Wrestling Rules

The basic principles of Freestyle wrestling are very simple, wrestling, like all other sports, obeys rules which constitute the ‘Rules of the Game’ and define its practice, the aim of which is to ‘pin’ the opponent or to win on points.

These regulations apply to all the styles recognised by modern wrestling, controlled by FILA, [International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles]. Frequently modified and always subject to further modification, the rules set forth herein must be known and accepted by all wrestlers, coaches, referees and leaders. They call upon those who practice the sport to fight totally and universally, with complete honesty and fair play.

Points system: The referee will indicate the points awarded to either the red or blue wrestler via hand signals of 1, 2, 3 or 5 points in the respective colour

1 point awarded to:

• The wrestler who brings his opponent to the ground by passing behind him and while in this position holding him down with control
• The wrestler who overcomes, holds and controls his opponent by passing behind him
• The attacking wrestler whose opponent flees the hold, the mat, refuses to start, commits illegal actions or acts of brutality
• The wrestler who holds his opponent in a position of danger for five seconds or longer
• The wrestler whose opponent goes in the protection zone with one foot
• All the stops of bout by injury without bleeding are penalised by 1 point to the opponent

2 points awarded to:

• The wrestler who applies a correct hold while wrestling in the ‘par terre’ position and places his opponent in a position of danger or in an instantaneous fall position
• The attacking wrestler whose opponent rolls onto his shoulders
• The attacking wrestler whose opponent flees the hold by jumping off the mat in a position of danger
• The defending wrestler if the attacking wrestler goes into the instantaneous fall position or rolls onto his shoulders in executing a hold

3 points awarded to:

• The wrestler performing a hold in a standing position, which brings his opponent into a danger position by direct projection over a short amplitude
• For any hold executed by raising a wrestler from the ground, over a short amplitude, even if one or both of the attacking wrestler’s knees are on the ground, provided that the defending wrestler is immediately placed in a danger position

5 points awarded to:

• All grande amplitude throws executed in a standing position which bring the defending wrestler to a direct and immediate danger position
• The hold executed by a wrestler in the ‘par terre’ position who completely lifts his opponent off the ground with the execution of a grande amplitude throw which projects the opponent into a direct and immediate danger position

The Pin/Fall awarded to:

• The executing wrestler who places his opponents shoulders on the mat for a fraction of a second. This will over-ride the points already awarded and win the match instantly