* In most cases, children over 10 years of age can begin serious training for wrestling. For overall development and appreciation of various sports, children should not specialize in wrestling until they are in college but should be exposed to a wide variety of athletic endeavors. * Youngsters who have a competitive nature, natural athletic ability, and good parental support tend to become successful wrestlers. * Recent rules changes have had the positive effect of emphasizing year-round conditioning and nutrition to maintain a constant body weight rather than the former practice of using in-season cycles of rapid body weight loss and gain. * Some of the best overall training strategies for wrestlers include the use of repetitive wrestling drills with a comparably skilled or somewhat more skilled partner and continual attention to correcting weaknesses. For young wrestlers, it is important that practice sessions be varied so they become enjoyable. This can help prevent early burnout. * Wrestlers should consume a balanced, relatively high-carbohydrate diet on a daily basis. Meal-replacement beverages can be useful in the hours before competition to minimize bulk in the gastrointestinal tract and after competition when appetite may be suppressed. High-carbohydrate supplements are helpful between competitions, especially in tournament situations, to speed restoration of glycogen stores in the body. Sports drinks can help ensure adequate bodily hydration before and during practice sessions and tournaments and can accelerate rehydration after a practice or a match.
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