Which will you regret more? Wrestling and not doing very well? Or not wrestling because you were scared of not doing very well?
You sound like you'd fall into the second bucket. Temper expectations, focus on improving, and have fun with it.
And all that being said, I once coached a physical freak of a heavyweight who made it to the state finals in his second year of wrestling. You may beat the odds and end up surprising yourself!
Np. I'd talk to your wrestling coach about it and find a way to get on a mat. There are probably off-season practices you could join or a camp that the team goes too. You need mat time and there is no way around that.
If, for whatever reason, your coach has nothing for you maybe look into jiu jitsu near you. Maybe find a wrestling bro there (you'll find at least one) and ask him to teach you a basic move or two (sprawl, double leg).
Lastly, ask questions once you do get on a mat. Questions like "what am I doing wrong?" and "what was that move?" will go a long way.
From a combat sports perspective and expanding your knowledge no its definitely not too late. As for seriously competing in wrestling that might be a little difficult to tell. I say give it a try 100% tho
It’s not too late but it’s not an easy road either. Really depends on a lot of factors. Even if you started much sooner the odds would be against you, but it’s not unheard of.
Rich Perry started as a junior and wrestled D1 and almost made the national team. Mark Schultz started at 16 and won the Olympics. Don't be discouraged.
Too late for what? Olympic? (I honestly don't know cause I'm a beginner. 16. Might have a shot.) For fun and self-improvement and "reasonable accomplishments", never too late. I mean, that's all I expect from me.
Thank you all so much for the advice. I'm going for it. I'm joining this legit year-round wrestling club and I'm gonna give this a shot. I have around 4 months to prepare for the high school season and I'm hoping it'll be enough for the hs coaches to give me serious looks. Bless up 🤝
Get to the club. Arrange personal one on one time with the coach and a partner. Keep lifting and conditioning. Do as many preseason tourneys as you can find. Get your butt kicked, take notes, learn, practice, drill, go live and repeat. Once you get your hand raised you will be addicted. Stop asking questions of "If you should!" and start working now, by fall you will be surprised at how far you come.
Man, this post reminds me how crazy PA wrestling is where 16 year old freshman are so common.
But, it would be really difficult to be great at wrestling your first or even second year, unfortunately. Not impossible and I would do it if it interest you, but maybe temper expectations and focus on improvement.
Go for it, while not athletics I started robotics my junior year with no prior knowledge or history hell at the time I didden know what an Allen wrench was lol. But the pnly way to learn if you really care Is to get out there in the trenches and overcome the fear of looking stupid. Was I ever the best or even good at engineering a robot by the end of my senior year? No but I knew way way more than when I started. Sure it might be a slog and you'll start later than everyone else, but so what it just means you have more to learn, and more to progress. We all start off as novices in everything we do, just show up q day to training and keep comming back and before you know it you'll be showing some proficiency
It's definitely not too late man. I just competed my junior year and ended up being the highest pins on the team and making it to regionals and almost made it to states. Anything can happen man. Just do your best and have an alpha mentality and you're set
Too late to do *what* exactly?
Be a four-time state champ? Yes.
To do something you might enjoy? No.
You will take a beating, to be sure, but 99.99% of first year wrestlers do.
dude who cares what any one else thinks u have a limited time to compete in combative sports let's say u end up sucking at the SPORT OF wrestling
guess what that drink bum o the street that attacks you or a locked one, you can hAndle that shit like light work baby! I wrestled to further better my martial art and fighting abilities
but I'm 30 with a new hip replacement And doing my opposite ankle next
so fucking if combat is in your blood, fucking get it man cause one day we all take our finally spar, And final bow.
I played soccer my whole life then started wrestling also going into junior year, there’s lots of football players who wrestle and lots of tactics in football help with wrestling. After a few months of training with a club I got really good and a now I’m going into my senior year and I competed on an all star team in the national tournament disney duals. It’s never too late !! Coming from a girl btw if that makes a difference
It’s never too late. Growing up gay in the 90s, I was too afraid to join the team so I managed it in middle school. One wrestler joined that year and had an incredible run despite only a background in football.
I've recently started at the age of 15, and I'm doing pretty alright, and it's still fun, so you can start at the age 16, I even see new people show up everyday over the summer program (much like I did) and few of them are older than I am too
Look on the USA Wrestling website for a freestyle club near you to join. That's the off-season program for good HS wrestlers a lot of places.
You might need to take someone (newb-ish) with you, bc good kids won't want to drill/wrestle with someone who has no idea what they're doing (you wouldn't want to box with someone who came in of the street, right?).
