Advice for my son - Wrestling vs. Jitz

[10th Planet Riverside, Ca]

Don't forget that in order to do good in Jiu-Jitsu you need wrestling. You have to know how to sprawl.
You can't counter wrestling takedowns without knowing how to do wrestling takedowns.
You have to know how to sprawl and practice sprawling in live situations.
Besides wrestling gives you that strong base. Wrestling makes you strong. Of course then
again so does Jiu-Jitsu. All grappling is good and can be integrated.

[KenWeisensel]

My son is doing the same thing, he does wrestling at school everyday with Jiu-Jitsu and judo mixed in twice a week. The three together are really making him the top of his team at school.

That might seem like to much for a 12 year old but we live on a farm so there isn't much else to do but work, learn, and train.

[Josh Passini]

Hey guys,

Was wondering if i could get some friendly advice from yalls. When my son was 6 and 7 he used to do jitz with me an Gabby. He did a crap load of tourneys with us and he loved it and always did really well. I thought he always had a talent for grappling and the sport. The one thing he struggled in was takedowns. When he was 8 he wanted to wrestle and so i pulled him from jitz and we put him in wrestling.

Long story short he was horrible...he loved to play guard and just constantly would turn to his back and get pinned. It was a huge adjustment for him but he never gave up and now loves wrestling more than ever. So far this year (2 years later) he is 9-1 and has only given up one point all year (and its because he locked his own hands.) He is dominating in wrestling and having a great time doing it with his friends.

Yesterday he asked me if he could go back to jitz when wrestling was over. Im torn on this. He is 11 now and hasn't done it for 3 years. I remember how hard it was for him to make the transition from jitz to wrestling and now he finally has the wrestling figured out and I dont want to see him go through that transition again. Further more he wants to start competing jitz again. if he does where do i put him? Beginner, intermediate, advanced? He only did jitz for 2 years and was in advanced when he left.

Advice???

I have about 8 kids that are with me all year except wrestling season. Most of them dont even go to preseason at school because they wrestle all year and do jiu jitsu. He will learn very quickly about the turning to his back or not. The two will complement each he will become better at both in the long run. Different set of moves and rules but the transition will become flawless over time.

[Jon Watkins]

I would remind him it's bad Jiu Jitsu to be flat on your back when he is in guard or half guard and have him focus more on his top game. You could also have him train wrestling after Jiu Jitsu class just so he remembers the difference in rules with his body. Other than that, it's your call man, but intermediate and above is only fair to the other kids in his division.

[VJ Bella]

Wow thanks guys. Some great advice. I appreciate you takin the time. I think I'm just gonna let him do both. I'll probably let him do intermediate at the tourny. If he wins that I'll have him go back to advanced. 3 years is a long time away from the sport.

[Enrique "Kiko"]

Wow thanks guys. Some great advice. I appreciate you takin the time. I think I'm just gonna let him do both. I'll probably let him do intermediate at the tourny. If he wins that I'll have him go back to advanced. 3 years is a long time away from the sport.

VJ, with you being a 10P purple and Gabby being a 10P competitive blue, your son simply KNOWS that succeeding is a reality for him.....and it's showing. As far as which direction to take your talented son, I'd say let him do both. Someone already mentioned how hard it is to wrestle after high school unless recruited, and since wrestling is a big part of grappling, I don't see any harm in letting him train wrestling during the season, and jits during off season *and perhaps one day a week during wrestling season if you can manage the time so he doesn't get rusty.* There's no wrong way to go really, so long as he loves it and progresses in it. Enjoy fathering a miniature version of you VJ =D.

[Jack LaBarge]

I think he would transition better from wrestling to jitz. He'll prob play more of a top game, not so much of a guard game, since he's been wrastlin for 3 years.

This!

[Brian Debes]

At least your son has the “problem” of having both available to him, when so many of us grew up with neither. I don’t see a bad choice here, just good ones.

[Harry Evans]

I suggest you let him do what he wants. Both have benefits, but the biggest thing for a kid that age is to enjoy what he is doing. It will help him focus and help him to stay committed. Sure, wrestling has the tough mentality, but I'm sure he has already picked up some of that from wrestling... and from you. BJJ teaches a more intellectual approach, which will help him problem solve in the future, and it's also easier on the body. Plus, many wrestlers develop huge chips on their shoulders, and I also don't support young kids cutting weight.

That being said, they are both great. Let him go back and forth and see what he likes the most. Either will make him a badass, and help him grow as a person.