Kansas Wrestling Forums General Discussion Kids Folkstyle 6&U weight classes

The 6U division is not an official age division. Those established by the State Body are:
8&Under, 9&10, 11&12, 13&14, and 15&16

That is why this division is not represented in the Kansas State Championship Series. The weight classifications in the “6&Under” division have typically followed those of the “8&Under” division. The exception is that there are 1 or 2 additional weights added to the bottom end to account for the weight difference of the younger and lighter wrestlers. There are two things that go into determining the starting weight class in any age division. The first is the natural grouping of kids and the second is to account for the percentage of body weight advantage.

For "6&Under" the most common starting weight has been 37#; however the most crowded weights of this division are between 37# and 46# do to the natural grouping of kids. Some tournaments have chosen to allow a 34# class to account for the natural grouping of these lightest wrestlers. Also,a 32# wrestler competing at 37# is giving up 13.5% of their body weight. This would equivalent to a 133# wrestler competing in the 150# weight class.

On a side note, the bottom end weight classes in the established divisions are recommended by the executive board and approved by our state body...they are what they are and all sanctioned tournaments have to follow the guidelines. The division of weight classes is debatable and there are some recommended changes proposed by the executive board that will be considered at this years State Body Meeting in Salina. These proposed changes are tied to historical analysis.

Rule 4-4-2 gives the guidelines for the “maximum” weight difference between two wrestlers. For the 9&10 division that is 20#. The bottom weight recognized in the 9&10 division is 52# and the top end is 170#. The corresponding percentage of body weights for the top and bottom end is 38.5% at the bottom end and 12% at the top end of the scale.

Rule 4-4-2 No wrestler will be permitted to wrestle another person with a weight spread
exceeding the following weights:

8 & Under 15 Pounds
9 & 10 20 Pounds
11 & 12 25 Pounds
13 & 14 30 Pounds
15 & 16 35 Pounds

When tournaments “reserve the right to combine weight classes” they should take into account the percentage of body weight for the classes they are combining. This point is outside the bounds of your original question but it is important to consider.