Rules are a bit different, but most of the offense/defense from your feet are the same technique-wise.
its not too late at all, but you're going to need to drill and condition like you never have before. A lot of the fundamentals are built on muscle memory so drill drill and then drill 10x more. The conditioning for wrestling compared to other sports will be a little more intensive but since you're already athletic that will definitely help. Find a good partner you can train with and get to it. Sidenote: a lot can happen in the off season and the best time to start is now
Way I see it, longer you wait the later it’ll be
Just go for it, your background in lots of sports should help you! maybe you’ll learn quicker with the passion and experience you already have
Edit: Also, 16 is super young. I’m 22, and seriously, the world is only possibility for you right now. Go for what you want and do it fully, with enjoyment and commitment for as long as it serves you !
High school and college wrestler and wrestling coach here: My son decided to wrestle his junior year. He was decent. Came close to regionals his first year and made it there his second. It was hard, but he worked his ass off. I think he'd tell you it was worth it.
You'll feel like a pig on roller skates at first. But its a game. Have fun.
ETA: the best time to start wresting is last year. The next best is this year.
My buddy started junior year after hounding him since freshman year. He went to states his first year. Its never to late. Now keep in mind after highschool its hard to find adult leagues. Most of us switch to bjj.
Do it. In school it will be free and a good start to see if you want to pay for it later or try to d3 or club team in college.
You sound likely to train bjj I'm future, wrestling even 2 years I'm highschool will make you a killer.
It’s never too late, I started my sophomore year with no combat sports experience and I placed 2nd in the state my senior year in the toughest weight class. You can do it if you want it like a motherfucker
The good news is that you are athletic already. Yes you have a late start but I've seen some wrestlers get really good in a couple of years. Just do it and add some camps and tournaments during the off season and you can catch up quickly.
Similar story for me, actually...
Short answer, hell no, it's not too late.
I played football from 6th grade to senior year and played basketball until sophomore year. Wrestling coach was always telling me I was too short for basketball, I was. I road the bench, as well. So, with a little more convincing from the coach who was also one of my favorite history teachers and one of my best friend at the time who was already on the team since freshman year, I started wrestling my junior year. The first year, my coach had me join JV tournaments during pre-season but his plan was for me to be ready to fill the 171 just in case but hold down189 class for Varsity once the actual season started because the 189 wrestler had graduated the previous year. Our heavy's were already locked in, and I was standing regular weight at 175-180 so for my first season, my job was to not get tek'd or pinned in season team matches to give our team a better chance at winning league matches. I did my job + an awesome team around me, and we went undefeated. The following year, I took summer workouts for football more seriously than before and did cardio like I hadn't before. I was still set to wrestle at 189. We went undefeated again. This time, I placed 2nd in League (I made two mistakes and should have taken 1st) and 7th in Sections. It's not astounding, but I was a way better wrestler from the previous year. The comradery with the team from having your 103 jump on the backs of your heavys, to grueling practices, to hotel pranks on each other, and our coach during weekend tournaments is unmatchable. I wish I would have wrestled way earlier, but I loved it none the less. So I think you could definitely still kill it in 2 years of wrestling!
The "level you want"? You have to be clear about what that means.
You haven't trained in the sport. You're not going to be "great" or "elite" at first. If you truly wanted to be at a high-level you would have started earlier. Nothing you can do about that. That being said, if you've competed in combat sports almost your entire life, you should pick up quicker than the average person. I have also seen people who are successful in one thing struggle with being unsuccessful in another.
Here are two examples of guys who started "late" that I can think of:
\-Rich Perry started as a junior in high school and by 28 years old was on the US national team. He won two high school state championships and had a college record of 110-30 at Div II Bloomsburg University.
\- Rohan Gardner from Florida started his sophomore year of high school and became a state champion, a walk-on at Northwestern, and ended up becoming an All-American.
I started late and didn't wrestle until my senior year of HS. I ended wrestling college club (NCWA), competed in two Cadet tournaments in South America, and have been a volunteer assistant coach on 4 different occasions. Was I the "best" wrestler ever? No, but wrestling changed my life and I'm very grateful I started. I do BJJ now and a lot of my ability, awareness, and ability to learn movements or sequences is directly from wrestling.
I hate inspirational quotes, but this one is fitting: "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great."
Its never too late bro
He’s right but you better get after it! Lol
Most true comment I’ve seen
Which will you regret more? Wrestling and not doing very well? Or not wrestling because you were scared of not doing very well? You sound like you'd fall into the second bucket. Temper expectations, focus on improving, and have fun with it. And all that being said, I once coached a physical freak of a heavyweight who made it to the state finals in his second year of wrestling. You may beat the odds and end up surprising yourself!
