend a USA wrestling tournament. USA cards are valid from Sept. 1 – August 31st and must be purchased each year. See www.themat.com for more details.
If my son or daughter can’t make a practice, do I need to call you?
We would appreciate some type of notification. We want to instill responsibility with our wrestlers and request that you make it their responsibility to notify the coaching staff if they absolutely must miss practice. Missing practice is not a good idea for a few reasons. number one is that the wrestling techniques we teach often build off of the previous one we taught. If they miss a practice we must go back and re-teach the previous session slowing the progress of the entire team. Two is that although wrestling is an individual sport we our a team. If one of those team members is not at practice it may limit the practice other wrestlers get by not having a training partner. If it is absolutely necessary for your wrestler to miss practice the coaching staff would appreciate some type of notification. We want to instill responsibility with our wrestlers and request that you make it their responsibility to notify the coaching staff if they absolutely must miss practice.
Will the Benicia coaching staff coach the kids at tournaments or matches?
If we brought our wrestlers to a tournament or match as a team we will coach the kids during their match so long as there are enough coaches at the tournament. We will not coach Benicia wrestlers who are wrestling other Benicia wrestlers (this happens multiple times at tournaments), so please don’t ask. We do this out of respect for all of our athletes so that each one of them is treated equally.
If you have a question not listed above please feel free to contact one of the coaches or use the"Contact us" link and we will get back to you as quickly as we can.
The answer is absolutely, NO! Wrestling has been around for thousands of years and women have participated in the sport at every level for many years. The large majority of participants in wrestling are in fact boys but over the last decade the women's programs have had a surge in memberships. There are fewer tournaments only for girls so many times the girls wrestle the boys. As their age increases the girls don't normally compete with the boys, although some female wrestlers choose to do so. They choose to do this to increase their speed, strength and agility as well as better preparing themselves for higher competition. We welcome and encourage the young women to come out for wrestling as it can benefit them as much as it does the boys.
Does Wrestling teach or promote aggressive or violent behavior?
Wrestling is thought of as a very tough and physical – which it is. But, it is certainly NOT violent and it does not lead to unruly or destructive behavior. One of the factors that make wrestling so different from most other sports is that wrestling involves head-to-head competition. Each wrestler’s efforts work in direct opposition from one another as in a tug-of-war contest. Success in wrestling requires the ability to attack, as well as the ability to stop your opponent’s attacks. The same factors apply with boxing and martial arts, but an attack in wrestling is non-violent. Wrestling does not permit opponents to strike one another and imposes strict penalties or disqualification for violent behavior. In essence, wrestling is unique in the fact that it can be very aggressive without being violent. The objective is not to harm one’s opponent, but instead to outmaneuver and gain control of them.
Is wrestling a dangerous sport?
There is a common misperception among people unfamiliar with the sport of wrestling, that it is a dangerous sport. It may be the aggressive nature of the sport, the incorrect association with “Pro Wrestling”, or perhaps fear of the unknown. A quote from USA Wrestling has the following to say about risk of injury:
“Wrestling is a contact sport and injuries will occur. As would be expected, wrestling has more injuries than tennis and swimming, but most wrestling injuries are minor, consisting of sprains and strains. Wrestling has fewer serious injuries than football, basketball, or ice hockey. There is a lesser chance of getting seriously hurt when wrestling than when riding in a car, skateboarding, or riding a dirt bike.”
- Safety factors in some ways unique to wrestling include:
- Rules, regulations, and state certified officials.
- The high ratio of officials to athletes (one for every two).
- Greater strength and flexibility as a result of more emphasis in practice.
- Competitors are matched by weight.
Can wrestling have an effect on character development?
Definitely. Success in sports, or anything for that matter, are a combination of inherent attributes (such as height and size) and acquired traits (such as technique and endurance). Success in wrestling depends mostly on acquired traits, and unlike most other sports, wrestling does not favor athletes of any particular height, size, or weight due to the varying weight classes. Wrestlers learn, by the nature of the sport, that long-term success has much more to do with the investment made than the natural gifts one is given. Wrestlers learn the value of hard work and preparation in achieving one’s goals. Wrestling provides real-life experiences that build and strengthen the following character traits:
- Self-Reliance
- Competitive Spirit
- Goal Orientation Esteem
- Mental Toughness
- Reponsibility
- Confidence
- Work Ethic
- Self Discipline
- Self Esteem
Wrestling, perhaps more than any other sport, is great for building confidence while retaining a healthy dose of humility. The long-term result is that it develops the champion from within, and leads to greater success both on and off the mat.
