The World Class Wrestling Institute

What it Takes to Become an Amateur Wrestler

By Carl Adams, 30 Nov, -1 @ 12:00am

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So what does it take to become an amateur wrestler?

It takes a desire to participate in the sport and devote hours to training and learning the art of the sport. Many young men and women get their first look at wrestling on the television these days, which is a long way from the sport they will see in high school and college. The sport they see in school is much closer to the original way athletes in the times of the Romans and Greeks wrestled.

Wrestling has a long history that dates back more than 15,000 years according to cave drawings found in France. Reliefs carved by both the Egyptians and the Babylonians show wrestlers using the same holds that are used by amateur wrestlers today. For the Greeks wrestling was an often brutal sport that was heavily featured in much of their literature and in many Greek legends. It was also the number one sport in the Olympic Games. It took the Romans to tame the brutality out of the sport and bring it closer to the sport as it is today. The sport continued to be popular throughout the middle ages with many Royal families having at least one amateur wrestler.

As the European settler moved across the ocean and settled in America they of course brought the sport with them. Many county fairs had wrestling competitions with prizes for the winners. Even the Native Americans were known for their wrestling skills and it was a very popular sport in many tribes. Steeped in such rich history the sport has found a strong following in many high schools and colleges sporting teams and national competitions being held annually. In fact the first NCAA Wrestling Championship was held in 1912 and has been held every year since.

It takes years of training to become a successful amateur wrestler. Students can start out wrestling at a very young age in fact much like many of the martial arts training programs, many coaches firmly believe the younger a person starts the better. There is more to being an amateur wrestler than learning the different take downs, holds, escapes and other moves that a wrestler must know to be successful. It takes hours of dedicated exercise to build the kind of stamina required to survive in competition. Most wrestlers spend more hours lifting weights and running to build muscle and stamina than they do in the gym practicing the moves and competing with each other. Many local areas have a gym that offers classes that range from the beginner amateur wrestler all the way up to full competition level. This is a good supplement to courses offered in school and for many this may be the only way they can participate in the sport if their school does not offer it.

For those who are interested in excelling in the sport, consider attending at least one of the camps offered by the Carl Adams World Class Wrestling Institute in Boston. Directed by four-time NCAA championship coach Carl Adams and an equally impressive staff, the camps can give you a winning edge in any competition.