Pin lovers

Overview of Wrestling Rules

The object of the sport of wrestling is to put your opponent on his back – to pin your opponent.

A pin (or fall) is when you put your opponent on his/her back with any part of both shoulders or both shoulder blades of your opponent in contact with the mat for two seconds. When you pin your opponent, the match is over and you are the winner.

If nobody gets pinned, the winner is the wrestler who has scored the most points during the match..

There are five ways to score points in a wrestling match:
1) Takedown - (2 points) You score two points for taking your opponent down to the mat and controlling him/her.
2) Escape - (1 point) You score one point for getting away or getting to a neutral position when your opponent has you down on the mat.

3) Reversal - (2 points) You score two points when your opponent has you down on the mat and you come from underneath and gain control of your opponent.

4) Near Fall (Back Points) - (2 or 3 points) You get near fall points when you almost but not quite get your opponent pinned. A near fall (near pin) is when...

both shoulders are held for two seconds within four inches of the mat, or...
one shoulder touches the mat and the other shoulder is at a 45 degree angle coming down to the mat, or...

the wrestler is held in a high bridge or back on both elbows.

If a near fall lasts for two seconds, you get 2 points. If a near fall lasts for 5 seconds, you get 3 points.

5) Penalty Points - (1 or 2 points) Your opponent is awarded points if you commit the following infractions. (NFHS penalty chart AT THIS LINK)

Illegal Holds - There are several holds that the referee will penalize you for without warning. (There are other holds called "potentially dangerous holds" which the referee might make you let go of but will not penalize you for).
Technical Violations
Going off the mat or forcing your opponent off the mat to avoid wrestling ("fleeing the mat.")
Grabbing clothing, the mat, or the headgear

Locked or overlapped hands: If you are down on the mat in control of your opponent, you cannot lock or overlap your hands, fingers or arms around your opponent's body or both legs unless you have met criteria for a near pin of your opponent, or your opponent stands up and has all his/her weight on two feet, or you have lifted the opponent off the mat.

Leaving the mat during the match without the referee's permission

Reporting to the mat not properly equipped or not ready to wrestle, or equipment that is detected as being illegal after the match has started

Unnecessary roughness
Unsportsmanlike conduct
Flagrant Misconduct (ejection, the match is over)
Stalling (you get one warning before you are penalized and points are awarded).
Incorrect starting position or false start (You get two cautions before points are awarded).
The first and second time you are penalized, 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

Thanks for providing that excellent overview of the wrestling rules. I have no formal experience (or training) – only wrestling for the fun, and body contact, of wrestling. Rules have been very informal and pretty much limited to "do no harm". Most of the guys who I have wrestled don't seem interested in the rules, but it is good to know what earns points or penalties in "real" sport wrestling.

Wrestling to me is whatever you make of it. I know about the rules of wrestling mentioned, but that is for competitive wrestling, most guys on here do not compete, we are here for the fun and contact which wrestling provides. I my matches we wrestle till some one is pinned then held there until they escape or give up. Then we start all over.

Indeed we do

thank you very much for your detailed explanation - its very interesting. and yes, it really sounds more complicated than I thought...much more complicated =)
I do it rather unprofessional, more for fun / without scoring points.

but also in the "non-professional league" there are several variations of pin matches. maybe a grapevine-pin-only match, or a schoolboy-pin-only match...with maybe 30 seconds or more until you release your hold...

I agree, 5 sec is too short, I prefer longer pins, just to allow you you to struggle and escape it. Plus being pinned can be "enjoyable", it should last much longer.

Thanks. Before reading your post, I was considering dropping this part of the site.
Your view and comments are necessary and spot-on.
Bob in OR

Rules do vary from one level to the next.

The most obvious changes are in the length of the periods.

Elementary school, usually 7th & 8th grades, three 1.5 minute periods.

High School, three 2 minute periods.

College, three minutes, followed by two minute periods.

There are some differences between Greco Roman style and other styles.

There are published Rule Books which are used in conjunction with Case Books, which deal with specific circumstances.

Two second pin is quick but it might take referee much more time to confirm the pin due to inability to get a good view.

One key element is the concept of Control. A takedown, as an example, is not a takedown unless the wrestler maintains control over his opponent.

Overtime is problematic, since the first wrestler to score even one point, WINS. Might as well flip a coin.

Riding time is seldom called at lower levels of the sport.

Illegal holds penalize the offending wrestler, One point each for first two offenses and two for third offense. This could be as simple as clasping hands.

Restarting a match for each period offers one wrestler a choice of bottom, top, neutral (standing) or defer choice to opponent.

Generally, new wrestlers do not use their legs at all.
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I wrote these comments but my original post was taken from the internet.

Thanks a lot for your comprehensive explanations. It's actually much more complicated than what I would have thought. Have a nice week-end :)

Good question.

What are the rules of a pin-match?
Any Ideas?