Will my child be required or expected to lose weight?
We look at this as a decision between you and your son or daughter. As a coaching staff, it is our job to educate our wrestlers and parents as best we can on proper nutrition and to offer opinions on any weight situation. As a parent and within reason, the decision is ultimately yours. Some parents automatically associate wrestling with excessive, out-of-control weight loss similar to anorexia and bulimia. In reality, the opposite is true. Wrestlers gain control of their body weight and body composition, obtaining an ideal weight. Furthermore, the California Interscholastic Federation prohibits any form of rapid or unsafe weight loss and has High School wrestlers perform a body fat test at the beginning of the year in order to calculate a safe weight/weight loss for that wrestler.
To some, the practice of any sort of weight control for the purpose of competing in a sport may still seem extreme and unnecessary. However, at the appropriate age, the proper education, proper planning, and discipline - weight control can be a good thing that carries into other sports and can be valuable in maintaining one’s health later in life. Proper weight control results in optimum body weight and composition leading to a healthier lifestyle. This allows athletes to compete in peak physical condition, with the greatest ratio of speed, strength, energy, and power compared to their body weight. Therefore, eating a healthy diet during the wrestling season is essential whether a wrestler is losing weight or not.
What if I haven’t wrestled in a while (or ever) and would like to join?
Go ahead and join. There are many different skill levels within the sport of wrestling with a lot of wrestlers joining later on in life. As a matter of fact there are plenty of outstanding wrestlers that did not join the sport until late into their middle school years or even high school. There is some advantage that comes with experience. However, wrestling is a sport that ultimately depends on the amount of dedication, commitment, and hard work on the part of a wrestler that makes them successful. Every season is a new season, which typically belongs to the person that works the hardest. So, if it has been a while, you may have to work a little harder once you join. But don’t worry, our wrestlers will be right there next to you working as hard as they can to be the best that they can be. Besides, our coaching staff is diverse enough to work with all levels.
As a parent, I never wrestled and am not really sure about this sport.
Do not worry. Many wrestlers, even many of our own, have parents that never wrestled. Wrestling is a very exciting and emotional sport with a lot of passionate fans. It doesn’t take long to understand wrestling and get involved in it. All you need to do is sit by our parents in the stands and they will be more than happy to explain scoring or point out key matches/wrestlers. If you are unsure, please do not hesitate to ask our coaching staff any questions or express any concerns that you may have regarding your child joining this sport.
Will wrestling take up every weekend?
Although we do wrestle many of our tournaments on Saturdays and a few Sundays, we do enjoy some weekends off. We also have holiday breaks during the season, which also allows time to do other hobbies. It is necessary to wrestle tournaments on weekends due to the time that it requires to drive to them and how long they run. We encourage our wrestlers to attend as many tournaments as they can. Live tournaments are the opportunities the wrestlers get to see how they are progressing against other wrestlers in and outside of our region. It is not a requirement to attend every tournament but we highly suggest they attend as many as they possibly can so that they can grow in the sport.
What are weigh-ins?
Weigh-ins are held prior to a contest, whether it be a dual match or a tournament. Typically, weigh-ins are held the morning of the tournament but on occasion we weigh-in at our practice and e-mail the weights to the director of the tournament (dependent on the tournament). Weigh-ins are conducted by the licensed officials/referees in order to certify that each wrestler does not weigh more than their respective weight class. For High School wrestlers it is also used as a tool to insure that wrestlers are not falling below an acceptable percentage of body fat. This is due to the fact that weights are recorded throughout the entire season and can be examined at any given time if extreme weight loss is suspected.
What equipment do I need to buy for my wrestler?
