MATCHES

Matches, also known as “bouts” begin with both wrestlers standing and facing each other – this is the “neutral position.” The referee makes the wrestlers shake hands to promote good sportsmanship and then blows his or her whistle to begin the action. After one period of wrestling, the winner of a coin toss chooses his preferred position. The wrestler may also defer the option to his opponent, leaving his choice for the third period.

A referee scores matches. His responsibility is to ensure compliance with the rules of safety and sportsmanship. The referee’s whistle starts and stops all wrestling. It signals the beginning and end of periods, and stops action when wrestlers go out of bounds or when an injury is threatened. As each opponent gains or loses control, and nearly pins or actually pins their foe, the referee will signal which wrestler has earned points.

There are three one-minute periods in a bout. A timer tracks the time for each period. The timer throws a towel to let the referee know when time has expired for each period. Scorers watch the referee’s signals and record the points awarded for each wrestler as they are earned onto a score sheet. They also make not of who chooses the starting position for the second and third periods of each match.

In the event that the third period ends with the score tied, the contestants will then wrestle a one-minute overtime period. The first wrestler to score during this period is declared the winner.

If no winner is declared by the end of the one (1) minute overtime period, a 30-second tiebreaker or “ride-out” period will be wrestled. The referee flips the disk to determine which wrestler has his choice of starting position (top or bottom of the referee’s position). If the wrestler chooses top, then he must “ride-out” or otherwise prevent his opponent from escaping for the entire 30 seconds. If he does he wins, if not his opponent does. If the wrestler chooses the bottom, then he must escape within 30 seconds. If he does he wins, if he cannot his opponent wins.

At the end of the match the referee will call both wrestlers back to the center of the mat, make them shake hands, and raise the hand of the winner. Each wrestler is then required to shake the opposing coach’s hand.