MORE PARTICIPATION WITH FIGHT/BOARD SHORTS AND RASHGUARDS?

[thomam 11]

Wondering everyones opinion about this. MMA uses board shorts and in grappling tournaments everywhere board shorts are used. Do you think this could increase participation at the youth and high school level?

DISCUSS

[cougars_119 0]

i like wrestling singlets. there comfortable and tight so that there isnt any grabbing and pulling of clothing.

board shorts would be cooler with the non wrestling people cause all of my friends that dont wrestling think waring spandex and wrestling other guys is gay.

[eaglewrestler12 2]

I feel like this a great idea and would do nothing but help the sport grow. I've known many athletes over the years that begin wrestling and show awesome potential and are beating kids in the room that have wrestled before and then they quit when they see the singlets.

Honestly what could possibly be bad about this idea.

[grappler-of-old 44]

I'm not exactly sure what these things look like, but if they are not tight fitting then they will never work.

Fingers and hands will get snagged in the shorts or shirts.  Most of you know how difficult it sometimes is in practice when your hand gets tangled in a loose shirt. 

If you mix these shorts with boxers (which is what most are wearing today).  There is a huge possibility of exposure and things falling out.  :-o

[thomam 11]

Fight/board shorts are what MMA fighters wear. A rashguard is a tight fitting spandex type shirt like an under armor shirt.

[thomam 11]

Thats an example. Is getting fingers caught that big of a problem if the shirt is tight? Some people mentioned broken fingers but as long as I have been coaching I have not had any fingers broke in practice with even looser clothing.

[myGSP 4]

The New York Times ran a very informative article on the subject Two Piece Wrestling Uniforms

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/17/fashion/thursdaystyles/17wrestle.html?ei=5088&en=29e981047d7f661f&ex=1289883600&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

Brute Lehigh Two-Piece Wrestling Uniforms:

http://www.anacondasports.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10201&categoryId=174849&langId=-1&sportId=174739&productId=151348

http://www.teamsportsplanet.com/popups/wrestlingdetonator.html

[grappler-of-old 44]

I've seen the fingers broken twice in practice by getting tangled in a shirt. (Yours truly was one of them)

But this type of shirt would not cause a problem.  The shorts probably wouldn't cause much of a problem either, as long as they are worn tightly around the waist. (I've seen shorts pulled down daily in practice)

I still don't think it will make much of a difference.  Those kids that make excuses about the uniform will just find another excuse. 

[eaglewrestler12 2]

I've seen the fingers broken twice in practice by getting tangled in a shirt. (Yours truly was one of them)

But this type of shirt would not cause a problem.  The shorts probably wouldn't cause much of a problem either, as long as they are worn tightly around the waist. (I've seen shorts pulled down daily in practice)

I still don't think it will make much of a difference.  Those kids that make excuses about the uniform will just find another excuse. 

Maybe they will, Maybe not. All I'm saying is that these uniforms won't do anything to hurt the sport, so why not allow it. Personally, I feel more comfortable in rashguard and board shorts than when wearing a singlet. This may not be a problem with most, but it seems like no matter how much I warm up before a match as soon as I strip down to my singlet, I feel cold and stiff. However, whenever I've used a shirt and shorts I feel really good and loosened up.

[short-time 2]

What? Wrestlng has become a fashion show now? Unbelievable.

[dinubus 2]

I am suprised to hear that any athlete beating others in the room actually quit when he saw the singlets.  I have heard kids use that as an excuse when they were getting stomped day in and day out at practice, but never a guy that was winning in practice.  I would have to wonder if they were a bit insecure about their sexuality. 

The shorts/shirt or two piece singlet tried at the college level was shown to be limiting causing delays and possibility for injury.  The shorts shown in this thread would appear to be even worse.  I couldn't imagine them being used in a rough match with two high level athletes.  I am positive feet, hands, etc... would get caught, items pulled down (causing extra time out or whistle blows), and most likely injury. 

