Freestyle wrestling

Freestyle wrestling is a kind of wrestling seen in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman. It is different from scholastic wrestling, which is done in U.S. high schools, and collegiate wrestling, done in U.S. colleges. Women’s college wrestling in the United States uses freestyle rules.

Freestyle wrestling began from catch-as-catch-can wrestling. In freestyle, like collegiate wrestling, the goal is to throw and pin the other wrestler to win right away. Unlike Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle lets wrestlers use either their own legs or their opponent’s legs to attack or defend.

The world group for wrestling, the United World Wrestling (UWW), says freestyle wrestling is one of six main kinds of amateur wrestling in the world. The other kinds include Grappling/submission wrestling, Beach wrestling, Pankration athlima, and Traditional/folk wrestling.

In 2013, leaders of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) thought about taking wrestling out of the 2020 Olympic Games, but they decided to keep it in the Olympics later that year.

History

Modern freestyle wrestling started in Great Britain and the United States as "catch-as-catch-can" wrestling. This style was popular at fairs and festivals in the 1800s. Wrestlers would start standing and try to make their opponent's shoulder touch the ground. If they couldn't do that, they would keep grappling on the ground using many different moves.

Freestyle wrestling became an Olympic sport in the St. Louis Olympics of 1904. All the wrestlers were from the United States. Over time, rules were added to make matches fairer and safer. Today, many wrestlers from post-Soviet states, Iran, the United States, Bulgaria, Cuba, Turkey, and Japan are very successful. In 2013, wrestling was temporarily removed from the Olympic Games but was brought back after many people worked hard to support it.

Weight classes

Further information: Wrestling weight classes

Freestyle wrestling has groups for different ages and weights. Boys and girls have groups like schoolboys, cadets, juniors, and seniors. Each group has weight limits to keep matches fair. For example, schoolboys wrestle in weights from 34 to 85 kg, and seniors can weigh from 57 to 125 kg. Girls also have weight limits from 28 to 72 kg, depending on their age. Wrestlers must stay in their weight class for competitions.

Layout of the mat

Freestyle wrestling matches take place on a thick rubber mat that keeps everyone safe. In big competitions like the Olympic Games, the mat must be new each time. The main area is a circle about nine meters wide. Around the edge is a smaller red ring called the red zone. Inside this is the central wrestling area, with a marked circle in the middle. The corners of the mat are colored to show each wrestler's team.

Equipment

Wrestlers wear special clothing called a singlet. It is a tight one-piece suit made from stretchy material. One wrestler usually wears red, and the other wears blue so they can be easily told apart. They also wear light, flexible shoes to help them move quickly and grip the mat better.

Wrestlers may choose to wear headgear to protect their ears, though it is not required. They also carry a small cloth, called a bloodrag, inside their singlet to help clean up if there is any bleeding during the match.

The match

A match is a competition between two wrestlers of the same weight. In freestyle wrestling, three officials help run the match. The referee stands in the middle, starts and stops the action, and helps with scoring. A judge sits at the side to keep score and help the referee when needed. The mat chairman keeps time and helps the other officials.

The match has two three-minute parts. Before starting, the referee checks on the wrestlers and their gear. The wrestlers then shake hands and the referee starts the match. A wrestler wins by scoring more points over the two parts. If no one scores in two minutes, the more passive wrestler gets a short chance to score, and if they don’t, the other wrestler gets a point.

Points are scored mainly for quick moves and taking risks. For example, throwing an opponent gives points. Other ways to score include taking down an opponent, reversing a hold, or getting an opponent’s back to the mat. There are also points for moving out of bounds or being too passive.

Victory conditions

A wrestling match can end in several ways. One way is by fall, also called a pin. This happens when a wrestler holds both of their opponent's shoulders on the mat at the same time. The referee must see that the wrestler has full control for a short time before declaring a fall. When this happens, the match ends right away.

Another way to win is by technical superiority. If a wrestler gets a lead of ten points over their opponent during the match, they win by technical fall. If neither wrestler achieves a fall or technical superiority, the winner is the one who scores more points overall.

If a wrestler cannot continue for any reason, such as injury, or if they do not show up for the match, their opponent wins by default. If a wrestler is hurt and cannot keep going, the other wrestler wins. A wrestler can also win if their opponent breaks the rules three times and is disqualified.

Women's freestyle wrestling

Women compete in freestyle wrestling at the collegiate, world, and Olympic levels. Women's freestyle wrestling first appeared in the Olympics at the 2004 Summer Olympics. After the 2020 Olympic Games, there are six weight classes for women.

Freestyle wrestling was added to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program starting with the 2020–21 school year. At that time, 35 NCAA members had women's wrestling teams. Wrestlers wear red or blue singlets based on their bracket placement, and all female competitors must wear a women's-cut singlet.