Takedown Report

CHANGES IN NFHS HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING RULES

CHANGES IN NFHS HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING RULES INCLUDE ALLOWANCE OF SIX MATCHES IN ONE DAY OF COMPETITION

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (April 27, 2023) – High school wrestlers will be able to wrestle in six matches in any one day of competition beginning with the 2023-24 season. The six-match limit includes championship and consolation matches and excludes forfeits.

This change to Rule 1-4-3 was one of 12 revisions recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee at its April 2-4 meeting in Indianapolis. All changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

The increase from five to six matches for regular-season competition follows the change two years ago which permitted six matches in any one day of tournament competition. With experiments conducted last year by state associations with no reported injuries, the committee thought the increase to six for regular-season competition was a natural progression.

With risk minimization in mind, the committee also approved Rule 1-4-7, which states that no contestant shall wrestle in more than 10 matches in two consecutive days.

Another significant change was made in the Definitions (Rule 5) section of the NFHS Wrestling Rules Book. In Rule 5-15-2a which lists the points of support when a wrestler is down on the mat, “foot/feet” was added to the list that includes the knee(s), side of the thigh, buttocks, hand(s) and head.

“Feet are regularly supporting the wrestler’s weight during the match while on the mat,” said Elliot Hopkins, director of sports and student services and liaison to the Wrestling Rules Committee. “We allow a wrestler’s feet to be considered supporting points while in a near-fall situation. By adding it to the list of usual supporting points on the mat, it will create more clarity and consistency for the wrestlers, coaches and officials – without creating additional injury risk.”

In another Rule 5-Definitions revision, the committee expanded the definition of forfeit in Section 13 to include a medical forfeit. The new language states that “it shall be considered a medical forfeit when the opponent … rest of story at Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/April/27/NFHS-rules

April 29, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee Proposes Massive Changes

The NCAA wrestling rules committee recommended some ground-shaking proposals this week in Indianapolis.

College wrestling is on the verge of monumental change. 

If NCAA rules committee proposals pass, three-point takedowns will be in, three-point near-falls will be back and a riding-time point without a turn will be a thing of the past. 

Those were three of the headline-grabbers from a groundbreaking rules committee meeting this week at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. 

The committee also recommended eliminating the hand-touch takedown, adjusting video review to allow for sequences to be reviewed rather than just singular moves, and counting the first medical forfeit of a tournament as a loss on a wrestler’s record, except in instances where a medical forfeit immediately follows an injury default. 

“We needed to add excitement back to the sport without compromising the integrity of the sport — and I think we did that,” Rider coach and NCAA rules committee chair John Hangey said.

“We’re either going to be loved or hated or remembered as the worst or the best rules committee in history. But we felt we were taking wrestling from where it is to where we want it to be.” 

College coaches will have a two-week period to review the proposals and submit feedback before the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel meets June 8 to discuss the recommendations. If they pass, next season will usher in a historic period of change for the sport. 

“We felt we needed to make a change right now and felt it was a crucial time,” North Carolina coach and rules committee member Coleman Scott said. “Viewership was down for the NCAA tournament with probably some of the best storylines we’ve ever had all in one year, so we’ve got to be conscious of that to make sure the product we’re putting out is the best to build our sport and our viewership. Some of that can be dictated by the rules.”

The two-point takedown and riding-time points have been woven into college wrestling’s fabric for decades, but one could be on the way out and the threshold for the other could be drastically different next season. In an effort to increase scoring and action, the rules committee voted to increase the value of a takedown to three points and also moved to require wrestlers to score near-fall points in order to secure a point for accruing a minute or more of riding time. 

The three-point takedown had been a discussion piece in recent years but hadn’t generated much traction. But with national tournament match points down 19 percent since 2019 and takedowns down almost 17 percent during the same time frame, the rules committee made a three-pronged move to jumpstart action, risk-taking and scoring. 

“We’ve got to incentivize,” Scott said. “We talked about 50 different scenarios in a match. Three takedowns in a first period, opponent gets three escapes, escapes again in the second period and then takes you down and it’s a 6-6 match and it’s three takedowns to one. Should that be where it’s at? That’s a lot of effort. It’s hard to take down somebody three times — a high-level guy. If we redid it with three-point takedowns, you’re looking at 9-7.

“It puts an emphasis on risk and we need more risk. If you look at the numbers statistically, takedowns have gone down, backpoints have gone down, tech falls have gone down. Everything has decreased in the last 10 years in our numbers, so we’ve got to figure out how to create more action, more points, more opportunities.” 

The most impactful change might be the new riding time caveat. … rest of story at https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/10889313-ncaa-rules-committee-proposes-massive-changes

April 29, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment