Gable on Youth Wrestling

Most recent issue of WIN Magazine had an informative interview with Dan Gable regarding youth wrestling.  

Some takeaways:

Winning is Subordinate to Retention

"Retention within the sport should be even more important than winning at the youth level."

Coach the Entire Team

"Coaches should be coaching for the sake of the sport and not just for the elite young wrestlers."

You Talk too Much

"[Youth wrestlers] have been in class all day long. Give them a break by not just giving them more instruction."

Positive Experience is Paramount, Winning Isn't

"... coaches have to do a great job of making sure these kids enjoy some positive results. That doesn’t mean that they have to win..."

Good Match-ups Are Critical

"One thing that is important to include is a kid’s won-loss record because it will show how much success they are having...If there is a match-up that does not look good, [the coaches] should not have it."

[Note: Takedown Scoring and Stats is a great way to record match outcomes and share win/loss records with other coaches prior to competition.]

Fun Fact About Dan Gable

"My first organized event did not happen until junior high school."