How Wrestling Works Part 2 Continued

A wrestler is also banned from leaving the mat during a match without the referee’s permission. One is required to report to the mat properly equipped, ready to wrestle, and must have legal equipment. You will get penalized if these requirements are not reached. If you perform unnecessary roughness (any intentional act that is hazardous to an opponent's physical well-being) or unsportsmanlike conduct (being a sore loser), points will be awarded to your opponent. Flagrant misconduct will lead to immediate ejection and loss of the match. The referee will give you some warnings for certain violations before he/she will award points to your opponents. You will get one warning for stalling during the match before you are penalized and points are awarded. You get two cautions before points are awarded for incorrect starting position or a false start. The first and second time you are penalized for the above situations, your opponent is awarded one point. The third time you are penalized, your opponent is awarded two points. The fourth time you are penalized, you are disqualified. (Except for illegal starting position or false start - you are cautioned twice, then one point awarded for each infraction, but you will not be disqualified. In the event of Flagrant Misconduct, you are ejected from the match on the first offense, you lose the match, and 3 team points are deducted). The ultimate goal is to pin you opponent by forcing both of his shoulder blades down on the mat. This will stop the match and lead to an immediate victory. There is a small team aspect to wrestling, which I have mentioned in previous posts. The entire team will get three points for every wrestler it has that wins the match by fewer than eight points. Four team points are awarded for winning the match by 8-14 points. Five team points are awarded for winning by fifteen points. The match is immediately over if one wrestler is ever up by fifteen or more points. A fall, forfeit, default, or disqualification will lead to six team points. Most people do not really think of wrestling as a team sport, but the team scores do count. A team can win a tournament just like an individual can. I am from the State of Indiana, and while I was in high school, the IHSAA had a team state tournament that was exactly like the individual state tournament. This has slightly changed since I graduated. The teams that make it to state are now nominated and selected by the many coaches within the state of Indiana opposed to wrestling their way through a true tournament.