Wrestling drills for 12 year olds

At 12

The age at a glance

This year

USA Wrestling places children by birth year, so a 12 year old is usually in the 12U division. Folkstyle matches there are a one-minute period and two 1:30 periods in folkstyle championship brackets (three one-minute periods in consolation); freestyle and Greco-Roman are two two-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest.

Drills this year

Beginner and developing drills. Advanced drills start at 14.

Division and matches

USA Wrestling places children by birth year, so a 12 year old is usually in the 12U division. Folkstyle matches there are a one-minute period and two 1:30 periods in folkstyle championship brackets (three one-minute periods in consolation); freestyle and Greco-Roman are two two-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest.

Skin checks

Check skin routinely, not only before tournaments; a wrestler with a rash, sore or cold sore stays off the mat and sees a doctor before any partner work (NFHS; SSTracker's rule).

Partner work

Partners of similar size, age and experience, at drill speed, with a coach watching. No slams, nothing around the neck, and finish takedowns to the side. Training is never about weight: SSTracker never tracks body weight.

At 12

Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 12 hours for a 12 year old, with two rest days a week.

At home

SSTracker keeps one home session for a 12 year old within 60 minutes and plans at most 5 home days a week, with rest days between. That is up from 45 minutes and 4 days at 11.

24 drills

Drills for 12 year olds

Every drill here is one the app opens for 12 year olds, at the level for the age. Each page has the steps, a diagram where the setup can be drawn, three ways to make it a game and a practice log to print.

What you need at home

What you need at home at 12

27 of the 27 wrestling drills for 12 year olds work at home, in a room, garage or yard. Most used: mat (22 of the 27 drills), rolled blanket or dummy (7), mat or grass (2), mat or open floor (1), mirror (1), open floor (1), pile of cushions or dummy (1), timer (1). 2 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.

• Build Your BaseAges 7 and up · 8 min
• Hip HeistAges 11 and up · 10 min
• Hip Mobility FlowAges 11 and up · 8 min
• Level Change DropsAges 11 and up · 10 min
• Log Rolls and CrawlsAges 7 and up · 8 min
• Penetration Step ShadowAges 7 and up · 10 min
• Shadow WrestlingAges 11 and up · 10 min
• Shrimp Across the MatAges 11 and up · 10 min

Questions parents ask

Wrestling for 12 year olds: questions and answers