Over the past year, my son has been training in wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), Muay Thai and boxing. Recently has has been training more for his upcoming wrestling competition, which means more sparring, more drills and more time on the mats.
Like many parents, I usually sit at the side watching quietly during his training sessions.
At first I was simply observing.
But over time, something started to catch my attention.
Wrestling Is All About Control
Wrestling is very different from many other sports. There is no ball, no goalpost, no equipment.
Just two people trying to control each other.
Every movement involves gripping, pulling, pushing, balancing and reacting.
And very quickly I started noticing something interesting.
Grip strength seems to matter a lot.
During sparring sessions, the kids constantly fight for wrist control, arm control and body position. The moment someone loses their grip or control, the position changes immediately.
It made me realise that strength in this sport is not just about size or power.
Sometimes it is simply about who can hold on longer.
A Different Kind of Strength
Watching these sessions made me curious about something I had rarely thought about before.
Grip strength.
Most adult fitness routines revolve around things like:
- weight loss
- running
- general gym workouts
- lifting dumbbells
But grip strength is rarely something people train deliberately.
Yet it is incredibly fundamental.
It appears in many physical activities such as:
- martial arts
- wrestling and grappling
- rock climbing
- gymnastics
- even everyday tasks like carrying heavy items
The more I watched the training sessions, the more I started wondering about it.
When Curiosity Leads to Action
Eventually I decided to experiment with grip training myself.
Nothing intense.
Just simple exercises like:
- forearm, hand and wrist exerciser
- hand grippers
- hanging from a pull-up bar
- holding weights for time
It is surprisingly challenging.
Grip muscles fatigue very quickly, and I realised this type of strength is quite different from normal workouts.
But it also feels strangely satisfying to train.
Learning From My Child
What I find most interesting is that this curiosity came from watching my son train.
Sometimes children learn from adults.
But sometimes adults also learn from children.
Seeing the discipline and effort these kids put into training reminds me that strength is something built slowly, through consistency, patience and repetition.
And maybe that is the real lesson here.
A Small Experiment
So I have decided to try something simple.
I am starting a 30-day grip strength challenge for myself.
Not to become an athlete, but simply to learn:
- how grip strength develops
- what exercises work
- and whether small daily training makes a noticeable difference
I will be documenting this experiment as part of my Learning Notes series.
Just small observations along the way.
Because sometimes the best way to learn something is simply to try it.
With clarity,
Elian
theslowedit.org