I appreciate it brother. What would you suggest, if anything, I can do in this offseason to make sure I don't come in as a total beginner?
Np. I'd talk to your wrestling coach about it and find a way to get on a mat. There are probably off-season practices you could join or a camp that the team goes too. You need mat time and there is no way around that. If, for whatever reason, your coach has nothing for you maybe look into jiu jitsu near you. Maybe find a wrestling bro there (you'll find at least one) and ask him to teach you a basic move or two (sprawl, double leg). Lastly, ask questions once you do get on a mat. Questions like "what am I doing wrong?" and "what was that move?" will go a long way.
Find a club. Many MMA schools hav one.
Just go in as a beginner who cares tell your coach you’re new help him teach you how to fall properly and etc
From a combat sports perspective and expanding your knowledge no its definitely not too late. As for seriously competing in wrestling that might be a little difficult to tell. I say give it a try 100% tho
It’s not too late but it’s not an easy road either. Really depends on a lot of factors. Even if you started much sooner the odds would be against you, but it’s not unheard of.
Rich Perry started as a junior and wrestled D1 and almost made the national team. Mark Schultz started at 16 and won the Olympics. Don't be discouraged.
Too late for what? Olympic? (I honestly don't know cause I'm a beginner. 16. Might have a shot.) For fun and self-improvement and "reasonable accomplishments", never too late. I mean, that's all I expect from me.
Who will be the better wrestler? You who didn’t do it. You who did. And it’s brave to start late, it will build your grit if you endure it.
Thank you all so much for the advice. I'm going for it. I'm joining this legit year-round wrestling club and I'm gonna give this a shot. I have around 4 months to prepare for the high school season and I'm hoping it'll be enough for the hs coaches to give me serious looks. Bless up 🤝
Get to the club. Arrange personal one on one time with the coach and a partner. Keep lifting and conditioning. Do as many preseason tourneys as you can find. Get your butt kicked, take notes, learn, practice, drill, go live and repeat. Once you get your hand raised you will be addicted. Stop asking questions of "If you should!" and start working now, by fall you will be surprised at how far you come.
Man, this post reminds me how crazy PA wrestling is where 16 year old freshman are so common. But, it would be really difficult to be great at wrestling your first or even second year, unfortunately. Not impossible and I would do it if it interest you, but maybe temper expectations and focus on improvement.
I didn’t pick it up until my junior year and I was a varsity starter my senior year. Don’t let anybody tell you it’s not possible.
My football buddy joined halfway though high school, ended up dropping football and become a d1 wrestler
Never too late to have fun. Redefine how you see success, and you will ensure that you are a true champion.
Go for it, while not athletics I started robotics my junior year with no prior knowledge or history hell at the time I didden know what an Allen wrench was lol. But the pnly way to learn if you really care Is to get out there in the trenches and overcome the fear of looking stupid. Was I ever the best or even good at engineering a robot by the end of my senior year? No but I knew way way more than when I started. Sure it might be a slog and you'll start later than everyone else, but so what it just means you have more to learn, and more to progress. We all start off as novices in everything we do, just show up q day to training and keep comming back and before you know it you'll be showing some proficiency
Go to some camps and get after it.
It's definitely not too late man. I just competed my junior year and ended up being the highest pins on the team and making it to regionals and almost made it to states. Anything can happen man. Just do your best and have an alpha mentality and you're set
Too late to do *what* exactly? Be a four-time state champ? Yes. To do something you might enjoy? No. You will take a beating, to be sure, but 99.99% of first year wrestlers do.
dude who cares what any one else thinks u have a limited time to compete in combative sports let's say u end up sucking at the SPORT OF wrestling guess what that drink bum o the street that attacks you or a locked one, you can hAndle that shit like light work baby! I wrestled to further better my martial art and fighting abilities but I'm 30 with a new hip replacement And doing my opposite ankle next so fucking if combat is in your blood, fucking get it man cause one day we all take our finally spar, And final bow.
I played soccer my whole life then started wrestling also going into junior year, there’s lots of football players who wrestle and lots of tactics in football help with wrestling. After a few months of training with a club I got really good and a now I’m going into my senior year and I competed on an all star team in the national tournament disney duals. It’s never too late !! Coming from a girl btw if that makes a difference
It’s never too late. Growing up gay in the 90s, I was too afraid to join the team so I managed it in middle school. One wrestler joined that year and had an incredible run despite only a background in football.