The more we allow the people to wear, the more weaponry is available.  In Freestyle wrestling, FILA doesn't even allow Juniors on up to wear headgear for this exact reason.  I have also heard of knee pads/braces being used as weapons.  Thus, the less the competitors wear in wrestling, the better.  It should just be a singlet, socks and shoes.

[dinubus 2]

Just to make one thing clear before I get heat about promoting no head gear, I have always pushed my wrestlers to wear headgear at all times during practice.  I was actually aiming more at the National level to meet up with how things are at the World and Olympic levels.  My ears suffered quite a bit and look quite rough with using headgear during my years of wrestling, so please know that I really believe HS wrestlers should have headgear on at all times.  I was just making a point about adding another article of clothing in the sport. 

One additional thing I thought about after my last post is contact lenses.  How many times do we see matches stopped to find one of these and they are hard to notice by a ref.  Now think about these shorts or shirts going down/up too far in a match.  The ref sees it and has to stop the match just as that person is about to be turned.  What sort of trouble would this be getting us into.  You have heard of crybaby teams crying to get off their back.  We now might have short pull down teams using that as a method to get off their back or not be turned in the first place.

[thomam 11]

The shorts are worn in MMA competition. I'm sure most people here have watched MMA or watch it quite often. How often are the shorts a problem when you watch MMA? It seems they have already been battle tested.

I love my singlets but I do know that several kids look at wrestling in a different way because of them. I'm just thinking that we, as wrestlers, look at MMA who wears a similar outfit as above as wrestling with striking and submissions. If because of the uniform we could get kids to look at wrestling as MMA without striking or submissions then its a win situation. I mean the popularity of MMA is huge and every kid knows what that is. Does that make sense?

I agree its crap and kids shouldn't care but lets face it. Teenagers and youth, both boys and girls, often look at it as silly because of the singlet.

[PackAttack 0]

I have seen athletes quit wrestling more times than I care to remember based on the singlet.  When I was in high school at Ballard, a NFL player by the name of Jeremi Johnson was going to be our heavyweight.  Throwing people around left and right in practice, excellent balance, strong as an ox, and quick too.  Well when good ol number 8 saw the singlet, that was it for him.  Packed his bag, told Coach Underwood thanks but not going to happen.  Next day in the cafeteria most anyone who wanted to listen could hear him describing the "thing" those wrestlers wore. (It was Ballard's first time having a wrestling program in over 10 years...

As time has progressed, kids have become even more insecure and dependent on each other...I suspect many more urban kids than we will ever know have thought about wrestling but ruled against it because of the singlet.  Anything we can do to increase participation without jeopardizing safety should be considered.

[pioneer_pride 1]

I have seen athletes quit wrestling more times than I care to remember based on the singlet.

Same here.  Our first year with the youth program at Conner we had our first dual meet and our singlets showed up the day of the match.  I had to get to the gym and hand out singlets before our first match.  Probably 95% of these youth wrestlers had never seen a singlet.  I did not expect the reaction I got.  But probably 5-10 kids were in tears.  Maybe it was a chain reaction but the kids did not want to put on this singlet and go wrestle in front of a crowded gym.  I'm not saying I'm in favor of the MMA uniforms but I have seen kids get upset over the "required uniform".

[dinubus 2]

Well, no matter what, we are not the NHSAA or KHSAA and I don't see them changing.  MMA is quite different from wrestling in that most submissions take place while the person causing it is on his back.  Fighting for better position in top and bottom wrestling causes more items to be snagged, not to mention MMA doesn't have cry baby teams and thus doesn't have to worry about purposefull pulling down of gear for a time out due to bad positioning.

