FAQ's for First-Time Wrestlers/Parents

Parents: When does the season start and when are practices?
Coach: Practices usually start in early November. For intramural wrestlers, practices are generally held either M/W or T/Th, in the early evenings at Central Bucks schools.

Travel team practices are usually MWF evenings and are held at Delaware Valley College.

Matches for intramural and travel teams are on the weekends and being in December and run through mid-February with the season-ending tournaments.

Parents: What does my son need for practice?
Coach: Wrestling is hard, hot work! Your son will be fine in gym shorts and a t-shirt. He should also bring a water bottle to each practice.

Boys must wear headgear; wrestling shoes are optional. The local sporting goods stores stock some wrestling gear, although small sizes are often in demand.

If you need to bring your son's sibling(s) to practice, we understand. They're welcome; we just ask that they stay off the practice mat during our wrestling session.

Our practice sessions are held weeknights at local schools. Please arrive a few minutes early (it takes time to lace up those wrestling shoes) be ready to hit the mat on time.

Parents: What can I do to help?
Coach: GREAT QUESTION! The most important thing you can do to help is to be enthusiastic about wrestling. In addition - and don't let this scare you (!) - you can be immeasurably helpful if you get out on the mat with your son during practice.

Wrestling can be a difficult sport at first for some boys. Many young athletes haven't developed the mind-body communication to translate verbal instructions (such as "reach back with your left hand") into physical action. This kinesthetic sense improves quickly, but you can help your son by kicking your shoes off, stepping out on the mat, and helping to put his body in the correct position.

At CB Raiders, we have a low coach-to-wrestler ratio, and each boy gets special attention during practice, but we can always use your help. Moms, dads, and older siblings can all help during practice … NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!

Parents: What is a typical practice like?
Coach: We usually start off with a quick warm up and some stretching. Then we might do some "shadow wrestling" or drilling on the move we're working on. After that, we will work on learning a wrestling technique or "move." Coaches will demonstrate the move and then we'll break up into pairs and practice that moves. That's where we need parents' help, to make sure the boys are correctly learning the hand, body and foot placement for each move.

Toward the end of practice, we do "live wrestling," and play wrestling games, and we usually end with fun games like snake.

Most of the boys on our intramural teams are beginners, so that's where we'll start! First off, we'll work on stance (which isn't as easy as it looks!), then we'll start to learn a simple takedown. As we progress through the season, different moves will be introduced depending on the boys' strengths and weaknesses.

Finally, as we get into the actual season, we'll review what the boys did in their matches and work on techniques to help any problems that they may have had during the meet.

Parents: OK. Now I'm overwhelmed. Remind me why I signed my son up for this sport?
Coach: Wrestling is a great sport for boys. Throughout his wrestling career, your son will compete only against others his same size. Additionally, CB Raiders coaches try to set up the matches (whenever possible) so the boys also are paired up according to ability and experience. This gives each boy his best chance to excel and make the most of his hard work and training.

Wrestling is unmatched for developing self-confidence - the challenge of taking on an opponent one-on-one (win or lose) builds self-esteem that translates into many other areas of your son's life. Physically, wrestling strengthens both upper and lower body muscle groups, and helps the boys improve their coordination overall.

Although the competition in wrestling is individual, the boys develop a strong sense of team. The time spent practicing and working together to learn moves really build camaraderie among the young wrestlers.

We hope we've answered some of your questions, but ALWAYS feel free to contact any Raiders coach with concerns or questions. Wrestling is a new sport for many families and can be a bit intimidating at first. We're always be happy to talk to you about any aspect of your son's participation.