Freestyle Wrestling - Victory Conditions in Freestyle Wrestling

Victory Conditions in Freestyle Wrestling

A match can be won in the following ways:

• Win by Fall: The object of the entire wrestling match is to attain victory by what is known as the fall. A fall, also known as a pin, occurs when one wrestler holds both of his/her opponents' shoulders on the mat simultaneously. In Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, the two shoulders of the defensive wrestler must be held long enough for the referee to "observe the total control of the fall" (usually ranging from one half-second to about one or two seconds). Then either the judge or the mat chairman concurs with the referee that a fall is made. (If the referee does not indicate a fall, and the fall is valid, the judge and the mat chairman can concur together and announce the fall.) A fall ends the match entirely regardless of when it occurs.
• Win by Technical Superiority (Also called Technical Fall): If a fall is not secured to end the match, a wrestler can win a period simply by points. If one wrestler gains a six-point lead over his/her opponent at any time in the period, scores a five point throw (a throw where the person's feet go directly above his/her head, also called a throw of grand amplitude), or scores two three point takedowns (taking an opponent from his/her feet to their back or sides so that there is shoulder exposure), the current period is declared over and (s)he is declared the winner of that period by technical superiority. If a wrestler wins two out of three periods in this way, (s)he is then the winner of the match by technical superiority.
• Win by Decision: If neither wrestler achieves either a fall or technical superiority, the wrestler who scored more points during the period is declared the winner of that period. If the score is tied by points at the end of a period, the winner is determined by certain criteria. First, the number of cautions given to each wrestler for penalties; next, the value of points gained (that is, whether a wrestler gained points based on a one-, two-, or three-point move); and finally, the last scored technical point are taken into account to determine the winner of the period. Generally, the wrestler who scored the last technical point would be awarded the period. If the score is tied at zero at the end of a period, the wrestlers go through a 30-second overtime procedure known as The Clinch in which the wrestlers are required to enter the clinch position and wrestle until a point is scored, or until one of the wrestlers breaks the clinch.
• Win by Default: If one wrestler is unable to continue participating for any reason or fails to show up on the mat after his/her name was called three times before the match begins, his/her opponent is declared the winner of the match by default, forfeit, or withdrawal.
• Win by Injury: If one wrestler is injured and unable to continue, the other wrestler is declared the winner. This is also referred to as a medical forfeit or injury default. The term also encompasses situations where wrestlers become ill, take too many injury time-outs, or bleed uncontrollably. If a wrestler is injured by his opponent's illegal maneuver and cannot continue, the wrestler at fault is disqualified.
• Win by Disqualification: Normally, if a wrestler is assessed three Cautions for breaking the rules, (s)he is disqualified. Under other circumstances, such as flagrant brutality, the match may be ended immediately and the wrestler disqualified and removed from the tournament.