Wrestling Rules

A wrestling match pits two contestants of equal weight. In high school wrestling, there are 14 weight classes. A match consists of three two-minute periods with the goal is to pin or score more points than your opponent at the end of the match. If the match is tied at the end of regulation, overtime will follow. There are no ties in wrestling. A pin (or fall) takes place when a wrestler puts the opponent on his/her back with any both shoulders touching the mat for two seconds. The match immediately ends upon a pin, regardless of score. If one wrestler leads his opponent by 15 or more points at any time during the match, the leading wrestler would win by technical fall.

How to score:

On Feet (in neutral position):

• Takedown (2 points) - A wrestler scores two points for taking the opponent down to the mat and then gaining control.

On Bottom (in the defensive position):

• Escape (1 point) - After a wrestler gains control, the opponent may escape out from the bottom to a neutral (feet) position.
• Reversal (2 points) - When the bottom wrestler (the wrestler who is being controlled) reverses control and gains control over the opponent, it is considered a reversal.

On Top (in the offensive position):

• Near Fall (2 or 3 points) - Near fall (back points) are awarded when a wrestler puts the opponent on his back. The top wrestler is awarded two points for exposing the opponent's back for two, three, or four seconds. The top wrestler is awarded three points for exposing the opponent's back for five or more seconds.

Penalty Points (1 or 2 points) - Referees can award penalty points to the opponent of wrestlers who commit illegal holds, technical violations, unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct, and/or stalling. Committing three cautions awards penalty points to the opponent.

First period both wrestlers start in the neutral position. This means that both are standing, and neither wrestler is in control of the other one.

Second and third period the two wrestlers alternate with a preference of starting position. In tournament competition, the referee flips a green and red disk that determines which wrestler has the right to choose the starting position for the second period. In dual meets, the wrestlers with first choice are predetermined and alternate every weight class. The wrestler with first choice must choose between the following options: top, bottom, neutral, or defer (giving the choice to the opponent, thus saving the choice for the beginning of the third period). S

First Overtime - There are no ties. At the beginning of the first overtime, both wrestlers will wrestle in the neutral position with one minute on the clock. The match ends when either wrestler scores a point (or if one wrestler immediately takes the opponent's back to the mat after a takedown and gains a fall. The winning wrestler will be the wrestler who gains the point (or fall). The bout ends immediately at this point. This is called sudden victory.

Second Overtime - If neither wrestler scores a point in the first overtime, then a second overtime is needed. Second overtime consists of two 30-second periods. These periods are not sudden victory except in the case of a fall. The referee tosses the disk and awards first choice to one of the wrestlers. This wrestler must choose top, bottom, or defer. Neutral cannot be chosen. Points may or may not be scored. Regardless of points scored, there will be a second 30-second period. In the second 30-second period, the other wrestler must choose top or bottom. The wrestler who has more points at the end of both 30-second periods is declared the winner.

Third Overtime - If the score is tied after the second overtime, then the third, and final, overtime is needed. The wrestler that scored the first point in the match gets to make the choice of starting position. The wrestler can choose top or bottom. The wrestler that scores the first point during the 30-second period will be declared the winner. If there is no scoring during the 30-second period, then the top wrestler will be declared the winner.

Starting and Stopping During the Match - Throughout all three periods the referee can stop the match to award penalty points, declare a stalemate (when both wrestlers are "stuck", and neither wrestler can improve position), declare a potentially dangerous situation to avoid injury to a wrestler, allow for injury time (up to two minutes per wrestler per match), allow for blood time for a wrestler bleeding (up to five minutes per wrestler per match), or declare a fall or technical fall.

A dual meet takes place when one team wrestles against another team for all of the weight classes. There are fourteen (14) weight classes. How each match was won determines the points that each team earns in the team score. Here is a list of the scoring:

• Fall, Forfeit, Default, or Disqualification (6 team points)
• Technical Fall (5 team points) - Winning the match by 15+ points.
• Major Decision (4 team points) - Winning the match by 8-14 points.
• Regular Decision (3 team points) - Winning the match by 1-7 points.

After all fourteen matches are wrestled, the team that has accumulated the most team points wins the dual meet. In the event of a tie, a tie-breaker criteria will be used.

Occasionally, teams enter tournaments consisting of many teams. Wresters compete to advance in a bracket with competitors in their own weight class. Team scores are also tallied, but they are scored using a different system than the dual meet scoring mentioned above.