Typically, the mandatory things our wrestlers need to buy are wrestling shoes, headgear, and mouthguards should your child have braces. All of these are required to compete. Knee pads are totally optional. It is relatively inexpensive for your child to wrestle. But, if you need assistance, please let our coaching staff know.
How involved do parents have to be?
Making sure that your child has transportation to and from practice is a great start with being at most events being outstanding. We encourage parents to be there to support their children but also understand that work and other kids activities can conflict. Normally we have two BUSD vans to transport the wrestlers to event but, on occassion we need assistance with the growing number of wrestlers on our team. You can always transport your own child to and from a tournament. For other wrestlers to ride with you, you must complete a BUSD volunteer form and provide a copy of your driver's license and insurance (Note: There is a minimum insurance requirement). These forms can be obtained and returned to any of the Benicia Schools or the District Office. The success of our wrestling programs and wrestling club depends primarily on volunteers, especially during our hosted tournaments and other fund raising activities. If you have any questions about volunteering, please do not hesitate to ask.
Can my child ride the BUSD van to a match or tournament and then ride home with me?
If your child rides the BUSD van to an event they MUST come home on the van unless prior arrangements have been made through the coaches. Under only very strict rules will another wrestler (not your child) be allowed to return home with another parent that is not theirs. These rules are: A letter from the wrestlers parent given to the coach ahead of time, indicating that their child has permission to come home with another specified parent on a specified date. The parent accepting this responsibility will also have to of been through the BUSD volunteer process with their Driver's License and insurance information on file with the school district.
What age groups / experience levels Can participate in Benicia Wrestling?
We have three different teams: Benicia Middle School - grades 6-8, Benicia High School – grades 9-12 and Benicia Club Wrestling – grades 4-12. We accept all levels of wrestlers from beginners to State Champions. The only restriction is that the wrestlers attend a school in the City of Benicia.
What is a typical practice session like?
Practices begins with a 10-15 minute warm up, followed by a drilling session that includes teaching new techniques and refining skills. The amount of teaching dictates the intensity of the drill session. Some practices are hard drilling, while others have drilling to learn new techniques. This also varies with each age group. Drill sessions last any where from 45-60 minutes. After drilling, live wrestling takes place for approx. 30-45 minutes, then followed by about 15 minutes of conditioning. AGAIN, this is a general practice as all practices vary. Some days may consist of all wrestling or all technique – this usually occurs when we have special guest clinicians.
What is a USA card and why is it needed?
USA Cards are purchased through USA Wrestling. USA Wrestling is our national governing body of wrestling. The cards provide member benefits, including insurance. ALL members of Benicia Club Wrestling MUST have a CURRENT USA card to participate in practices and events. Middle school and high school wrestling team members will need to get a USA membership card if they want to attend a USA wrestling tournament. USA cards are valid from Sept. 1 – August 31st and must be purchased each year. See www.themat.com for more details.
If my son or daughter can’t make a practice, do I need to call you?
We would appreciate some type of notification. We want to instill responsibility with our wrestlers and request that you make it their responsibility to notify the coaching staff if they absolutely must miss practice. Missing practice is not a good idea for a few reasons. number one is that the wrestling techniques we teach often build off of the previous one we taught. If they miss a practice we must go back and re-teach the previous session slowing the progress of the entire team. Two is that although wrestling is an individual sport we our a team. If one of those team members is not at practice it may limit the practice other wrestlers get by not having a training partner. If it is absolutely necessary for your wrestler to miss practice the coaching staff would appreciate some type of notification. We want to instill responsibility with our wrestlers and request that you make it their responsibility to notify the coaching staff if they absolutely must miss practice.
Will the Benicia coaching staff coach the kids at tournaments or matches?
If we brought our wrestlers to a tournament or match as a team we will coach the kids during their match so long as there are enough coaches at the tournament. We will not coach Benicia wrestlers who are wrestling other Benicia wrestlers (this happens multiple times at tournaments), so please don’t ask. We do this out of respect for all of our athletes so that each one of them is treated equally.
If you have a question not listed above please feel free to contact one of the coaches or use the"Contact us" link and we will get back to you as quickly as we can.
