The Sport of Wrestling

The Sport of Wrestling

Many people think that wrestlers are dumb and don't really care about how they treat their body, but little do they know to be successful in the sport of wrestling, it requires a lot of skills including: the ability to be confident, have knowledge of moves, and being able to think quickly. Along with those skills, speed and strength play a big factor in not only wrestling, but being a winner in wrestling. Wrestling also builds character and discipline for many things experienced throughout life, too.

It is very easy to misconceive wrestling because many people do not really know about the sport itself. For starters, it is the world's oldest sport. Wrestling was more or less a combative activity even before biblical times. Still, many people do not bother with watching or getting interested in wrestling due to the fact that it is extremely complicated to understand. The positions, moves, and point system are all quite catchy. In wrestling, there are three main starting positions: top, bottom, or neutral. The top position is where one wrestler covers on top of another wrestler who is on their hands and knees on the mat. The bottom position is the guy being covered by the other while he is on his hands and knees on the mat. Neutral is simply, both wrestlers on their feet, standing up. Also, another choice is defer, which means that one wrestler defers his choice of position to the other wrestler and he gets to choose a position. There are three regulation periods and two overtime periods if needed. In the first period, which lasts three minutes, both wrestlers start off in the neutral position. In the second period, which is 2 minutes long, the referee flips a coin and it lands on either red or green. Whatever color it lands on, that person has to choose between top, bottom, neutral, or they can defer the choice. The home team is usually red and the visiting team is green. In the third period, which is also two minutes, the wrestler who did not get the first choice in the previous period gets to choose between the top position, bottom position, or he can choose neutral. If the score is tied after three regulation periods, an overtime period will be needed. In overtime, both wrestlers start neutral and it lasts for one minute. The first person to score is the winner and if no one scores then it will go into a sudden death overtime period. The referee flips the coin again and whichever color it lands on, that wrestler chooses either top or bottom. If the man on bottom scores, then he wins, and if the man on top does not let the bottom man score, then he wins the match.

After getting to know the very basics of the outline of this sport, it still looks quite complicated to understand in a normal bystander's shoes. Wrestling gets a lot deeper than two guys in spandex rolling around on each other. That is one of the reasons why people mistake wrestlers as being dumb meatheads. It is true, wrestlers are constantly in the weight room and training hardcore to get bigger and better, but we aren't dumb. First off, to be on the wrestling team at SIUE we have to hold a 2.0 GPA and if you aren't at least 2.5, you have to attend a mandatory study table along with having a tutor. My coach preaches academics over athletics. School always comes first in the wrestling room. During my four years of high school wrestling, I was on the honor roll every semester from freshman to my senior year. Wrestlers don't necessarily focus exclusively on being book smart though.

Wrestlers have to master and remember moves that their coaches teach them. They also have to know what to do in certain situations while on the mat with an opponent. In wrestling there are hundreds of different moves: takedowns, reversals, escapes, and pinning combinations just to name a few. Takedowns are when both wrestlers are in the neutral position and the objective is to take down their opponent to the mat by either grabbing the legs for a double leg takedown, single leg takedowns, or another way. Getting a takedown is worth two points. Reversals are when one wrestler is down on the mat and the other guy is on top of him. Scoring reversal points involves switching positions with the other wrestler and ending up behind or on top of him, that is worth two points also. Escapes are one point and are earned when the wrestler on bottom stands up and gets away, ending up neutral. Wrestlers can either tech-fall (beating the other wrestler by fifteen points or more) an opponent to win, win by a decision (winning by fifteen or less points), or they can pin their opponent. Pinning combinations are moves done from the top or sometimes from the neutral position. Pinning an opponent is accomplished by turning him onto his back and both shoulder blades are flat on the mat. It is possible to score either two points, three points, or win the match by having the other guy on his back. Scoring two points involves holding the opponent on his back for three seconds, three points for five seconds, and winning by holding him flat on his back for three seconds. For each position, there are many moves to know and learn. Knowing about their opponent and the style of wrestling he has is very helpful. Whenever wrestlers get the chance to, they can watch their opponent in a match and study what they do. Knowing what their opponent's style of wrestling is aids them in the sense that they know what moves will or will not work on him. Being able to memorize the different styles of wrestling takes quite a bit of knowledge. Like I said, wrestlers not only have to be book smart, but they have to know what they are doing on the mat, and know how to train the right way.

To be the best in wrestling, wrestlers have to take care of their body. It is