If you are new to the sport of wrestling, here are some answers to common questions:

What is the difference between the Folkstyle, Freestyle, and Greco-Roman styles of wrestling?

Folkstyle is the most common style of wrestling in the United States, seen in middle school, high school, and college and has a strong emphasis on restraining control; as a result matches tend to have a very methodical pace.

Freestyle is similar to Folkstyle by allowing the use of the entire body for attack and defnese, but uses a slightly different scoring system.  

Greco-Roman wrestling is scored similarly to Freestyle, but holds below the belt (i.e., legs) are forbidden.  

Freestyle and Greco-Roman are the international styles seen in the Olympic Games, is practiced widely throughout the world, and defines control as manipulating an opponent's body and tends to be more dynamic.  USA Wrestling is the National Governing Body of amateur wrestling in the United States.

Is wrestling dangerous?

There is risk involved in wrestling, just like any other sport or athletic activity, however research has proven that wrestling is one of the safest contact sports that a person can participate in with lower injury rates than football, lower injury rates during competition than soccer, and a similar rate of injury during competition as girls' basketball.

In addition, our coaching staff believes firmly in a "student-first" philosophy to promote athlete safety as our number one way to help promote the sport of wrestling and to ensure that wrestlers have a good experience with the sport as they grow within it.

A detailed high school sports injury study conducted by the CDC can be found here, which compares popular inter-scholastic sports in the US.

What about skin infections?

Skin infections are a real risk that must be managed in all sports, especially contact sports, such as wrestling, football, boxing, jui-jitsu, etc.  The best practices to help prevent skin infections are to wash clothes regularly in hot water, and to shower as soon as possible after every practice and competition.  Wrestlers and parents should also feel comfortable letting a coach know if they experience anything unusual, like a rash, lesion, or growth on their skin.  This is another instance where coaches are more concerned with an athlete's well-being, than if they will miss a practice or competition.

Below is an excerpt from USA Wrestling's Skin Guide:

How do I protect myself from getting MRSA and other skin infections?

Practice good personal hygiene

• Keep your hands clean by washing frequently with soap and water or using an alcohol-based

hand rub.

o At a minimum, hands should be cleaned before and after playing sports and activities

such as using shared weight-training equipment, when caring for wounds including

changing bandages, and after using the toilet.

o Both plain and antimicrobial soap are effective for hand washing, but liquid soap is

preferred over bar soap in these settings to limit sharing.

o If hands are not visibly dirty and sinks are not available for hand washing, for example,

while on the field of play or in the weight-room, alcohol-based hand rubs and sanitizers

can be used. Alcohol-based hand rubs with at least 60% alcohol content are preferred.

• Shower immediately after exercise. Do not share bar soap and towels.

• Wash your uniform and clothing after each use. Follow the clothing label’s instructions for

washing and drying. Drying clothes completely in a dryer is preferred.

Take care of your skin

• Wear protective clothing or gear designed to prevent skin abrasions or cuts.

• Cover skin abrasions and cuts with clean dry bandage until healed.

Do not share items that come into contact with your skin

• Avoid sharing personal items such as towels and razors that contact your bare skin.

• Do not share ointments that are applied by placing your hands into an open-container.

• Use a barrier like clothing or a towel between your skin and shared equipment like weight training,sauna and steam-room benches. 

What type of equipment does my child need to participate?

For practice, wrestlers should wear athletic clothing (e.g. shorts and t-shirt) without zippers, buckles, etc.  Additionally, practice clothes should not be excessively large, as this could cause a hazard for participants as fingers, hands, etc. could get caught and result in injuries.

Wrestling shoes are required for competition.  Also, mouth guards should be worn for wrestlers that have braces on their teeth, but optional for those that do not have braces.

Wrestling headgear is required for folkstyle matches, but optional for wrestlers 14 years and older in freestyle and greco-roman.  

Before your child begins practice with us, they will need a signed waiver form completed and on file with the club.  Waivers can be found in the Forms section of the site or picked up at their first practice.

If you're looking for wrestling equipment, check out our Links page for online retailers.  If you can't find what you're looking for Contact Us and we'll help you out!

Is there a fee to participate?

Currently Ba'ag Wrestling does not charge a fee to be a member of the club and practice with the team.  

If your child would like to compete with the club at AZ-USAW or USA Wrestling sanctioned events, they must be a member of USA Wrestling and instructions on how to do so can be found on the USAW Card page.

Are parents/guardians allowed to attend practices?

Absolutely, we actually encourage parents/guardians to attend practices, so that they can be involved in what their children are learning and be able to understand what's going on during a wrestling match when it comes time for their child to step on the mat.

The only thing we ask is that coaching of technique and tactics be left to the highly qualified coaching staff and to speak with the coaches if you have questions or concerns regarding our wrestling curriculum.

Are the tournaments mandatory?

Tournaments a way for your wrestler to test what they have learned in practice against new competition.  New wrestlers may not have success early on at competitions, but often live competition provides the greatest learning opportunities to improve our tactics and techniques.

Competition is not a mandatory part of being a member of Ba'ag Wrestling and with that in mind, one of our top priorities is to ensure that wrestlers are adequately prepared before they begin competition. 

How do I know my child is ready for competition? 

The safety and success of our team members is our top priority and our coaching staff will make every effort to ensure that wrestlers are adequately prepared before suggesting competition.

If you're uncertain whether your child is ready to begin competition, please feel free to talk with anyone of our coaching staff and we'll be happy to help you.  We would rather a wrestler sit out a competition or two until they are ready to step on the mat, than for a wrestler to quit for the rest of their lives because of a bad experience.

What are the age divisions and weight classes?

Age divisions and weight classes for regional and national competition can be found here.

At local AZ-USAW tournaments, a madison block weight system may be used, which groups wrestlers together based on their average weight.  This eliminates the need to manage one's weight for competition, helps to diversify competition as growing bodies change, and lets us focus on the important goal of wrestling for fun and personal development.

If you have a question that was not answered on this page, please Contact Us.