Wrestling Basics

TYPES OF MEETS

• Dual A dual is any head to head match between two schools. Conference meets are duals.

• Tri or Quad A tri meet and a quad meet involve three or four teams at the same event.  A team or two can be added to a Conference Dual to create a Tri or Quad.

• Tournaments Tournaments are generally all day on weekends. They involve several teams and can be individual competitions or team competitions. Bigger tournaments can span two days.  

MATCH STRUCTURE

A match is made up of three 2-minute periods.

The first period starts with both wrestlers standing (Neutral). At the end of the first period, the official determines which wrestler gets to choose how to start the second period. If it is a dual meet, this protocol is decided before the first match, and the teams alternate who gets the choice. In a tournament, the athletes wear colored ankle bands to help the officials and scorers identify athletes. The official flips a colored disc, and the wrestler with the winning color gets the choice.

The wrestler with the choice at the start of the second period has four options. Athletes can choose to defer the choice to their opponent so they can make the choice they want in the third period. They can choose to start in the neutral position, both wrestlers standing. They can choose to start down so that they can escape or get a reversal while they are still fresh. Finally, they can choose to start in the top position so they can work to get the fall, again, while fresh.

A match is over if one wrestler achieves a pin (officially named Fall). Matches are also stopped if one wrestler gets ahead of the other by 15 or more points, a technical fall. Disqualification for misconduct, stalling, or other severe violations of the rules also stop a match. Note:  any hold or maneuver applied with the intent to injure the opponent is prohibited.

SCORING

There are five ways to score points in a wrestling match:

1. Takedown – (2 points) Two points are awarded for taking an opponent down to the mat and controlling them.

2. Escape – (1 point) One point is awarded for getting away or getting to a neutral position after the opponent has the wrestler on the mat.

3. Reversal – (2 points) Two points are awarded when the opponent has the wrestler down on the mat and the wrestler comes from underneath to gain control of the opponent.

4. Near Fall (Back Points) – (2 or 3 points) Near fall points are awarded when the wrestler almost, but not quite, pins their opponent. A near fall (near pin) is when the shoulder of the opponent are held for two seconds within four inches of the mat, OR one of the opponent's shoulders touches the mat and the other shoulder is at a 45 degree angle coming down to the mat, OR the opponent 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) Opponents are awarded points if the following infractions are committed:

   • Illegal Holds – There are several holds that the referee will penalize for without warning. (There are other holds called “potentially dangerous holds” which the referee may stop action but will not assess a penalty for).

   • Technical Violations.

     • Going off the mat or forcing the opponent off the mat to avoid wrestling (“fleeing the mat.”).

     • Grabbing clothing, the mat, or the headgear.

     • Locked or overlapped hands: If down on the mat in control of the opponent, the wrestler cannot lock or overlap their hands, fingers or arms around the opponent’s body or both legs unless they have met criteria for a near pin of the opponent, or the opponent stands up and has all his/her weight on two feet, or the wrestler has lifted the opponent off the mat.

     • Leaving the mat during the match without the referee’s permission.

     • Reporting to the mat not properly equipped or not ready to wrestle, or equipment that is detected as being illegal after the match has started.

     • Unnecessary roughness.

     • Unsportsmanlike conduct.

     • Stalling (the wrestler gets one warning before they are penalized and points are awarded).

     • Incorrect starting position or false start (wrestlers receive two cautions before points are awarded).

     • The first and second time the wrestler is penalized, the opponent is awarded one point. The third time the wrestler is penalized, the opponent is awarded two points. The fourth time the wrestler is penalized, they are disqualified. (Except for illegal starting position or false start – the wrestler is cautioned twice, then one point awarded for each infraction, but will not be disqualified.

There are several ways a wrestling match can end:

1. Pin A pin is when the wrestler holds their opponent's shoulder blades flat to the mat for 2 seconds.

2. Technical Fall A technical fall and is when a wrestler accumulates 15 points over their opponent. The match ends the moment the official awards the points that eclipses this threshold.

3. Flagrant Misconduct In the event of Flagrant Misconduct, the offending wrestler is ejected from the match on the first offense, and loses the match.

4. Disqualification