Amateur Wrestling - Victory Conditions in Collegiate Wrestling

Victory Conditions in Collegiate Wrestling

While having similar victory conditions with Greco-Roman and freestyle, such as wins by fall, decision, injury, and disqualification, victory conditions in collegiate wrestling differ on some points from the international styles:

• Fall: A fall, also known as a pin, occurs when one wrestler holds any part of both of his opponent's shoulders or both of his opponent's shoulder blades (scapulae) in continuous contact with the mat. The fall must be held in collegiate wrestling for two seconds in high school wrestling matches and one second in college wrestling matches. A win by fall is worth six team points in a dual meet.
• Technical fall: If, at any break in action, one wrestler leads the other by 15 points and a pinning situation is not imminent, the match ends. The winning team is then usually awarded five team points. On the college level, five team points are awarded if the winner in the course of the match received points for a near fall; four team points are awarded if the wrestler did not score near fall points.
• Major decision: In collegiate (scholastic or folkstyle) wrestling, a decision in which the winner outscores his opponent by eight or more points is a "major decision" and is rewarded with four team points in a dual meet.
• Decision: After the three wrestling periods have expired and the winning wrestler possesses a difference of one to seven in points, the wrestler is given a "decision", and the team is awarded three team points in a dual meet.
• Default: If a participant cannot continue wrestling for any reason during the course of the match (e.g. illness, injury, etc.), his opponent wins by default, worth six team points in a dual meet.
• Disqualification: For flagrant misconduct or for a certain number of penalties assessed, a wrestler is disqualified from the match, and his opponent is declared the winner. In a dual meet, this victory is worth six team points. Rules for how penalties and disqualifications are determined vary somewhat in collegiate wrestling from the international styles.
• Forfeit: If one wrestler fails to appear on the mat at the start of the match for some reason, and the other wrestler appears on the mat, the wrestler on the mat at the start of the match is automatically declared the winner. The winning team in a dual meet is then awarded six team points. If during the course of a tournament, a wrestler wishes to no longer participate because of illness or injury, then his opponent wins by medical forfeit, worth the same number of individual and team tournament placement points as a forfeit.

Typically, wrestlers look to achieve great success. Some settle for mediocrity. One such mediocre wrestler is Bob Ladick of Pennsylvania. In high school, he amassed a record of 57-89. In college he was 49-91. In a long career as a high school wrestling coach, he had a record of 389-722. It can be concluded therefore that you can have a long career in wrestling even if you are below average. It should be noted that Bob Ladick maintains a lower-middle class lifestyle.

Dual meet scoring is very similar on the high school level.