Glossary of wrestling info


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Glossary of Wrestling Terms

Arm Bar: Move used on an opponent who has been broken down to turn him over for a pin. It involves getting the opponent's arm back and placing your arm between his arm and back.
Back Points: Points gotten by having exposed an opponents back to the mat... in freestyle, any exposure leads to back points, while in folkstyle the back must be exposed for a certain length of time.
Bottom Position: One of two components of referee's position; the man goes down to his knees, his hands on the mat in front of him, sitting back toward his feet. The wrestler in this position is called the bottom man.
Breakdown: The process of breaking an opponent beneath you to his stomach or side. This often makes turning him over for a pin easier.
Bridge: Raising your back and hips off the mat using only the head and feet.
Control: The dominating position which restricts the opponent's mobility; usually, the one on top is the one with control. In neutral position, neither wrestler has control until a takedown is achieved.
Cross-Face: Move where the forearm is pressed against the opponent’s face to turn his head and maneuver him.
Defensive Wrestler: The defensive wrestler is considered to be the wrestler who is in a position in which he is being controlled or restrained by his opponent. The defensive wrestler is often referred to as the "bottom man."
Default: A default is awarded when one of the competitors is unable to continue for any reason. A default is worth 6 team points in duel meet competition.
Dual Meet: A dual meet is competition between two wrestling teams and consists of wrestling matches in each of the weight classes. Each competitor will wrestle an opponent from the opposing team who is in the same weight class. High School weight classes are 103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 215, 275. Each match consists of 3 two-minute periods. We wrestle 3 one-minute periods of running time.
Duck-Under: Takedown where you "duck" your head under the opponent's arm to come up behind the opponent. It requires a lift, throw or trip of some sort to take the opponent to the mat and complete the takedown.
Escape: When a bottom man frees himself from the top man's control, coming out of bottom position.
Exposure: Having your back angled toward the mat at less than 45 degrees (90 degrees in international styles).
Fall: A fall (or pin) occurs when both shoulders or scapula of either wrestler are held in contact with mat for to continuous seconds. Both shoulders or scapula must be in-bounds.
Fireman's Carry: A takedown where the wrestler being carried is temporarily brought across his opponent's shoulders, similar to the manner that fireman carry people out of buildings.
Folkstyle: A style of wrestling; emphasizing control and safety more than freestyle, this is the style used in schools and colleges. Also referred to as scholastic.
Five Point Move: In Folkstyle wrestling, it is a move, a reversal or a takedown, that will score five points if the opponent is taken directly to into a pinning situation and 3 Point near-fall criteria is met.
Forfeit: A forfeit is received by a wrestler when his opponent, for any reason, fails to appear for the match. A forfeit is worth 6 team points in dual meet and 2 in tournament competition.
Freestyle: An international style of wrestling emphasizing dramatic action and takedowns.
Full-Nelson: Being behind an opponent and having both arms under his, with your hands behind his neck. This is illegal in all the addressed wrestling styles.
Grapevine: Provided this move is executed well, it is almost a sure way to pin your opponent by using your entire body. Long legs help!
Greco-Roman: An international style of wrestling in which the legs cannot be attacked, nor used for offense. This places a great emphasis on throws.
Half-Nelson: Beatng an opponent with one arm under his, your hand behind his neck. This is an elementary maneuver used to turn over an opponent who has been broken down for a pin.
Headgear: Gear worn to protect the ears during wrestling.
Leg Shot: An attempt to get a takedown where you change levels and quickly thrust toward your opponent's legs to gain a lock on one or both.
Level Change: Bending at the knees (not the waist) to raise or lower the hips. This is used to position yourself for certain takedowns.
Lift: To take an opponent off the mat entirely (both feet). An efficient lift involves positioning your hips lower than the opponent's and using them to lift by arching into the opponent.
Match: The actual bout between two wrestlers.
Meet: An organized competition between two (or more) wrestling teams.
Near Fall Criteria: The criteria for earning a near fall is when the offensive wrestler has control of his opponent in a pinning situation and both shoulders or scapula of the defensive wrestler are held within four inches (or less) of the mat; OR when a shoulder or scapula is touching the mat and the other shoulder or scapula is at an angle of 45 degrees (or less) with the mat. The defensive wrestler's shoulders or scapula must be in-bounds to earn near fall points.
