Originally Posted by
Zendokan
I would suggest that you follow some Judo first, to be exactly the breakfalls (ukemi) before you start wrestling. It has the best structured approach to teaching breakfalls and you are going to need that because Wrestling (especially Freestyle) has got some nasty throws.
From experience with our Chechen inhouse wrestlers and the Americans that visit our club I get the notion that learning breakfalls in Wrestling is more a personal try-and-error approach than a codified system.
I also see that people who have an active wrestling career after their 22nd birthday are prown to injuries, especially of the spine. Maybe that's one of the reasons why wrestling stops after the college years and you can't find "adult" wrestling clubs.
just my $0.02 (or in my case €0,02)
The majority of my friend’s male/female still wrestle across the country in college and they're all "crippled" coming back from knee surgeries, or having spine injuries... But they still love the sport and compete even though they know they'll damage themselves more. There is really no way to compete at a high level in the sport without crippling yourself in the long run. Of course this isn’t always the case and you’ll have people living injury free for a long time.. another friend going strong in his 80s and he’s been part of the sport sense he was a child.. Of course he doesn’t compete anymore: P
The reason wrestlers are crippled more so then other athletes in their early 20s.. isn't because they aren't taught how to land(you'll teach a 5 year old in freestyle how to land) it's because of the nature of the sport. It’s a very aggressive and abusive sport compared to all others.. especially the training. They abuse their bodies understanding the consequences they will face in their later years. Spine injures, knee injuries, you'll even see shoulder which are all part of the sport and an understood consequence.(there is nothing I love more than wrestling.. that’s why I do jujitsu even though they are completely different especially in approach.. it helps me feel that I still have the connection)
Why adult clubs aren’t prominent whether it be casual-semi competitive which could easily be done without injury, or full on competitive.. In my opinion is because there is almost zero market for it.. It takes a certain type of person to enjoy the sport.. and the aggressive nature of the sport isn’t going to bring older clients who’ve never done it before. But I bet the injury prone ex wrestlers will happily continue their careers after college if there was the opportunity at an adult club.
edit:You are right in saying judo has a much more structured approach to break-falls.. thats just at least in my opinion not even close to the reason wrestlers are injury prone.
Also my apologies for the wall of text.
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