Perhaps you remember sitting in front of the TV on a Sunday night watching grown men throw each other around and thought ‘I wonder how they do that?’. Well, it’s easier than you’d think to find out.
Wrestling is becoming more and more popular as a contact sport, almost on a par with karate or other martial arts. Everyday people – men and women – are realising that there’s no magic involved in becoming a wrestler, you just have to want to.
Wrestling is relatively easy to get into. Most areas in the UK now have a training school, and most of these are run by ex-professional wrestlers who are in semi-retirement, ready to pass the belt onto the next generation. The secret is to find a school that feels right for you.
Any wrestling school worth its salt will encourage the curious – allowing an interested person to sit in on a training session, meet the wrestlers, ask questions and generally get a feel for the place. Some schools may even give you a taster session for free, but always ask the coach about this first.
Learning to wrestle needn’t cost the earth either. The initial outlay may seem a lot – if you decide to go regularly you’re going to want knee and elbow pads, and probably wrestling/boxing boots too, but once you’ve purchased these, it’s really just the lesson fees you’ll need to find.
Of course, if your wrestling coach thinks you’re good enough, you may even end up in a show, and getting paid for doing so. All wrestlers have to start at the bottom, and the local shows put on by training schools is as good a place as any.
Ravyn Steel is a female wrestler with Basix Wrestling in the UK
