In the spirit of developing high-level student-athletes, the Zeeland wrestling club is committed to building and sustaining a successful wrestling program for the Zeeland community. Our program plays an essential role in teaching student-athletes to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity, make sacrifices, strive for excellence, persevere through adversity, and compete with dignity and pride while developing a commitment to teamwork and service to the community.

To carry out our mission, we have set forth the following goals:

1. Provide the youth in our community with a safe positive environment where they can grow as wrestlers and as young people

2. Promote the growth of the sport of wrestling in Zeeland

3. Build youth and middle school wrestlers who can compete at both the local, state, and national level, and therefore be prepared for high school wrestling and beyond

Unlike traditional programs that emphasize early competition and limited breadth of skill development, the Zeeland Wrestling Club is rooted in establishing the foundational skills required for long-term success. Wrestling is arguably the hardest sport your child will compete in, and unfortunately, we see too many kids leave the sport because of bad experiences in their developmental years. Achievement at the youth level is in no way indicative of future success, and our approach focuses on establishing a love and passion for the sport in a fun, and engaging way. Patterned after USA Wrestling’s Youth Development Guidelines, our methods begin with age-appropriate instruction that helps your child become aware of how their body moves and introduces the building blocks that are the foundation of all things wrestling. Through focused drills, group activities, and games, your child will gain the confidence needed to become a better wrestler.

Your First Practice At Zeeland Wrestling Club is FREE

The first practice is FREE to come try out! As a coaching staff we will evaluate the K-5 athletes and help place them where our program will best serve them.

K-5 Full Season - $75 + Free Shirt

● Access to all practices and competitions

K-5 Full Season - $40 + Free Shirt

● Available for those who join after Jan 21 (completion of Zeeland Rec)

K-5 Full Season - $40 + Free Shirt

● Price is set due to the middle school wrestling season going from Jan 6 - Feb 28. Middle schoolers can start at the wrestling club, compete in middle school wrestling, and then return to the club for the remainder of the season

Drop-ins - $10

● If a wrestler is unsure about the wrestling club after the first practice, come to a second for $10 to try it out to finalize your decision.

**If multiple siblings pay the first child full price, any additional is half the price**

Q: My child has wrestled before. What age group / session should I sign them up for?

A: This is a great question, and we're here to help. You should sign your child up for the session according to experience. We encourage all athletes trying wrestling for the first time to start at Zeeland Rec and gain confidence and experience on the mat before trying the wrestling club. If you are unsure what is the best fit for your child, come to the first practice for free and allow our coaching staff to help determine what is the best fit!

Q: How can I stay up to date with everything going on at the Zeeland Wrestling Club? 

A: We do our best to keep all parents and athletes up to date with everything going on in the world of the ZWC.. If you haven't already done so, please visit our Facebook Page. This includes practice updates, schedules, cancellations in the event of adverse weather, etc. We also follow the Zeeland Public School calendar. If there is no school scheduled that day, there is no practice.

Q: What should my child wear to practice? 

A: This is of course weather dependent, but your child should have either shorts / sweatpants, T-Shirt/sweatshirt, and then wrestling shoes. For wrestler’s safety, please do not have your child wear a hoodie to practice. Fingers can get caught in the hood while practicing. If your child does wear one, we will just ask them to remove it once we are finished warming up.

Q: Can my wrestler compete in tournaments if they are ready? 

A: Absolutely. The club has a set schedule of where we are heading around the state and will have a coach provided at those specific events. Competition is a good measuring stick but is not our primary goal. We have 4 events on the schedule that we encourage you to attend first and see how it goes!

Q: What time should I have my wrestler practice? 

A: Practice starts right at the time stated for each session. We recommend getting there 5-10 minutes early to ensure your child has time to get his shoes on and is ready to go once we start practice.

Q: Can I stay and watch my child practice? 

A: Due to limited space, parents must wait outside of the practice room. We also have found over decades of coaching kids that they tend to be more engaged, and focus their energies when it's just them, their peers, and the coaches. If you would like to learn more about helping out during practice, please see one of the coaches at a practice to learn more.

Q: What does a typical practice look like? 

A: All of our practices follow the same format. 15 minutes of active warm up including body awareness drills, 30-35 minutes of wrestling instruction, and we wrap up each practice with 10-15 minutes of games or activities that reinforce the topics we just covered. The goal is to make it so that your child WANTS to come to practice. Wrestling is hard enough as it is, so we take any and every opportunity to inject a little fun.

Q: Are there any other coaches that help out at each practice? 

A: One of the things we pride ourselves with at ZWC is the breadth and knowledge of our coaches. With so many contacts in the sport we will have special guest coaches, Zeeland Alumni, and athletes stop in to help with practice. You never know who could walk through those doors, and parents rest assured your child will have some of the best wrestling instruction in the region.

Q: Can my daughter wrestle? 

A: Absolutely 100%!!! Women's wrestling is the fastest growing female sport in the country, and we've had a number of girls train with us over the years. If you have any questions or concerns about this do not hesitate to reach out. Wrestling is one of the best confidence boosters a young girl can get.

Q: What makes Zeeland Wrestling Club different from other local wrestling clubs? 

A: While difficult to answer in a paragraph, the primary difference is the approach we take to athlete development. The vast majority of the clubs around Michigan are built around a competitive season whereas we focus on developing the fundamental skills required for a wrestler to be successful in the long run. While we love to compete, we've unfortunately seen too many young kids have a bad experience in their first few tournaments and end up leaving the sport. We will however be more than happy to help you and your child pick a few tournaments a year to attend if desired. If done right, and with the proper expectations, these will be some of the lasting memories you will have with your little warrior! Simply follow these links for more information: USA Wrestling's Youth Development Model. If you have further questions on our approach, please send us an email. We'll be happy to answer any of your questions.