Potential changes?

We just finished our first week of matches. I have been thinking about how we can make our sport better. Nothing good usually happens when I start thinking so beware. I answered a question about what potential changes I thought our sport could use on this site last Spring, so I basically copied and pasted most of my answers. I think with a few changes our sport would be more exciting, and more fan friendly. Under our current folk style rules, wrestling is a very subjective with many judgement calls. That makes wrestling a tough sport to officiate. And if the sport is tough to officiate, then it’s has to be a real challenge to spectate. I think we need to make the rules more simple, effective, and easy to follow. The two most inconsistent calls are “stalling” and “fleeing.” Basically every referee calls both differently. Both rules are difficult to enforce consistently. This is frustrating for coaches and athletes but more importantly it makes it difficult for fans to know what’s going on. Here are some potential rule changes and other things to think about that could make our sport even greater.

1) Have a push out/ step out be worth one point similar to freestyle. If a wrestler steps out of bounds or is pushed out of bounds the other wrestler recieves a point. That would simplify the rules for the fans and make the sport more exciting. Like I discussed above, the two most inconsistent and tough calls for refs are stalling and fleeing. Adding the push out rule would almost eliminate those two calls, or at least, make them much easier to call. The push out would only be worth one point. No way should someone stepping out of bounds be worth as much as an actual takedown. This would also prepare our wrestlers better for international competition. We would have to decide how the push out rule applies in the top/ bottom position. I feel the pushout would only apply in the neutral position.

2)- Don’t allow wrestlers to lay on their backs without being penalized back points. The object in wrestling is to put your opponent on their back. The sport has evolved. Wrestlers are very good at countering takedowns and reversals by rolling around and creating stalemates. Some of the time, exposing their own back to the mat to do it. I think wrestlers should get a scramble grace period but once the motion stops the referee should start counting back points. This would make it easier for the officials and make it less confusing for spectators. At no time in wrestling should a wrestler be allowed to expose their own back for an extended time and not be penalized for it. We would be better prepared for international wrestling as well.

3) Eliminate riding time. Here’s why: right now we encourage wrestlers in the top position to hold their opponent down for one minute to get an extra point. This is boring. By eliminating riding time we eliminate the main reason to hold an opponent down. Back points are enough encouragement for a wrestler to try and put their opponent on their back. The hypocritical part of the riding point is that riding an opponent just to hold them down is stalling. So essentially we are rewarding stalling with riding time, and therefore, encouraging it.

4) Eliminate the escape point. After we eliminate riding time we should also eliminate the escape point. There are positives and negatives here but I think the positives outweigh the negatives. By eliminating the escape point, we eliminate the need to hold someone down and that would encourage takedowns. In theory, a takedown would now be worth more if you consider the escape making a takedown worth 1. The negative side is that the escape point does bring some excitement to the sport in the last seconds of the periods and mat wrestling would decline. However, there would be more wrestling on the feet and more attempts at takedowns. That would make the sport more exciting to watch. Plus, we would better prepare our wrestlers to make the transition to freestyle. Right now it is very difficult for our college wrestlers to step out of folkstyle and make the adjustment to international wrestling.

5) Eliminate ride out overtime procedures and make the winner get a takedown. I don’t know anyone who likes the :30 ride out overtime procedure. When regulation time ends, start the two wrestlers on their feet in the middle of the mat and let them decide who the winner will be with a takedown. The concern might be the uncertain length of the overtime. Big deal! Uncertainty is fun. However, wrestlers would be a lot more willing to take risks at a takedown if they know it’s the only way to win. One big problem I have with the ride out overtime procedure is the same problem I have with the riding point. We reward a wrestler for holding their opponent down. However, holding an opponent down with no intent to turn them to their back is considered stalling, right? Again, in a way we are rewarding the wrestler who does a better job stalling. Put them in the center and let them wrestle to a takedown. That makes conditioning more of factor as well which is something wrestlers and fans pride themselves on.

6)- Coaches should be allowed to question the referee as many times as they feel is necessary. Coaches should not be limited to only two opportunities at a tournaments and duals before we are penalized team points. A coach should be able to fight for his athlete, now we can’t. Of course the referee should be able to penalize a coach who is out of hand, but a coach should be able to question a ref. There are a ton of “judgment calls” in wrestling and refs do make mistakes. Coaches should be able to question judgment. It’s fun to watch coaches get after refs. Basketball and football coaches are chewing on the referee’s ear most of the game. Coaches and ref disputes are a big part of sports. Why is it that in wrestling, arguably the sport with the most judgment calls, coaches can’t do their job? Coaches and referee disputes are part of the fun. It blows my mind that the second time a coach questions referee that they lose a team point. that is not good for the sport.

7)- Seed the individuals in the NCAA tournament to 16 instead of 12. Currently the NCAA tournament is seeded to 12 and then the rest of the participants are put in by a blind draw. By seeding 4 more wrestlers the entire first round would be seeded. There is a huge difference between the 13th ranked guy and the perceived 32nd ranked guy. It is more fair for the individuals competing and more fair for the team race to seed to 16. Plus, it would not take much more work. Change is always scary but I believe these ideas would have a positive impact on our sport. The push out rule, deciding overtime matches with a takedown, adjusting the NCAA seeding to 16 instead of current 12, and coaches being able to question the referee are no brainers in my opinion. What do you think? I hate changing tradition but we need to make progress. I think we have complicated the rules a little over the years. the more simple the better.

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