What are the rules of wrestling?

Wrestling matches

Folkstyle wrestling, also known as scholastic wrestling, is a popular form of amateur wrestling practiced primarily in the United States. It is commonly found in middle schools, high schools, and men's college wrestling. The rules of folkstyle wrestling govern how matches are conducted and scored. Here's an overview of the basic rules:

Objective: The primary goal in folkstyle wrestling is to pin your opponent's shoulders to the mat for a certain amount of time, or to accumulate points through various techniques to win the match.

Scoring: There are several ways to score points in a folkstyle wrestling match:

• Takedown: A takedown is worth two points. It occurs when a wrestler brings their opponent from a standing position to the mat under control and in bounds.

• Escape: An escape is worth one point. It happens when the bottom wrestler successfully breaks free from the top wrestler's control and gains a neutral position.

• Reversal: A reversal is worth two points. It occurs when the bottom wrestler gains control over the top wrestler from a defensive position, effectively reversing their positions.

• Near Fall (Back Points): If a wrestler gains control over their opponent and holds their opponent's shoulders at an angle of less than 90 degrees to the mat, they can earn back points. Different levels of near falls are awarded: 2 points for a near fall held for 2-4 seconds, and 3 points for a near fall held for 5 seconds or more.

• Technical Fall: If a wrestler accumulates a lead of 15 points or more over their opponent, the match ends with a technical fall, resulting in an automatic win.

• Pin/Fall: The ultimate goal is to pin your opponent's shoulders to the mat. If both of a wrestler's shoulders are held in contact with the mat for a specified duration (usually two seconds), the match is immediately won via a pinfall.

Out of Bounds and Restarts: Wrestlers are considered out of bounds when any part of their body, except for the soles of their feet, touches or crosses the boundary lines of the wrestling area. Matches are restarted from the neutral position in the center of the mat after going out of bounds.

Periods and Overtime: Folkstyle wrestling matches are typically divided into three periods. At the high school level, each period is usually 2 minutes long. If the match ends in a tie, there might be overtime periods to determine the winner.

Stalling and Penalties: Wrestlers are expected to actively engage and attempt to score throughout the match. If a wrestler is deemed to be stalling (not making a sincere effort to engage and wrestle), they can be penalized. Penalties can result in points being awarded to the opponent or in some cases, disqualification.

Wrestling tournaments

Folkstyle wrestling tournaments often involve individual wrestlers competing on behalf of their respective teams. These tournaments are a way to showcase the skills of both individual athletes and their teams. Here's how team points and advancement typically work in folkstyle wrestling tournaments:

Team Points: In a folkstyle wrestling tournament, team points are awarded based on the performance of individual wrestlers from each team. The points earned by individual wrestlers contribute to the overall team score. The team with the most points at the end of the tournament is declared the winner.

Individual Advancement: In most tournaments, individual wrestlers compete in a bracket-style format. The bracket is a visual representation of the tournament's progression, showing how wrestlers advance through each round. Here's how individual advancement typically works:

• Seeding: Before the tournament begins, wrestlers are often seeded based on their past performance, skill level, and other relevant factors. Seeding helps ensure that the most skilled wrestlers don't face each other in the early rounds.

• Preliminary Rounds: The tournament starts with preliminary rounds where wrestlers compete against opponents from their weight class. Winners of these matches advance to the next round, while the losers might have the opportunity to wrestle in consolation rounds.

• Consolation Rounds: Wrestlers who lose in the preliminary rounds are often entered into a separate bracket called the consolation bracket. Wrestlers in the consolation bracket have a chance to continue competing for lower placements, potentially earning points for their team.

• Championship Rounds: The winners of the preliminary rounds advance to the championship rounds. These rounds continue until a finalist is determined for each weight class.

• Finals: The wrestlers who advance to the finals of each weight class compete for the championship title. The winner of the final match is crowned the champion of their weight division.

Team Scoring: In most folkstyle wrestling tournaments, teams earn points based on the performance of their individual wrestlers. The points awarded for each wrestler's performance contribute to the team's overall score. The exact scoring system can vary, but here's a common point distribution:

• Advancement: Teams earn points for each wrestler's advancement through the bracket. The further a wrestler progresses, the more points the team earns.

• Placement: Wrestlers earn points based on their final placement in their weight class. For example, the champion might earn more points than the runner-up, and so on.

• Bonus Points: Bonus points are awarded for certain achievements, such as pins, technical falls, and major decisions (a win by 8-14 points). These bonus points can significantly impact team standings.

At the end of the tournament, the team with the highest cumulative points from their wrestlers' performances is declared the tournament champion.