Dual Team Meets
A team wins a dual team meet when they outscore the opposing team. In the dual team format, teams are awarded points based on the outcome of each match:
• Decision (3 team points)
If a wrestler fails to pin their opponent, and wins their match by 1-7 points, the outcome is judged a decision, and earns the team 3 team points.
• Major Decision (4 team points)
If a wrestler fails to pin their opponent, and wins their match by at least 8 points, but not more than 14 points, the result is judged a major decision, and earns the team 4 team points.
• Technical Fall (5 team points)
If a wrestler, at any point in the match, gains a 15 point advantage on their opponent, and fails to pin their opponent, the result is judged a technical fall, and earns the team 5 team points.
• Pin (6 team points)
If a wrestler manages to hold both of his opponents shoulders or shoulder blades to the mat, simultaneously and in bounds, the result is a pin, and earns the team 6 team points.
• Forfeit (6 team points)
If a team fails to field an eligible wrestler in a weight class, the opposing wrestler wins by forfeit, and earns the team 6 team points. If neither team field a wrestler in a weight class, the results is a double forfeit, and no team points are earned by either team.
• Disqualification (6 team points)
If a wrestler is guilty of gross unsportsmanlike conduct, that wrestler may be disqualified, earning his opponent's team 6 team points. Any wrestler who commits four technical violations in a match is also disqualified. If a wrestler injures his opponent while conducting an illegal move, and that injured wrestler cannot continue, the wrestler who committed the injury is disqualified.
• Default (6 team points)
If a wrestler is injured in the course of a match, and cannot continue, the injured wrestler loses, and the opponent is judged the winner by injury default and is awarded 6 team points. The exception to this is an injury caused during an illegal move (see "Disqualification" above).
Unsportsmanlike conduct on behalf of coaches or wrestlers not on the mat can result in the deduction of team points. Wrestlers not appearing to wrestle, properly attired, when called, in a timely fashion, may result in a team point deduction.
If, at the end of wrestling, the score is tied, the team that has won the most individual matches is declared the winner. If this is still a tie, the team with the most 6 point wins is used as the tie breaking criteria. If this still results in a tie, the most technical falls, and the most major decisions are then used.
Tournament Scoring
Tournament scoring is similar in many ways to dual team meets, with some added twists.
In a bracketed tournament, a wrestler earns his team two points for every match that he wins in the championship bracket. A wrestler dropping into the consolation bracket earns one team point for every win.
In addition to that, a wrestler earns bonus points for different types of wins. Major decisions earn a wrestler's team an extra bonus point. A technical fall earns the team an extra 1.5 points, and a pin, disqualification, forfeit, or default earns the winner's team 2 bonus points.
Beyond that, the other opportunity to earn points is in placing, Depending on the number of wrestlers in each weight class, a wrestler earns additional bonus points for finishing in the top places.
In Illinois wrestling, there is an added twist. If a wrestler earns a forfeit in his first round of a tournament, that wrestler will see a doubling of his points (if any) after the second round (this process is called "mirroring"). Thus a wrestler with a first round bye, who then pins his second round opponent would earn 2 points for the win, and 2 bonus points for the pin, and then would see that double to 8 points for his individual total given to his team.
While dual team scores rarely get above 80 points in a dual team meet, team scores in tournaments regularly exceed 200 points.