Near Fall Points: If near fall criteria is met for two continuous seconds, two points are earned. If near fall criteria is met for five continuous seconds, then three points are earned. Near Fall Points are also called "back points".
Near-Fall: Having had an opponent's back exposed long enough to get back points.
Neutral Position: The starting position of a match, with both wrestlers standing facing each other, not in contact.
Offensive Wrestler: The offensive wrestler is the wrestler which maintains a position in which he controls and maintains restraining power over his opponent. The offensive wrestler is typically referred to as the "top man".
Optional Start: Instead of taking top position, a wrestler can choose this variation; the wrestler places both hands on the bottom man's back and leaves his knees off the mat. When this option is chosen, the referee must inform the bottom man so he may adjust his position. Optional start usually is used when you intend to let the bottom man go immediately, but not always.
Penetration: The distance covered when driving into an opponent for a takedown. Good penetration (getting in tight to the opponent) increases your chance of a successful takedown.
Pin: Having both of your opponent's shoulder blades on the mat for a specified length of time. In both international styles, this is for any instant. In college, it is for one second, in high school, two.
Referee's Position: The Referee's position is a starting position in which one wrestler begins in the defensive position and his opponent begins from the offensive position. The defensive wrestler is located in the center of the circle on his hands and knees. His hand and Knees must be parallel to the starting lines on the mat. The offensive wrestler position himself on the left or right side of his opponent with at least one knee on the mat on the side is positioned. offensive wrestler must also place the palm of his hand on his opponents’ stomach and the far hand on the opponent's elbow.
Reversal: It is a reversal when the defensive wrestler comes from underneath and gains control of his opponent, either on the mat or in a read standing position, while in-bounds.
Setup: An action of some sort designed to distract the opponent or cause a reaction, allowing an easier takedown.
Singlet: A tight, sleeveless, one-piece outfit worn by wrestlers during their matches.
Slamming: Lifting an opponent off the mat and bringing them back down with unnecessary force. This is illegal in all addressed wrestling styles.
Sprawl: An elementary counter to a leg shot. The wrestler throws his legs back, arching his hips into the opponent if necessary, making it harder to keep a grip on his legs.
Stalling: Stalling is when a wrestler does not wrestle aggressively; continuously avoids contact with his opponent; plays the edge of the mat; delays the match; prevents his opponent from returning to in-bounds area; is not attempting to secure a takedown. A wrestler will be warned one time and is penalized on each successive stalling infraction
Stance: Footwork used when in neutral position or when both wrestlers are facing each other, neither in control. A good stance involves feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, back straight, elbows in, hands out in front, and head up.
Takedown: A takedown occurs when, from a neutral position, a wrestler gains control over his opponent down on the mat and is in-bounds.
Technical Fall: A technical fall occurs when a wrestler has scored 15 or more points than his opponent and the match is terminated. If the wrestler reaches 15 points on a move that places his opponent in a pinning situation, then the offensive wrestler is given the opportunity to pin his opponent. The situation continues until the period end, a pin occurs, or the pinning situation ends.
Throw: When a wrestler is lifted off the mat (both feet) by an opponent and brought back down behind the thrower.
Tiebreaker: In folkstyle, a tiebreaker refers to the 30-second sudden death period that is wrestler if two wrestlers are still tied after a two-minute overtime period. The wrestler winning the coin flip will be able to choose up, down or force his opponent to choose up or down. The first wrestler to score wins, and if neither wrestler score the offensive (top) wrestler ends.
Tie-Up: A wrestler grabbing his opponent's upper body, usually in preparation for a move or to gain a measure of control over his motion. Commonly the upper arm and back of the neck are grasped.
Tilt: To turn your opponent so that his back goes from an angle of 45 degrees or more to less than 45. Also, when exposure is achieved.
Top Position: One of the two components of referee's position; after the bottom man has positioned himself, the other wrestler places his knee down to one side of his opponent, his knee up behind him with his foot also behind. The hand on the same side as the down knee grasps the opponent's near elbow, and the other hand reaches around the waist to rest on the navel. At this point, the referee will signal to begin wrestling. The man in top position is called the top man.
Weight Class: Groupings determined by weight; the wrestler must be exactly on or below the specified weight to qualify for the weight class.
Whizzer: An elementary counter when an opponent is attempting to gain a hold on his legs (or has gained a hold). An arm is firmly placed under the arm grasping the leg, and the hips are driven suddenly and roughly toward the opponent, in an attempt to break the grip.