Ask Cael: What causes passivity? How can we overcome it?

Story Published Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

name:                  Natalie

question:              What causes passivity? How can we overcome it?

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There are several factors that can cause passivity.  Without getting too crazy into the subject I think there are three main reasons why wrestlers choose to be passive.  1- people are afraid to mistakes.  2- people are afraid to get tired. 3- they feel their best chance to beat a superior opponent is to slow down the pace, neutralize the match and eliminate action.   

How can we overcome this?  Great but tough question.  I don’t like the stalling call.  History would show that stalling is difficult to call accurately.  I think a lot of wrestlers have won and lost huge matches because of poor stalling calls.  For example one wrestler is the aggressor for 5-6 minutes of the match but the wrestler losing is trying to score at the end and takes numerous shots in a row.  The wrestler losing at the end shoots 3 times in a row and they award the stalling call.  I think there is a big difference between stalling and defending a shot.  Also, a loud crowd can affect the call.  I don’t like subjective calls.   Think about the riding point in college wrestling.  It is considered stalling if the top wrestler is not trying to turn the opponent.  So why do we award a riding time point.  You could call that a stalling time point.  I am being sarcastic but you get the point.  Turning an opponent and getting back points should be enough incentive for a wrestler to try to turn and pin a wrestler.   Then the overtime ride-out procedures are also incentive to stall ride an opponent. So it doesn’t all make sense to me. So if you eliminated the riding time point that might eliminate some stalling.  

I don’t think it works to punish one wrestler with a subjective stalling call.   I think we need to award the aggressive wrestler.  The question is how do we do that?  One option would be to add the push-out rule.  However I really like the way we use the edge of the mat with scrambles and clutch takedowns where a wrestler drags one foot.  The one foot in was a great idea.  If we did implement a push-out rule, the push-out on the feet would be worth one point and a takedown still worth two points.  That’s just a thought.  No way should a push-out be worth the same as a takedown like it is in freestyle. 

In my opinion, stalling is backing up, blocking in the throat, and wrestling on the edge type of the mat.  The push-out rule would eliminate the edge of the mat stalling but would also eliminate the exciting action on the edge as well.   

Actually the more I think about it the less I like the idea of the push-out.   I don’t like the idea of wrestling becoming more like sumo wrestling.  

What if we eliminated the escape point and the riding time point?  That would put the emphasis more on takedowns.  People could still ride and turn and get the big back points and falls.  Eliminating the escape point there would take away the incentive to ride unless you are actually trying to turn your opponent.  Or perhaps your opponent is better on their feet and you would ride them to avoid that position.  There will always be exceptions like that.

Eliminating the riding and escape point would probably encourage more action than anything else we could do. 

Anyone else have any thoughts?  If you send in your thoughts I will post them.

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name:                  Eric

question:              Cael, if you eliminate the escape point, that would make the action more intense and make a match more agressive, thus more interesting. But what happens in the case of a tech fall. You would then have to double the point it takes for a tech fall because the lack points awarded for escapes. In the case of a takedown/let up game plan. Just a thought

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