What to Expect at Wrestling Practice:
- The OYW coaches strive to make practice educational and enjoyable for all wrestlers while expecting each child to put forth their best effort.
- Wrestlers should wear t-shirts and comfortable athletic shorts without pockets. It is recommended that the kids also wear wrestling shoes, however they may wear tennis shoes as long as they are clean and not worn into the wrestling room from the parking lot.
-
- Practices normally begin with warm-up and conditioning exercises such as stretching, running, push-ups and crunches. Next will be technique demonstrations by the coaches followed by practicing the demonstrated moves with a partner. Each child will be paired with another child of comparable weight and skill. Some practices may include live wrestling or games.
- Wrestlers are expected to listen and behave during practice so as not to distract the coaches and other wrestlers. Push-ups or time-outs may be given to kids who are disruptive during practice.
Main Organizations Involved with Youth Wrestling in
-
This organization sponsors a large, two-day regional tournament in February known as the Gopher State Championships. MYAS also sponsors “Youth Day with the Gophers”.
- MN/USA Wrestling (MNUSA): www.mnusawrestling.org
This organization is dedicated to Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Folkstyle wrestling at all levels. It also sanctions state qualifier tournaments throughout the season with a Folkstyle state tournament held in mid-March and a state Freestyle/Greco-Roman tournament held in early May.
- Northland Youth Wrestling Assoc. (NYWA): www.nywa-mn.com
This organization sanctions Folkstyle qualifier tournaments in March with a state tournament in March or April.
What to Expect at a Youth Wrestling Tournament:
- Organized chaos – lots of people, noise and excited kids
- Most tournaments have a 4-man round-robin format grouping wrestlers together by grade and weight and sometimes by level of experience. This grouping of wrestlers is known as the bracket.
- Positions are filled by volunteer parents and high school students. The referees are usually high school wrestlers doing their best – take it easy on them.
- Parents/fans wait in the stands until their wrestler is called to the mat for his/her matches.
- Some tournaments don’t allow parents/fans to watch mat side, only coaches.
- Most tournaments begin with Pre-K and work up through the remaining grade levels.
- Most tournaments charge an entry fee for spectators, some do not.
- Concessions and wrestling gear are normally available for sale.
What to do when you get there:
1) Register your wrestler and pay at the door
2) Go to designated room for weigh-in and skin check
3) Meet at pre-determined mat in gym for warm-ups
4) Listen for wrestler’s grade to be called then report to the staging area
5) Go with your wrestler and others in the bracket to your assigned mat where the matches will take place. Be sure to stay near the mat and listen for your wrestler’s name. Numerous brackets will wrestle on each mat to give the kids time to rest in between matches. Your wrestler needs to be ready to go when his/her name is called.
6) Go to the awards table after your bracket is completed to collect your award
7) Cheer on your team mates then go home and rest up for next practice
Tournament Schedule:
A listing of youth tournaments held throughout the state (also some regional and national) can be found on the Guillotine website at www.theguillotine.com under the “Youth/Opens” tab. The Guillotine is a great source of information for anything having to do with amateur wrestling in
Folkstyle Wrestling Rules:
Object: The object of a wrestling match is to gain a fall by pinning an opponents shoulder's to the mat for 2 continuous seconds, or to gain a decision by out-wrestling an opponent.
Length: Peewee, Bantam and Midget wrestle three (3) 1 minute periods. Novice and Schoolboy wrestle three (3) 1½ minute periods.
Scoring:
|
Move |
Points |
Description |
|
Takedown |
2 |
From a neutral position (both standing with neither wrestler having control) a wrestler gains control over his opponent down on the mat while the supporting parts of either wrestler are in bound. |
|
Escape |
1 |
When a defensive (bottom) wrestler gains a neutral position and his opponent has lost control while at least one wrestler is in-bound. |
|
Reversal |
2 |
When the defensive wrestler comes from the bottom position and gains control of his opponent, either on the mat or in a rear standing position, while the supporting points of either wrestler are in-bounds. |
|
Near Fall |
2 or 3 |
When near fall criteria is met for 2 seconds. Near fall criteria is:
If near fall criteria is met for two continuous seconds, 2 points are awarded when the defensive wrestler is out of the predicament. If near fall criteria is met for five continuous seconds, a 3 point near fall is awarded when the defensive wrestler is out of the near fall situation. |
|
Penalty |
1 |
A wrestler is awarded point(s) for technical violations or infractions of the rules committed by his opponent. These points are awarded according to the penalty chart below. |
Penalties:
|
Infraction |
Warning |
First |
Second |
Third |
Fourth |
|
Illegal holds |
No |
1 point |
1 point |
2 points |
Disqualify |
|
Unnecessary roughness |
No |
1 point |
1 point |
2 points |
Disqualify |
|
Unsportsmanlike conduct |
No |
1 point |
1 point |
2 points |
Disqualify |
|
Stalling |
Yes |
1 point |
1 point |
2 points |
Disqualify |
|
Technical violations |
No |
1 point |
1 point |
2 points |
Disqualify |
|
|||||