Thoughts on Possible College Rule Changes?

[SIACfan]

14 hours ago, busstogate said:

I do think if someone can take you down four times in a row and you can't respond, you are the lesser wrestler in that match.  Tired of seeing mat wrestlers play the odds and the flips.  Doesn't work for most when the competition levels get higher.

 

It illustrates that you are the inferior wrestler on your feet. But folkstyle wrestling puts a lot of emphasis on mat wrestling as well. Thus the ability to ride & escape matters in college wrestling.

 

So if the inferior freestyle wrestler is the superior mat wrestler, then he can keep the match close enough for a possible win.

 

Lets say wrestler A takes down wrestler B twice in the 1st period but only manages about 10 seconds of riding time. Then wrestler B manages to accumulate riding time in period 2, & gets another quick escape to start the 3rd. Wrestler A then gets 2 more TD's & gives 2 more quick escapes. Score is now 8-5 with say 1 minute left. Wrestler B only needs a TD & a rideout to force overtime. With a 3 point TD, the score would be 12-5 & pretty insurmountable.

 

Now I can understand the argument that maybe that is the way it should be, but I argue that mat wrestling is important in folkstyle for a reason - to differentiate it from freestyle.

 

But as I stated earlier, I'm not against the idea of only allowing a wrestler a certain amount of riding time without a turn before returning them to their feet with no escape point awarded.

 

[SnatchSingle11]

33 minutes ago, SIACfan said:

Lets say wrestler A takes down wrestler B twice in the 1st period but only manages about 10 seconds of riding time. Then wrestler B manages to accumulate riding time in period 2, & gets another quick escape to start the 3rd. Wrestler A then gets 2 more TD's & gives 2 more quick escapes. Score is now 8-5 with say 1 minute left. Wrestler B only needs a TD & a rideout to force overtime. With a 3 point TD, the score would be 12-5 & pretty insurmountable.

In this example, your superior mat wrestler was unable to score in his superior position. If he gets a single turn during the second period, the score is 12-8, and he is back to an escape and TD to tie the match scenario. This new scoring system would encourage activity and require the superior mat wrestler to do more than ride out to keep the match close. One turn though and they are right back in the match. 

 

This is why I actually am in favor of only changing the riding time rule as a first step and leaving 2pt tds as is. If this were the case, the score would still be 8-5 with one min left, but the losing wrestler would either need two takedowns to tie the match or a td and a turn to win. That to me seems fairer than simply getting one td and a ride out as your only offensive points. 

[SIACfan]

1 hour ago, SnatchSingle11 said:

In this example, your superior mat wrestler was unable to score in his superior position. If he gets a single turn during the second period, the score is 12-8, and he is back to an escape and TD to tie the match scenario.

 

 

 

I'm a little confused. How did you get to 12-8? In my scenario, the only rule change is going to the 3 point TD. Thus with the way I described it, it would be 12-5 with a minute left. With one turn in the second by wrestler B, it would have to be 12-7 (2-pt turn) or 12-9 (4-pt turn). Also, at this juncture, the wrestlers would be on their feet. So an escape & a TD would not be a possibility.

 

But... I am only talking the importance of a college wrestler to ride & escape. Turning is another topic IMO. That is something that can turn a good college wrestler into a great one. But given the nature of folkstyle wrestling, a college wrestler needs to learn to ride & escape to be competitive. IMO, the 3-pt TD would diminish that fact & allow freestyle wrestlers to more effectively ignore the mat wrestling portion of folkstyle. I don't like the idea of that. Mat wrestling is a part of folkstyle for a reason & something that should carry benefits for those that excel at it - the riding time point.

[Cmoney125]

I like everything except the 3 point takedown. Finally making top wrestlers do something other than sit on ankles for a riding time point. It's long overdue.

[MattM]

9 hours ago, Cmoney125 said:

 Finally making top wrestlers do something other than sit on ankles for a riding time point. It's long overdue.

It could be as simple as stating them back in neutral after say 20-30sec of no top scoring occuring.  No escape in this instance since it wasn’t earned, but just a stalemate of sorts and restart. That would be similar to freestyle but with a little more time to work. You still accumulate riding time along the way, but just can’t milk it out without getting additional takedowns. 

Edited April 29, 2023 by MattM

[Cmoney125]

2 hours ago, MattM said:

It could be as simple as stating them back in neutral after say 20-30sec of no top scoring occuring.  No escape in this instance since it wasn’t earned, but just a stalemate of sorts and restart. That would be similar to freestyle but with a little more time to work. You still accumulate riding time along the way, but just can’t milk it out without getting additional takedowns. 

Nah, I still think if you want to be on your feet, you still need to get out. But if top guys have to work for falls and they get a 5 second count for hooking the ankle, you at least have a chance to get out.

[busstogate]

Why not be well-versed to wrestle all three positions?  Too many coaches are short-changing their guys in order to "win now".  Getting five off the bottom is a big problem for some guys who have been coached one-dimensionably.

[RAJR]

Maybe go back to when the 1st period started neutral. The 2nd period wrestler with choice picks top or bottom, can't defer. The 3rd period top and bottom position wrestlers are flipped from 2nd period. This puts both wrestlers in all three positions if the match gets to the 3rd period. This enforces wrestlers to make a decision, plus none of this wishy washy defer and wimp out going neutral all day. 

 

Oh, yeah, and no bumping. Set the lineup and wrestle straight up. Coaches can now sit back and relax and not have to stress out about matchups.  Ya know, like how folkstyle should be, plus these changes would reduce fan confusion.  

 

#bazinga

[GrecoCoach]

Here's a crazy idea that I haven't thought all the way through yet...

 

What if we kept the riding time point without backpoints, but if a wrestler gets called for stalling on top, he loses all of his riding time advantage (back to 0:00)? 

 

I think the stalling criteria has become much more objective (especially on top) so it isn't completely putting it in the ref's hands, but it would encourage more activity on top working for a turn without penalizing a wrestler whose opponent is good at defending turns.

 

Again, I haven't thought this through, but it at first glance it seems that this would accomplish the same goal while still rewarding a dominant, aggressive wrestler.