ARTICLES

What is FreeStyle Wrestling?

Freestyle wrestling is a form of amateur wrestling that is practiced throughout the world. It is, along with track and field, one of the oldest sports in history.

According to the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA), freestyle wrestling is one of the four main forms of amateur competitive wrestling that are practiced internationally today. The other three forms of wrestling are Greco-Roman, Judo, and Sambo. American high school and college wrestling is conducted under different rules and termed Collegiate wrestling.

The Match

A match is a competition between two individual wrestlers of the same weight class. In freestyle wrestling, a team of three referees is used. The referee controls the action in the center, blowing the whistle to start and stop the action. The judge sits at the side of the mat. The mat chairman sits at the scoring table and keeps time. To award points, assess penalties, or call a pin, two of the three officials must agree.

Victory Conditions in the International Styles

A match can be won in the following ways:

Win by Fall: A fall, also known as a pin, occurs when one wrestler holds both his opponents' shoulders on the mat simultaneously. In freestyle, a pin must be held long enough for the referee to count '21, 22' in French (vingt-et-un, vingt-deux), about one second. A fall ends the match entirely regardless of when it occurs.
Win by Technical Fall Also called Superiority: If one wrestler gains a six-point lead over his opponent at any point, scores a five point throw (a throw where the persons feet go directly above their head, also called a throw of grand amplitude), or two three point takedowns (taking an opponent from their feet to their back or sides so that there is shoulder exposure), the current period is declared over and he is the winner of that period.
Win by Decision: If neither wrestler achieves either type of fall, the one who has gained more points during the period is declared the winner. If the score is tied at zero at the end of a period, the wrestlers go through an overtime procedure called The Clinch in which wrestlers are required to enter the clinch position and wrestle till a point is scored, or until one of the wrestlers breaks the clinch.
Win by Injury: If one wrestler is injured and unable to continue, the other wrestler is declared the winner. The term also encompasses situations where wrestlers bleed uncontrollably. If a wrestler is injured by his opponent's illegal maneuver and cannot continue, the wrestler at fault is disqualified.
Win by Disqualification: If a wrestler is assessed three Cautions for breaking the rules, he is disqualified. Under other circumstances, such as flagrant brutality, the match may be ended immediately and the wrestler removed from the tournament.

Period Format

In freestyle and Greco-Roman, the format is now three two-minute periods a wrestler winning the match when he has won two out of three periods; for example if one competitor were to win the first period 1-0 and the second period 1-0, the match would be over. However, if the other competitor were to win the second period then third and deciding period would result. Only a fall or disqualification terminates the match; all other modes of victory result only in period termination. One side effect of this format is that it is possible for the losing wrestler to outscore the winner. For example, periods may be scored 3-2, 0-4, 1-0, leading to a total score of 4-6 but a win for the wrestler scoring fewer points.

Scoring

In freestyle, points can be scored the following ways:

Takedowns: Gaining control over your opponent from a neutral position, worth from one to five points.

5- A throw of grand amplitude, throwing your opponent so that their feet go directly above their head

3- taking your opponent from their feet to their back or side such that their shoulderblades are exposed to the mat

1- taking your opponent from their feet to their stomach or side such that their shoulders are not exposed to the mat

Reversals: Gaining control over your opponent from a defensive position, worth one point.
Exposure: Exposing your opponent's back to the mat at an acute angle (less than 90 degrees), worth two points. An additional hold-down point may be earned by maintaining the exposure continuously for five seconds.
Penalty Points: Under the 2004-2005 changes to the international styles, a wrestler whose opponent takes an injury time-out receives one point unless the injured wrestler is bleeding. Any wrestler stepping out of bounds while standing in the neutral position during a match is penalized by giving his/her opponent a point. Other infractions (striking your opponent, acting with brutality or intent to injure, using illegal holds, etc.) are penalized by an award of points, a Caution, and choice of position.
Out-of-Bounds:Whenever a wrestler places his foot on or over the boundary line, the match is stopped and a point is awarded to his opponent.

Scores no longer rewarded in Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling

In 2004, FILA radically changed the format and scoring of the international styles. Part of this involved eliminating two ways of scoring which are possible from the par terre, or 'on the mat,' position.

Escapes: Escaping your opponent's control.
Lifting: Successfully lifting an opponent in the defensive position and exposing his back.

Team Scoring

In an international wrestling tournament, teams enter one wrestler at each weight class and score points based on the individual performances. For example, if a wrestler at the 52.0 kg weight class finishes in first place then their team will receive ten points. If he were to finish in tenth place then they would only receive one. At the end of the tournament each team's score is tallied and the team with the most points wins the team competition.

Dual Meets

A dual meet is a meeting between teams in which individual wrestlers at a given weight class compete against each other. Points are awarded to each team depending on the result - for example, a wrestler winning by pin scores four points for his team, and his opponent scores none, while a win by decision scores three points for the winning wrestler and one or zero for the loser depending on whether he scored points during the match.

Equipment

A singlet is a one-piece wrestling garment made of spandex that should provide a tight and comfortable fit for the wrestler. It is made from nylon or lycra and prevents an opponent from using anything on the wrestler as leverage, although it is not required
A special pair of shoes is worn by a wrestler to increase their mobility and flexibility. Wrestling shoes are light and flexible in order to provide maximum comfort and movement. Usually made with rubber soles, they help give the wrestler's feet a better grip on the mat.
A handkerchief or blood-rag is carried in the singlet. In the event of bleeding, the wrestler will remove the cloth from their singlet and attempt to stop the bleeding.
Headgear, equipment worn around the ears to protect them, is optional in freestyle.

Women's wrestling

Freestyle is the only style used for international competition in women's wrestling, possibly because of there being more strength usage in Greco-Roman. Some small U.S. College clubs wrestle freestyle against Canadian universities mostly because of the limited number of wrestling programs in the United States, and none of the U.S. organizations such as the NCAA sponsor women's wrestling, while the Canadian Interuniversity Sports Association does.