About Wrestling

Introduction

Wrestling is mankind’s oldest and most basic form of recreational combat, has a distinguished history and is even referenced in cave drawings. Bronze figures dating earlier than 2500 B.C. depicting wrestlers have been found in Mesopotamia. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, pre-Olympic Greek literature, contain several descriptions of wrestling. Olympic wrestlers were living legends in ancient Greece and wrestling continues to be a popular Olympic sport.
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA (Fédération Internationale des Luttes Associées or International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles): freestyle and Greco-Roman. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style. A similar style, commonly called collegiate (also known as scholastic or folkstyle), is practiced in colleges and universities, secondary schools, middle schools, and younger age groups in the United States. (Wikipedia 2007).

Overview of Folkstyle Wrestling Rules

The object of the folkstyle of wrestling is to put your opponent on his back -- to pin your opponent. A pin (or fall) occurs when you put your opponent on his/her back with any part of both shoulders or both shoulder blades of your opponent in contact with the mat for two (2) seconds (one (1) second for college wrestlers). When you pin your opponent, the match is over and you are the winner. A match lasts three (3) periods. The length of each period depends on the division of the wrestler.
If nobody gets pinned, the winner is the wrestler who has scored the most points during the match. There are five ways to score points in a wrestling match:
1) Takedown - (2 points) You score two points for taking your opponent down to the mat and controlling him/her.
2) Escape - (1 point) You score one point for getting away or getting to a neutral position when your opponent has you down on the mat.
3) Reversal - (2 points) You score two points when your opponent has you down on the mat and you come from underneath and gain control of your opponent.
4) Near Fall (Back Points) - (2 or 3 points) You get near fall points when you almost but not quite get your opponent pinned. A near fall (near pin) is when (i) both shoulders are held for two seconds within four inches of the mat; (ii) one shoulder touches the mat and the other shoulder is at a 45 degree angle coming down to the mat, or (iii) the wrestler is held in a high bridge or back on both elbows. If a near fall lasts for two seconds, you get 2 points. If a near fall lasts for 5 seconds, you get 3 points.
5) Penalty Points - (1 or 2 points) Your opponent is awarded points if you commit the illegal holds, technical violations such as:

• Going off the mat to avoid wrestling ("fleeing the mat.")
• Grabbing clothing, the mat, or the headgear
• Incorrect starting position or false start (You get two cautions before points are awarded).
• Locked or overlapped hands: If you are down on the mat in control of your opponent, you cannot lock or overlap your hands, fingers or arms around your opponent's body or both legs unless you have your opponent in a near pin, or your opponent stands up and has all his/her weight on two feet.
• Leaving the mat during the match without the referee's permission
• Figure 4 head scissors from the neutral position.

Unnecessary roughness Unsportsmanlike conduct Flagrant Misconduct (ejection, the match is over) Stalling (you get one warning before you are penalized and points are awarded). These rules apply to the type of wrestling done in the United States in College, High School, Junior High, Middle School, and most youth wrestling. This type of wrestling is often referred to as "folkstyle" wrestling. The rules for "freestyle" and "Greco-roman" wrestling, as is done in the Olympics and internationally, are a little different.

Weights and Divisions

Wrestlers only compete against opponents in their own weight and division. There are seven divisions, Tots and Divisions 1 through 6, with wrestlers no more than one year apart in each Division until Division 6 (High School). Each division has seven (7) to fourteen (14) weight classes. The number of weight classes depends on the division. Typical weight classes may be every four (4) pounds at lighter weights and younger divisions to about every ten (10) pounds for high school age wrestlers. The weights and divisions for USA Wrestling may be found at http://www.txusawrestling.com/youth.html.