Wrestling drills for 14 year olds

At 14

The age at a glance

This year

USA Wrestling places children by birth year, so a 14 year old is usually in the 14U 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

Advanced drills start this year, and so do the drills SSTracker holds back until 14, such as box jumps and any drill with contact.

Division and matches

USA Wrestling places children by birth year, so a 14 year old is usually in the 14U 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, and at 13 and 14, when growth spurts hit, eating and drinking normally matters most.

At 14

Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 14 hours for a 14 year old, with two rest days a week.

At home

SSTracker keeps one home session for a 14 year old within 60 minutes and plans at most 5 home days a week, with rest days between.

30 drills

Drills for 14 year olds

Every drill here is one the app opens for 14 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 14

30 of the 73 wrestling drills for 14 year olds work at home, in a room, garage or yard. Most used: mat (25 of the 30 drills), rolled blanket or dummy (7), timer (3), mat or grass (2), mat or open floor (1), mirror (1), open floor (1), pile of cushions or dummy (1). 2 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.

• Balance and Coordination ABCsAges 7 and up · 8 min
• Bear Crawls and Crab WalksAges 7 and up · 8 min
• Bridge and ShrimpAges 7 and up · 8 min
• 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

New at 14

Drills that open at 14

These drills join the list at 14: the app opens them from this age, by its level and age rules. They were not on the page for 13 year olds.

• Ankle Pick at Drill SpeedAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Ankle Tap GameAges 14 and up · 8 min
• Arm Bar TurnAges 14 and up · 15 min
• Arm Drag to Single LegAges 14 and up · 15 min
• Bottom Position Live GoesAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Breakdown at Drill SpeedAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Chaining Pinning TurnsAges 14 and up · 15 min
• Circle and AngleAges 14 and up · 12 min

Questions parents ask

Wrestling for 14 year olds: questions and answers