Freestyle

Junior High and High School wrestlers...looking for something to give you an edge next season?  Try Wrecking Crew's freestyle session.

Why freestyle?  Freestyle is the format the rest of the world uses for competition and it combines fast scoring and  a very athletic approach to our sport.  It emphasizes attacks and scoring from neutral which will absolutely enhance the skills of any folkstyle wrestler.

Freestyle is similar to the "folkstyle" wrestling popular in American schools and universities, but with different scoring, match procedures, and strategies. Freestyle and Greco-Roman place little emphasis on control, while in folkstyle, control is very important. In freestyle, wrestlers are brought to their feet after about 15 seconds of no scoring. Since control isn't important, the bottom wrestler isn't expected to do anything but stall. Only at the college level does folkstyle control time equate to extra points.

Another difference related to control is the ability in freestyle to score points without having control of your opponent. Some moves such as tilts, front headlocks from the knees, and crotch lifts while under attack can score continuously without ever gaining control. The pictures show first a common set-up for a front headlock without being in control while the second picture shows a crotch lift being used to counter a leg attack.

Slips are another major difference between freestyle and folkstyle. In freestyle, the attacker is not penalized for attempting a move provided he can make it to his knees (belly facing the mat) on the mat after a failed attempt. Also, for this reason, the attacker's move does not end until there is a slip or the referee blows the whistle. The wrestler being attacked must actually take the move away by reversing direction or preventing the attacker from making it back to his belly. Simply stopping a move with the attacker exposed does not constitute an exposure. Current rules allow the wrestling to continue after a slip with no points scored to the person on top.

Want to see Freestyle/ Greco-Roman in action?

YouTube.com is great source for clips of top level international competition in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.   An example follows... watch for some dramatic throws and other furious action from neutral.   Also, watch for the series where the defensive wrestler counters the gut-wrench with a whizzer which he then takes directly to an arm-spin for a takedown. 

If the video does not play or cannot be seen, try adding wreckingcrewwrestling.com to your Trusted sites list.

Competitions

USAW-NJ holds  freestyle and GR competitions throughout the spring culminating in a state championship tournament.   Details on dates can be found at www.usawnj.org