You see it earlier than the ultimate whistle blows. A boy—ten, or perhaps 9—walks off the mat like he’s carrying bricks on his again. His face is purple, his eyes damp. Ready for him is his father, arms folded like a verdict. “You misplaced to that child? You had been up by two.” The boy opens his mouth, however nothing he says can be sufficient. The response is swift: a shake of the top, a clenched jaw, perhaps a public scolding. It isn’t a lesson. It isn’t encouragement. Simply disgrace.
The tradition of reducing
Wrestling has an extended historical past of weight reducing. For many years, athletes—some as younger as eight or 9—have been taught that self-discipline means dehydrating, fasting, and sweating their approach all the way down to the bottom doable weight class. It’s framed as a check of toughness. A ceremony of passage.
However the science tells a unique story.
Analysis exhibits that 25–94 % of youth fight athletes interact in fast weight reduction strategies like dehydration, extreme caloric restriction, and extreme train in sweatsuits. These practices are harmful at any age, however for teenagers—whose our bodies are nonetheless rising—they are often devastating. One examine discovered that adolescents who routinely minimize weight throughout puberty skilled stunted development in comparison with their friends. Others have documented elevated dangers of cardiac arrhythmias, electrolyte imbalances, warmth stroke, renal pressure, and long-term bone well being points. There isn’t a confirmed efficiency profit to excessive weight reducing—and in reality, a 5 % drop in physique weight can impair power, endurance, and cognitive perform.
Extra than simply bodily hurt
It’s not simply the biology that’s regarding. It’s the emotional panorama these children are navigating—one which too typically values successful over wellness. There’s a message being delivered—typically subtly, typically loudly: your value is tied to the end result. Not the trouble. Not the progress. Simply the end result. This mindset doesn’t simply burn children out—it warps their sense of self. It fosters disordered consuming habits, anxiousness, and a perception that deprivation equals worth.
What if we did it in a different way?
What if we reframed our function as adults in youth sports activities? What if coaches prioritized improvement over domination—and oldsters celebrated perseverance over podiums? What if, as a substitute of fixating on numbers on a scale, we taught children methods to gas their our bodies, respect their development, and construct emotional resilience? And what if we gave simply as a lot consideration to the bonds between teammates as we do to the brackets? A few of the strongest classes in youth sports activities don’t occur on the mat—they occur at post-tournament dinners, on staff hikes, or in lodge hallways throughout in a single day journeys. Connection builds resilience. When children really feel like they belong—to one another, not simply to the scoreboard—they’re extra prone to stick to the game, to assist each other, and to develop a more healthy relationship with competitors itself.
It’s value asking: what number of “unhealthy matches” are actually simply the seen signs of an invisible pressure? I’ve seen children blamed for poor efficiency when the actual difficulty was weak point from an aggressive weight minimize.
Dehydration impairs response time, stamina, and power. Even delicate fluid loss can scale back efficiency by as a lot as 10 %, and but we ask kids—many below 100 kilos—to wrestle after spitting in cups and skipping meals. Then we criticize them for being sluggish. That’s not toughness. That’s a setup.
Medical organizations have already referred to as for change. Many advocate hydration testing, minimal physique fats percentages, and limits on how a lot weight will be misplaced and regained. These measures exist to guard children, however they’re solely as efficient because the adults imposing them.
The function of clinicians—and communities
As a clinician, mother or father, and somebody who’s watched this play out up shut, I consider we are able to do higher. We will educate households on the long-term penalties of weight reducing—bodily and psychologically. We will display screen for purple flags in adolescent athletes: fatigue, hormonal points, delayed development, anxiousness, disordered consuming patterns. We will advocate for coverage enforcement—not simply on the elite stage, however in native golf equipment and rec packages the place these habits typically start. And most significantly, we might help reorient the dialog towards well being and private progress—not simply titles. As a result of no little one ought to should sacrifice their well-being for a medal that’s extra vital to the adults round them than it’s to them. Particularly not for applause that fades earlier than the weekend is over.
Sarah White is a nurse practitioner, small enterprise proprietor, and premedical scholar based mostly in Virginia. With a background in scientific apply and caregiving, she brings a singular perspective to the intersection of drugs, household life, and neighborhood service. She volunteers with the Medical Reserve Corps and is making ready to use to medical faculty in 2026.
Sarah can be the founding father of two rising ventures: Wrinkle Relaxer, the place she makes a speciality of aesthetic therapies, and Bardot Boutique Aesthetics, an area for curated magnificence and wellness providers.
