Rules of Wrestling

THE OBJECT OF THE SPORT OF WRESTING IS TO PUT YOUR OPPONENT ON HIS BACK -- TO PIN YOUR OPPONENT. A PIN (OR FALL) OCCURS WHEN ANY PART OF BOTH SHOULDERS OR BOTH SHOULDERBLADES OF EITHER WRESTLER MAKES CONTACT WITH THE MAT FOR 2 SECONDS. WHEN YOU PIN YOUR OPPONENT, THE MATCH IS OVER AND YOU ARE THE WINNER. IF NOBODY GETS PINNED, THE WINNER IS THE WRESTLER WITH THE MOST POINTS AT THE END OF THE MATCH. THERE ARE FIVE WAYS TO SCORE POINTS IN A WRESTLING MATCH TAKEDOWN ESCAPE REVERSAL NEAR-FALL PENALTY --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- 1) TAKEDOWN -- ( 2 POINTS) -- YOU SCORE 2 POINTS FOR TAKING YOUR OPPONENT DOWN TO THE MAT AND CONTROLLING HIM 2) ESCAPE -- (1 POINT) -- YOU SCORE ONE POINT FOR GETTING AWAY OR GETTING TO A NEUTRAL POSITION WHEN YOUR OPPONENT HAS YOU DOWN ON THE MAT. 3) REVERSAL -- (2 POINTS) -- YOU SCORE 2 POINTS WHEN YOUR OPPONENT HAS YOU DOWN ON THE MAT AND YOU COME FROM UNDERNEATH AND GAIN CONTROL OF YOUR OPPONENT 4) NEAR FALL (BACK POINTS) -- (2 OR 3 POINTS) -- YOU GET NEAR FALL POINTS WHEN YOU ALMOST BUT NOT QUITE GET YOUR OPPONENT PINNED. A NEAR FALL (NEAR PIN) IS WHEN ... A) BOTH SHOULDERS ARE HELD FOR 2 SECONDS WITHIN 4 INCHES OF THE MAT, OR... B) ONE SHOULDER TOUCHES THE MAT AND THE OTHER IS AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE COMING DOWN TO THE MAT FOR 2 SECONDS, OR... C) THE WRESTLER IS HELD IN A HIGH BRIDGE OR BACK ON BOTH ELBOWS FOR 2 SECONDS. IF A NEAR FALL LASTS FOR 2 SECONDS, YOU GET 2 POINTS. IF A NEAR FALL LASTS FOR 5 SECONDS, YOU GET 3 POINTS. 5) PENALTY POINTS -- (ONE POINT) -- YOUR OPPONENT GETS ONE POINT WHEN YOU COMMIT THE FOLLOWING INFRACTIONS ... ILLEGAL HOLDS -- THERE ARE SEVERAL HOLDS THAT THE REFEREE WILL PENALIZE YOU FOR WITHOUT WARNING. (THERE ARE OTHER HOLDS CALLED "POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS HOLDS" WHICH THE REFEREE MIGHT MAKE YOU LET GO OF BUT WILL NOT PENALIZE YOU FOR). TECHNICAL VIOLATIONS -- GOING OFF THE MAT TO AVOID WRESTLING -- GRABBING CLOTHING, MAT OR HEADGEAR -- INCORRECT STARTING POSITION OR FALSE START (YOU GET TWO CAUTIONS) -- LOCKED OR OVERLAPPED HANDS -- IF YOU ARE DOWN ON THE MAT WRESTLING AND ON TOP OF YOUR OPPONENT, YOU CANNOT LOCK OR OVERLAP YOUR HANDS, FINGERS OR ARMS AROUND YOUR OPPONENT'S BODY OR BOTH LEGS UNLESS... YOU HAVE HIM IN A NEAR PIN, OR... HE STANDS UP AND HAS ALL HIS WEIGHT ON TWO FEET -- LEAVING THE MAT DURING THE MATCH WITHOUT REFEREES PERMISSION -- FIGURE 4 HEAD SCISSORS FROM THE NEUTRAL POSITION UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT FLAGRANT MISCONDUCT (EJECTION, THE MATCH IS OVER) STALLING (NO POINTS ARE SCORED, BUT YOU FORFEIT THE MATCH ON THE 5TH STALL CALL) TEAM SCORING FALL (PIN), FORFEIT, DEFAULT, DISQUALIFICATION --SIX TEAM POINTS TECHNICAL FALL (GETTING AHEAD OR YOUR OPPONENT BY FIFTEEN POINTS) -- FIVE TEAM POINTS MAJOR DECISION (WINNING YOUR MATCH BY EIGHT TO FOURTEEN POINTS -- FOUR TEAM POINTS DECISION (WINNING YOUR MATCH BY ONE TO SEVEN POINTS) -- THREE TEAM POINTS