FORT BENNING, Ga., (Dec. 10, 2014) -- Fort Benning's Child, Youth & School Services wrestling season is nearing, so the 7- to 12-year-old Black Knights are training twice a week at Briant Wells Fieldhouse waiting to step inside the squared circle.
Head coach Nicolas Anguiano said the season has already started technically, yet he has chosen not to enter tournaments until January to make sure the team is trained to wrestle properly to avoid injuries.
Anguiano said he aims to organize four to five tournaments this season, which ends in March, but because most the tournaments are nearly 180 miles out of town, he is also trying to arrange matches and scrimmages with local schools.
He explained the concept between the two.
"Matches (are) a team versus a team (deal)," Anguiano said. "So each team would have wrestlers go up against each other. (In) a tournament, it doesn't matter what team you're on. You will wrestle up to five to six matches in a day. In a match, you are only going to wrestle the one (bout) and you're competing against (that) team. A tournament is (like) a tree bracket - you are going up against (other wrestlers) until you get to first place."
In freestyle, which is the focus of the style he teaches, he said, each match is four minutes with weight classes such as bantam, intermediate, novice and schoolboy.
"It's two periods with two minutes per period and a 30 second break in between," Anguiano said.
When asked if the team would be penalized during a match if they didn't have a wrestler to fill a weight class, Anguiano said the other team would automatically score points. But, because the Black Knights will mostly be doing tournaments, that's not something they will have to worry about.
He said the Black Knights don't have a tryout process.
"If you registered, you're on the team," Anguiano said.
However, the slots filled up quickly and have reached the maximum capacity of 18 wrestlers, he said.
"We are filled for now until we get more coaches," Anguiano said.
If a wrestler drops off and a slot opens up, the next kid on the waiting list will get a call from CYSS, he said.
In practices, he said, they focus on basic skills such as top and bottom positions, proper stances, how to shoot, sprawl, throw, escape and conditioning.
"(We undergo) a whole lot of conditioning," Anguiano said. "If they are not right in the lungs, they won't last two minutes in the match."
Anguiano said he looks for motivation and the desire to learn during practice.
"Most of the kids I'm coaching ... this is their first time ever touching a mat, ever wrestling," he said. "I want to get them to love the sport. I want to get them motivated to come back and do it again.
I'm going to teach them the basics. I'm going to teach them how to wrestle. But (more than) anything, I am going to teach them the sport I love. I love to wrestle and I want them to learn to love it as well."
For information, call CYSS at 706-545-1853.
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