At the start
of a tournament match wrestlers will usually be given
colored anklets. Generally, one wrestler will wear a green
anklet while the other wrestler will wear red. The
significance of the colors is that they correspond to the
colors worn by the referee. The referee will have a green
band on one wrist and a red on the other. As the match
proceeds, the referee will signal the award of points to a
wrestler by holding up that wrestler's color.
As you look at the
wrestling mat you will notice a large circle going around
the perimeter of the mat, this is the out-of-bounds
indicator. Each wrestler must stay within the circumference
of this larger circle to score points. In most cases you
will also notice a smaller circle within the larger one,
this is referred to as the center of the mat. Contained
within the center of the mat are 2 parallel lines or a box,
this is the starting point for each period.
After the
wrestler has his/her anklet on and proceeds to the center of
the mat the referee will ask the timer, score keeper, and
the wrestlers if they are ready. If everyone is ready to
begin the referee will ask each of the wrestlers to shake
hands and get ready to start. To start a match each wrestler
will be in the "Neutral" position. The neutral position is
where both wrestlers face each other in a standing position.
Each wrestler is required to have at least one foot on the
neutral line before the match is allowed to proceed. Once
the wrestlers are in the starting neutral position, the
referee will blow his whistle to start the match.
From the neutral
position, each wrestler is attempting to score points on
his/her opponent by taking that opponent down. If a wrestler
is successful in taking down the opponent and is in control
of the opponent the referee will award that wrestler 2
points for a "takedown". To indicate the points, the
referee will hold up the hand with that wrestlers
corresponding color and flash 2 fingers up and then down
towards the mat. It should be noted that a wrestler must be
in control of the other wrestler to score the takedown
points. Generally this means that the scoring wrestler is on
top, behind, or in some way free of his/her opponents
advantage.
Once a wrestler has
taken down his/her opponent they must now try to turn that
opponent to their back. A wrestler who has successfully
taken down his/her opponent must continue to wrestle or be
warned for "stalling". The same applies to the wrestler who
was taken down, they must try to escape the control of the
top wrestler. If a wrestler receives 2 warnings for stalling
his/her opponent will receive 1 point on the next stalling
warning. Stalling warnings carry over from one period to the
other and are accumulated during that entire match. If a
wrestler receives too many stalling deductions they
automatically lose the match.
As the top wrestler
(the one who took down his/her opponent) continues to
wrestle they will use various holds to turn over their
opponent, one such hold is the half nelson. This is when the
top wrestler threads his/her arm under the arm and over the
head of their opponent. By doing so a wrestler can "expose"
(turn their opponents back past a 90 degree angle with the
mat) their opponent and score points. If the top wrestler
successfully exposes his/her opponent for more then 2
seconds without the continuation of a move he/she will score
2 "Near Fall" points. However, if the top wrestler can
expose his/her opponent for more then 5 continuous seconds
they will receive 3 near fall or "back points". The referee
will award the amount of back points/near fall points a
wrestler receives by holding up the corresponding colored
arm and indicated with his/her hand the points and tapping
their back.
If the first
period expires with no pin/fall, the referee will stop the
wrestlers and bring them back to the center of the mat. At
this point the referee will flip a coin or colored disk and
ask a wrestler to "call-it". If the wrestler wins the coin
toss it is "their choice" as to how they would like to start
the second period. A wrestler could choose to defer his/her
choice until the third period and allow his/her opponent to
choose how they will start the period. The choices a
wrestler could make are top, bottom, or neutral. If the
wrestler chooses the neutral position each wrestler will be
starting as they did in the first period. Each wrestler is
facing each other as they start. However, if the wrestler so
chooses they could start in the bottom position. The
objective of the bottom wrestler is to either reverse their
position with the top wrestler or escape from the top
wrestler. The bottom wrestler may execute some common moves
such as a sit-out, switch, or a stand-up. If a wrestler
successfully executes a switch for example they will end up
on top of the other wrestler and receive 2 points for the
executed move. If the bottom wrestler executes a stand-up
and can break free from the control of the top wrestler they
will receive 1 point for an escape. The referee will
generally signal that the bottom wrestler is free by
indicating no control.
If the wrestler chose
the top position they must try to turn their opponent to
their back. As the two wrestlers continue to wrestle there
may be a point in the match when the referee determines that
neither wrestler can complete or advance a move. In this
case the referee will call a stalemate and break/stop the
wrestlers moving them back to the center of the mat to start
over. If the wrestler on top ever locks his arms around the
bottom wrestler while still being on the mat and not having
control of at least one arm the top wrestler will be called
for locked hands. If this happens the referee will stop the
match and award the bottom wrestler one point. At any point
in the match a wrestler may not grab or hold the clothing of
his /her opponent.
After the
second period expires, the wrestler who has not made a
choice on how to start a period chooses the starting
position of this period. As the period begins the referee
will ask the bottom wrestler to get set. The bottom wrestler
will have to place their knees on one line and their hands
in front of the other line located in the center of the mat.
After the bottom man indicates to the referee that he/she is
set the referee will allow the top wrestler to get position.
If the top wrestler tries to get into position too soon or
either wrestler moves before the referee indicates to start
then that wrestler will be cautioned for a false start. If
the wrestler is cautioned again, the other wrestler will be
awarded a point.
As the wrestlers
continue the match they are each trying to score points or
pins/falls. If a wrestler attempts to score a point on
another wrestler with an illegal move (i.e. a full nelson),
the referee will blow the whistle and stop the match. The
referee will award the offended wrestler a point and start
the match again from the center of the mat. If one wrestler
has control over another and is trying to score, they may
unintentionally be in a position where the move they are
executing is legal but potentially dangerous. If this occurs
the referee will stop the match and again move the wrestlers
back to the center of the mat.
Throughout the match
wrestlers will be performing different moves. A wrestler can
only score on the move if they are in-bounds. A wrestler is
considered in-bounds if three points of their body and their
opponent's body are within the larger circle. If one
wrestler tries to execute a move and their opponent or their
own body carries over the outer circle, the referee may blow
his/her whistle and have the participants move back to the
center of the mat. The referee may or may not award points
to a wrestler if the referee deems the move completed before
the wrestlers moved out-of-bounds.
Wrestling is a
physically demanding sport with many emotions. As wrestlers
do combat with each other, sometimes emotions can take over
and cause one wrestler to over react. If a referee
determines that an individual is or has over-reacted they
will blow the whistle and call a technical violation.
Depending on the infraction, the offending wrestler may have
a point deducted from their score or forfeit the match.
During the season, if
you have any questions about scoring, moves, or potential
infractions please do talk to the coaches of the team. The
coaches will do their very best to address any questions you
may have.
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