[myGSP 4]

Same here.  Our first year with the youth program at Conner we had our first dual meet and our singlets showed up the day of the match.  I had to get to the gym and hand out singlets before our first match.  Probably 95% of these youth wrestlers had never seen a singlet.  I did not expect the reaction I got.  But probably 5-10 kids were in tears.  Maybe it was a chain reaction but the kids did not want to put on this singlet and go wrestle in front of a crowded gym.  I'm not saying I'm in favor of the MMA uniforms but I have seen kids get upset over the "required uniform".

Maybe if they had seen a singlet before the day of the match, you might not have gotten a reaction. If someone had told them what wrestling was all about (wearing a singlet) on day one or at least day 15, things could have been different.

[bulldog-leader 56]

I suspect many more urban kids than we will ever know have thought about wrestling but ruled against it because of the singlet. 

I was thinking the same thing PackAttack.  I've coached my last 10 years in an urban school and have found that Urban kids find the uniform more unpleasing than rural or suburban kids.  I also spent 15 years coaching in a rural area before that.

I'm not sure why this is, but if this uniform was excepted then I think maybe more kids would participate.  My suggestion would be allow this uniform in elementary and JV matches.  When they become varsity (either in middle school or high school) they would be required to wear a singlet.

This would help them get used to the idea of a singlet.  Like most kids the embarrassment of a singlet wears off after awhile. 

[Mr Granby 0]

This would never get passed, the shorts are too lose.  I agree however that if kids saw them they would be more more likely to stick it out.  Kids who see singlets go as far away as possible because of what they think people will say and its a shame.

[pioneer_pride 1]

Maybe if they had seen a singlet before the day of the match, you might not have gotten a reaction. If someone had told them what wrestling was all about (wearing a singlet) on day one or at least day 15, things could have been different.

Very true and we learned our lesson and did this from the first year on.

[archibaldhumperdink 0]

I think I might be willing to trade my coaches salary and teaching salary to get this changed.  I am tired of loosing stud atheletes who dont want to look goofy.  Face it no one looks tough or can be taken seriouosly with that stupid singlet.  I have only been coaching for the past five years but every year at different schools and counties I see the same thing.  Johnny stud dropping off because of what others might think of them for wearing the singlet.  I know teachers dont make much but seriously lets do what ever we have to to get the uniform changed.  I think the shorts and rash gaurd are the perfect fix.  If you want the best of the best competing this is the next move for wrestling.  Wrestling has grown so much here and it has even more potential.  Every year I post soemthing similar but nothing happens.  I guess people are convinced that it would be a liability but as long as the shorts have some type of secure belt then I dont see them falling down or tangling up. Help the sport grow why not.  As mentioned before someone said you have never seen an MMA fighter get their fingers caught in them.  Truth is they have been tested and they do work and are safe and would increase the participation in the sport.  That seems to make way too much sense to move forward with.  Some one will surely respond with the argument that tradition is tradition just wear the darn thing well Im all about the future of this sport.  Change already.  It is what is best for kids and thats all that matters right?

[grappler-of-old 44]

My real question is how to the other states feel?

Ky has a problem with participation but I don't think other states have as much problem.  I'll bet the big 3 Penn, Ohio, Cal, would shoot this down because they have a large participation base.

Plus,  MMA is nowhere near wrestling.  It does not have the close contact like wrestling does, it is mostly a strike sport.

[patriotsrule 1]

I gotta tell you - women LOVE the singlets!

[Ranger123 43]

You bring up a good point GOO.  It's not like KY can just randomly decide to change the uniform.  Without a nationwide push and the national federation making this sort of change it isn't going to happen.

[eaglewrestler12 2]

My real question is how to the other states feel?

Ky has a problem with participation but I don't think other states have as much problem.  I'll bet the big 3 Penn, Ohio, Cal, would shoot this down because they have a large participation base.

Plus,  MMA is nowhere near wrestling.  It does not have the close contact like wrestling does, it is mostly a strike sport.

I'd have to disagree. While MMA is a striking sport. It's also a grappling sport. I wouldn't so it's mostly a strike sport. Wrestking and BJJ are just as important