Sports & Recreation

Freestyle Olympic Wrestling Clubs in Toronto

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  • Dec 11th, 2010 8:51 am
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Newbie
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Dec 8, 2010
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Toronto

Freestyle Olympic Wrestling Clubs in Toronto

I was wondering if anyone knew a good freestyle wrestling club in Toronto?
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Deal Fanatic
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Sep 24, 2005
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http://www.teamimpact.ca/
the best place for wrestling in the city.

there's one more that does it at York U, but more greco focused, but they do freestyle as well.
“Children see magic because they look for it.”
Deal Fanatic
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Sep 24, 2005
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i should add that, you should probably have previous wrestling experience, if you want to go to impact. either that or be really fit and have good athleticism.
there are some beginners there, but for the most part, it's a 'real wrestlers'' club.
“Children see magic because they look for it.”
Deal Fanatic
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k, what's your interest in wrestling?

i gotta warn you, wrestlers don't generally like adult beginners. expect almost everyone to ignore you.

if grappling is your thing, i'd recommend that you try judo or bjj, as these are far more accommodating when it comes to adult beginners.
“Children see magic because they look for it.”
Newbie
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Dec 8, 2010
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Toronto
I have done a little bit of Judo and Bjj maybe 1 year combined exp so I've grappled a little before so I wouldn't be a complete beginner in that sense, but obviously I know nothing when it comes to wrestling. but I think wrestling is probably more physically demanding (faster pace, at least faster than bjj) Im assuming by your name you do judo as well so you may correct me if im wrong.

If so, do you find Judo and wrestling to be complimentary to one another?

Do you feel that wrestling is a sport where it isn't a good idea to start learning as an adult, and if so why? injury risk? difficult to learn? I would appreciate your honesty in this respect.
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you won't get nothing but the truth from me.

i would not say that wrestling is more physically demanding. it's on about a equal level as judo and bjj.
it is faster in pace than both judo and bjj, with judo being faster than bjj, but that's all because of how the players adapt their game to what is advantageous in competitions.
and unless you've done a lot of no-go bjj, you'll feel like you are fish out of water in wrestling. the lack of gi changes the game significantly.

and i think some people have the sense that wrestling is physically demanding, because all we see is the young athletes in wrestling. it really is a 'school' sport. once people are done with univiersity, they rarely continue on with the sport. there are some that linger around, but for the most part, the demographic in wrestling is far younger than judo and bjj.
wrestling is a sport that rewards athleticism more than judo and bjj, and i'd say that it is in that order, so that's part of the reason why you only see young people in wrestling.

i do find judo and wrestling complementary to each other, and to a lesser degree bjj as well. any grappling sport can complement another grappling sport.
BUT, i do feel that it is important to treat each discipline as a different sport. don't go to a judo environment with a wrestling mentality, and vise versa. it will impede your learning if you keep referencing another sport. one must go into it with a clean slate, especially if you are not an experienced grappler.

i do feel that there's a higher incidents of injuries in wrestling than in judo and bjj. a lot of wrestlers do not protect their training partners. they just go all out sometimes.
i am not a big fan of the coloured belt system, but this can be a very good thing for an adult beginner, because if you go into a club with a white or yellow belt on, they won't tear you apart. wrestlers on another hand,,, you are just another guy in shorts and t-shirt and there is no way to tell your skill level by looking at you. so, if we're scrimmaging, i'm going full out. i'm not say ALL wrestlers are like this, but a lot of them are like this. they just don't care. all they care about is competition.

that's also what i respect about wrestlers, tbh. but it just is not an environment for everyone. and as an adult, the coach knows that you have no future in the sport, so most coaches will not spend any time with you to teach you technique. one of the coaches at impact does spend time with beginners, but the other coaches do not. at all. nil. zilch. most wrestlers will not spend time with you either. they know that the possibility of you sticking with the sport is slim, and simply do not want to waste their time, and honestly, you can't blame them.

i don't want to discourage you to try out wrestling. if you're interested, go for it. but, i just want to prepare you, if you want to go. just make sure you have wrestling shoes. you don't want to train barefooted on wrestling mats.

another thing great about wrestling is that, you don't have to dry your gi after every practice! woo-hoo!!!!
“Children see magic because they look for it.”
Deal Addict
Sep 18, 2009
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you should go train at a mixed martial arts gym and just attend the wrestling classes for a bit, there are plenty of new comers at mma clubs so you wont feel like an outcast. and after if you learn the basics and still want to get more serious into wrestling attend a wrestling club, this way your learning experience will be much easier rather then getting double legged every second. and wrestling classes at mma clubs are just as hard so prepare for a workout.... hoped i help
Deal Fanatic
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good suggestion, but i am not sure if people will be exposed to 'real wrestling' in that environment, i think.
i've seen those wrestling classes held in mma gyms, and basically, all they teach is takedowns. no ground work is taught in those classes, because they assume that you're mostly a bjj guy, who is only coming in to learn takedowns. no ground work is done, because a lot of wrestling positions are disadvantageous in a submission environment. par terre is HARD, and very different from judo and bjj ground work. and personally, i am against such practice. as i said earlier, i think it is important to respect each sport and practice it as whole, individually. if you start picking and choosing, you might be missing a lot more than you think.
“Children see magic because they look for it.”
Newbie
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Dec 8, 2010
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Toronto
good points I thank you for your feedback and taking the time to respond.

Since most people do not continue after university would it be safe to assume if I joined as a senior (or whatever the adult level is called) and were interested in competing at some local tournaments (just to test progress and challenge oneself outside of practice every now and then) there would be very little opportunity to do so? due to the lack of number of competitors because not many people continue at this stage in their life?

Or is there still fair amount who compete at the adult level outside of university only tournaments?
Deal Fanatic
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you can still compete. anyone can compete, actually.
if you were in judo or bjj, there exists 'novice' divisions, but there's no such thing in wrestling. it's possible that for your very first tournament that you face the national champion in wrestling. you could also be facing another newbie, but you never know until they finalize the draws.
“Children see magic because they look for it.”

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