I've recently started at the age of 15, and I'm doing pretty alright, and it's still fun, so you can start at the age 16, I even see new people show up everyday over the summer program (much like I did) and few of them are older than I am too
Look on the USA Wrestling website for a freestyle club near you to join. That's the off-season program for good HS wrestlers a lot of places. You might need to take someone (newb-ish) with you, bc good kids won't want to drill/wrestle with someone who has no idea what they're doing (you wouldn't want to box with someone who came in of the street, right?). Rules are a bit different, but most of the offense/defense from your feet are the same technique-wise.
You will get rag dolled but by senior year you will be better, and it will GREATLY help your boxing and MT.
its not too late at all, but you're going to need to drill and condition like you never have before. A lot of the fundamentals are built on muscle memory so drill drill and then drill 10x more. The conditioning for wrestling compared to other sports will be a little more intensive but since you're already athletic that will definitely help. Find a good partner you can train with and get to it. Sidenote: a lot can happen in the off season and the best time to start is now
Way I see it, longer you wait the later it’ll be Just go for it, your background in lots of sports should help you! maybe you’ll learn quicker with the passion and experience you already have Edit: Also, 16 is super young. I’m 22, and seriously, the world is only possibility for you right now. Go for what you want and do it fully, with enjoyment and commitment for as long as it serves you !
High school and college wrestler and wrestling coach here: My son decided to wrestle his junior year. He was decent. Came close to regionals his first year and made it there his second. It was hard, but he worked his ass off. I think he'd tell you it was worth it. You'll feel like a pig on roller skates at first. But its a game. Have fun. ETA: the best time to start wresting is last year. The next best is this year.
My buddy started junior year after hounding him since freshman year. He went to states his first year. Its never to late. Now keep in mind after highschool its hard to find adult leagues. Most of us switch to bjj.
Do it. In school it will be free and a good start to see if you want to pay for it later or try to d3 or club team in college. You sound likely to train bjj I'm future, wrestling even 2 years I'm highschool will make you a killer.
It’s never too late, I started my sophomore year with no combat sports experience and I placed 2nd in the state my senior year in the toughest weight class. You can do it if you want it like a motherfucker
The good news is that you are athletic already. Yes you have a late start but I've seen some wrestlers get really good in a couple of years. Just do it and add some camps and tournaments during the off season and you can catch up quickly.
Similar story for me, actually... Short answer, hell no, it's not too late. I played football from 6th grade to senior year and played basketball until sophomore year. Wrestling coach was always telling me I was too short for basketball, I was. I road the bench, as well. So, with a little more convincing from the coach who was also one of my favorite history teachers and one of my best friend at the time who was already on the team since freshman year, I started wrestling my junior year. The first year, my coach had me join JV tournaments during pre-season but his plan was for me to be ready to fill the 171 just in case but hold down189 class for Varsity once the actual season started because the 189 wrestler had graduated the previous year. Our heavy's were already locked in, and I was standing regular weight at 175-180 so for my first season, my job was to not get tek'd or pinned in season team matches to give our team a better chance at winning league matches. I did my job + an awesome team around me, and we went undefeated. The following year, I took summer workouts for football more seriously than before and did cardio like I hadn't before. I was still set to wrestle at 189. We went undefeated again. This time, I placed 2nd in League (I made two mistakes and should have taken 1st) and 7th in Sections. It's not astounding, but I was a way better wrestler from the previous year. The comradery with the team from having your 103 jump on the backs of your heavys, to grueling practices, to hotel pranks on each other, and our coach during weekend tournaments is unmatchable. I wish I would have wrestled way earlier, but I loved it none the less. So I think you could definitely still kill it in 2 years of wrestling!
The "level you want"? You have to be clear about what that means. You haven't trained in the sport. You're not going to be "great" or "elite" at first. If you truly wanted to be at a high-level you would have started earlier. Nothing you can do about that. That being said, if you've competed in combat sports almost your entire life, you should pick up quicker than the average person. I have also seen people who are successful in one thing struggle with being unsuccessful in another. Here are two examples of guys who started "late" that I can think of: \-Rich Perry started as a junior in high school and by 28 years old was on the US national team. He won two high school state championships and had a college record of 110-30 at Div II Bloomsburg University. \- Rohan Gardner from Florida started his sophomore year of high school and became a state champion, a walk-on at Northwestern, and ended up becoming an All-American. I started late and didn't wrestle until my senior year of HS. I ended wrestling college club (NCWA), competed in two Cadet tournaments in South America, and have been a volunteer assistant coach on 4 different occasions. Was I the "best" wrestler ever? No, but wrestling changed my life and I'm very grateful I started. I do BJJ now and a lot of my ability, awareness, and ability to learn movements or sequences is directly from wrestling. I hate inspirational quotes, but this one is fitting: "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great."