Behind the scenes of the Brussels Eagles: a back-to-school full of energy

Yesterday, I attended the very first training session of the season for the Brussels Eagles, the Belgian Wrestling School.

A wrestling club located in the City of Brussels.

And for a back-to-school... what a back-to-school!

As soon as I arrived, a first impression struck me: there were many people. A lot of people.

The mat quickly filled up, training began, and the energy was palpable.

For a first training of the season, I didn't expect to see so many young people gathered around wrestling.

But beyond the numbers, it was the discipline that impressed me the most.

The young people listen, observe, reproduce the movements, and start again. They have to learn to control their bodies, respect their partner, listen to instructions, and accept not succeeding on the first try.

And that's perhaps what struck me the most: behind the holds and fights, there's a whole learning process.

Wrestling is a combat sport in which opponents notably seek to take down their partner and control them on the ground, with different rules depending on the discipline practiced. Freestyle wrestling, for example, allows the use of legs and attacks on the legs, unlike Greco-Roman wrestling.

A wrestling school in the heart of Brussels

The Brussels Eagles, also known as the Belgian Wrestling School, welcomes both children and adults.

The club offers wrestling, with practices that also include grappling and physical preparation.

The club is located at rue du Rempart des Moines 101, 1000 Brussels.

And seeing this hall full for the start of a new season gives a telling image of the interest that combat sports can generate among young Brussels residents.

A discipline that goes far beyond combat

Watching the training, I mainly thought that wrestling teaches many things that go far beyond the sporting context.

• Concentration.
• Perseverance.
• Respect for others.
• Self-control.

And then this ability to fall, get up, and start over.

Because, of course, you don't master a technique on the first try. You have to try, make mistakes, correct your movement, and start again.

On the mat, each exercise ultimately becomes a small lesson in patience.

And when you see young people so focused from the very first training session of the season, you quickly understand that it's not just an activity where you come to "do sports."

It's also a school of discipline.

A back-to-school that makes you want to come back

This first encounter with the Brussels Eagles made me want to learn more about the club and the people who make it thrive.

Because beyond the training sessions, these associations and clubs also bring life to neighborhoods and allow Brussels residents, especially the youngest, to find an activity, a framework, goals, and a community.

Yesterday was therefore the first training session of the season.

And given the atmosphere and the number of participants on the mat, the Brussels Eagles seem to have started this new season off with a bang.

One thing is certain: the Brussels next generation is already on the mat. 🦅

Brussels Eagles – Belgian Wrestling School

📍 Rue du Rempart des Moines 101, 1000 Brussels
🤼 Wrestling and associated activities
👧 Children & adults

To discover the club and follow its activities, find the Brussels Eagles on their official Instagram account.