, had its origins in Catch-as-catch-can Wrestling but by the 20th century became distinctly American .]]
(sometimes known as '''scholastic wrestling''' or '''folkstyle wrestling''') is the commonly-used name of and Greco-Roman Wrestling .
Collegiate wrestling, like its international counterpart, freestyle wrestling, has its origins in Catch-as-catch-can Wrestling and both have the prime victory condition of the wrestler winning by pinning his opponent on the mat. Yet collegiate wrestling has had so many influences from the wide variety of Folk Wrestling styles brought into the country that it has become distinctly American .
also refers to the indigenous styles in various other countries. For example, Böke can accurately be described as Mongolia's folkstyle.
Collegiate wrestling differs in a number of ways from Freestyle and Greco-Roman :
- Scoring differences - for example, in collegiate wrestling, points are not given for forcing the opponent's shoulders to quickly rotate through facing the mat. Instead, for example, one of the opponent's shoulders must be held on the mat and the other of the opponent's shoulders forced within at an angle of 45 degrees or less from the mat for 2-5 seconds to score. The points generated in this situation are called "near fall points." This shows a difference in focus: while the international styles encourage explosive action, collegiate wrestling encourages and rewards control over the opponent. A wrestler can win the match by Pinning both of his opponent's Shoulders or Scapulae (shoulder Blades) to the mat. Since 1915 , collegiate wrestling officials have recorded the time that each participant had control of his opponent on the mat. Early on, this was the major way to determine the winner in the absence of a fall. Over time, the significance of such timekeeping has declined, and now such "time advantage" counts for one point in college competition at the most. "Wrestling, Freestyle" by Michael B. Poliakoff from ''Encyclopedia of World Sport: From Ancient Times to the Present'', Vol. 3, p. 1192, eds. David Levinson and Karen Christensen (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1996).
- An additional position for periods after the first period, and various other situations. All three styles begin a match with both wrestlers facing each other on their feet with the opportunity given to both to score a Takedown (force the opponent to the mat and into an inferior position). In collegiate wrestling, once a takedown is scored, the wrestler in the inferior (defensive or bottom) position remains there until he escapes the hold, the period ends, or various penalty situations occur. The inferior position is similar to a choice for a starting position of the second and third periods, where it is called the ''referee's position'' (equivalent to the "par terre" position in the international wrestling styles). By choosing the bottom place in the referee's position, the wrestler has the advantage of greater scoring possibility, as escaping is easier than scoring a takedown from the neutral position or scoring near fall points from the superior position. In the international styles, where the escape point was difficult to achieve and is now no longer awarded, the inferior position is used to penalize a wrestler who has committed an illegal act.
- De-emphasis on " Throws ", or maneuvers where the other wrestler is taken off his feet, through the air to land on his back or shoulders. The de-emphasis on throws is another example of how collegiate wrestling emphasizes dominance or control, as opposed to the element of risk. A throw is awarded the same amount of points as any other takedown, whereas the international styles will award additional points for throws, especially those of great amplitude. However, many collegiate wrestlers still incorporate some throws into their repertoire of moves because a thrown opponent often lands in a position more conducive to producing a pin. In the international styles, a well-executed throw can win the period, whereas in collegiate wrestling, it will be worth only two points and in some age groups may even be illegal. However, the throw can land the opposing wrestler on his back, resulting in a pin or near fall points.
Rather than lifting the opponent or throwing him for great amplitude in order to win the period in the international styles, the collegiate wrestler most often seeks to take his opponent down to the mat and perform a "breakdown" (that is, to get his opponent in the defensive position flat on his stomach). The offensive collegiate wrestler would then seek to tire him out by "riding" (controlling the legs and arms in the offensive position on top), for example. With strategies such as that, the collegiate wrestler is then more likely to turn his opponent over for a pin (or fall). The defensive wrestler could counter such attempts for a takedown, or when once taken down try to escape his opponent's control or reverse control altogether. In a last ditch attempt to foil a pin, the defensive wrestler could also "bridge" or pry both his feet and his back up and then turn toward his stomach. Overall, a collegiate wrestler would most likely emphasize physical control and dominance over the opponent on the mat in his techniques.
See Also: History of Collegiate wrestling
|
