My pet peeve. As a former official (both wrestling and soccer) that bothered me to no end. The first coach I carded for leaving the coaching box was my last in that league. Word spread fast and the coaches started behaving.
Rule change wishlist for 2025/6
- Thread starter GogglesPaizano
- Start date
Keckeisen got hit with a stall call for not promptly coming back to center after a restart during his finals match with Plott at B12 last weekend. Apparently lallygagging is a thing with him.
It happens around 12:35 of this video:
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Also, when a guy is riding and only has a lot or toe inbounds just to keep the clock going, call for a restart.
No stall warning - it is an automatic point.
If no score at the end of the first period, the guy who took the least shots or simply ref's discretion gets hit for stalling and theater guy gets a point.
Interesting topic. The two year cycle for the current Rules and Interpretations ends with the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships, so a new two year cycle (2025-26 through 2026-27) begins with a publication of a new rulebook sometime in August, 2025 or so. It was said several times in this thread that changes should not make the referee's job any more difficult that it is, so rules that are way subjective should never see the pages of a rulebook, imo.
Frankly, I can't think of a single significant change to make. Last cycle had the 3-point takedown, and the 3-point nearfall added, and a whole bunch of less-significant changes. Whatever is done (other than for wrestler safety or administrative in nature) should be done with the intent of making wresting more exciting.
EDIT: I looked for minutes to meetings that might give some clue as to what the NCAA Wrestling Committee is considering. Other than clearing up some of the wrestler decent language, there was no mention of possible future changes could be found. I believe there is an April 2025 meeting, and we could hear something out of that meeting.
Frankly, I can't think of a single significant change to make. Last cycle had the 3-point takedown, and the 3-point nearfall added, and a whole bunch of less-significant changes. Whatever is done (other than for wrestler safety or administrative in nature) should be done with the intent of making wresting more exciting.
EDIT: I looked for minutes to meetings that might give some clue as to what the NCAA Wrestling Committee is considering. Other than clearing up some of the wrestler decent language, there was no mention of possible future changes could be found. I believe there is an April 2025 meeting, and we could hear something out of that meeting.
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Dropping to a knee from neutral starts a five-count for stalling.
Do you get bonus points if all three coaches are standing on the mat at the end of regulation or OT?
I honestly don't understand how the below the waist stalling 5 count is enforced.
Must you be on the mat? I've seen many many matches where the 5 count begins on the mat, the bottom wrestler gets to his feet in a defensive single leg position, and the count stops. I've seen the bottom wrestler go standing position and the top wrestler drops to a leg and there is an immediete 5 count started. Other times in the same situation the referee lets them hop around for 10 seconds and then starts a count, or a count never begins. WTF is the actual rule?
Must you be on the mat? I've seen many many matches where the 5 count begins on the mat, the bottom wrestler gets to his feet in a defensive single leg position, and the count stops. I've seen the bottom wrestler go standing position and the top wrestler drops to a leg and there is an immediete 5 count started. Other times in the same situation the referee lets them hop around for 10 seconds and then starts a count, or a count never begins. WTF is the actual rule?
If the bottom guy starts a scramble and grabs legs 1st then the ref won't count. It's definitely a judgement call by the ref on who dropped down to the leg 1st
No. Immediate stall call if they drop to knees from beyond arm's length.
Start a 5-count just means they stand, count stops, and they drop right back down to knees.
The problems here are (1) we've seen that start the count too; (2) that describes none of the situations @82bordeaux listed.
Was adding to discussion. Wasn't attempting to answer the questions.
But yes you've to be on the mat
Not just to be contrary, but the push out rule has made freestyle wrestling action more continuous and exciting. Further, I listen to FRL often and do not find any of them to be biased against PSU. I'm with you about the knee wrestling, but hate to see yet another rule added requiring the official to count.
Allow teams to buy Express skin check and weigh in passes so they don't have to wait in lines
ok guys new rule here.I am pretty much had enough of these guys grabbing a leg and rolling around wasting time as soon as they get in that situation stop and go back to feet you wanna see TD or rolling around like a little kid?
I tend to agree with you. To me, as soon as there is a lull in movement, a stalemate should be called. Plus, I hate the heightened risk of injury in those situations
3 count is fair. If there is a hard snap, loss of balance and getting up in some scenarios is very understandable for defensive reasons while getting back to your feet.
Lost challenges should come with a point deduction or choice
I see 3point reversal as a bad move. Yes i see your point and it does make sense but I think it will actually slow down matches.
It should entice more mat wrestling but with that you get less wrestling from the top guy, he ends up just staying in good position instead of working for a turn or fall in which they already don't do enough of.
Penalty point awarded to your opponent. Absolutely need to make that change
No. We don't need to give refs additional counts -- and especially not additional counts with different durations.
The wrestler is responsible for improving position. That means getting up immediately after a sprawl or defensive recovery. If he doesn't he's stalling. No count needed. Keep it easy.
I’m tired of people wrestling on the edge of the mat, if they stay out there there should be a point given to the other wrestler no warnings
There definitely needs to be a rule that generates a stall call if a wrestler puts both feet outside the circle voluntarily or while engaged - if they keep both feet fully outside the circle for more than a 3 count a point should be awarded to the other wrestler, action stopped and wrestlers returned to middle. There is zero reason to give one wrestler the distinct advantage of wrestling from OB (essentially, the other wrestler can't shoot because even if they get to the legs or ankles, they're OB.). When you allow it to go on for an entire period, you're rewarding the diametrically wrong wrestler.
Ferrari would've had a negative score against Stout and Buchanan, at least.
And yet people keep resisting the pushout rule, despite decades of evidence showing that it keeps the action away from the edge. Also despite the fact that nobody understands the current boundary stalling rules because the calls vary from ref to ref.
If stalling was called consistently from Ref to Ref and Conference to Conference that would make sense. But one Ref's stalling is not always another Ref's opinion. At least give me a warning to let me know which one you are.
there again, pulling and crawling out of bounds when someone is on your leg is never called... basically fleeing
Fleeing was called occasionally, but not universally nor consistently. That is a shame because these are normally quite obvious.
I see where you are coming from.
I see at as a lack of action, very little thought to the situation since there is no other action on the mat.
In all matches you see athletes taking 3 sec to collect themselves. I see no problem in letting them collect them selves after getting unexpectedly knocked down and the attacker takes a step back, ie- optional start, attacker wrestling the line.
Defensive strategy vs stalling. This position was made for strategy but turned to stalling.
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Just an opinion. If the wrestling starts from the referee's position and they end up in a position that has both guys trying to pass an ankle. If the top guy stops trying to improve position and is hanging on waiting on the stalemate call, call it a stall.
The end of a match where the winning wrestler puts it in run and escape, call the stall every single time. If that occurred so blatantly in the first 6 minutes of a match it would get called over and over. You are winning by a point or 3 with 20 seconds to go if you don't present yourself that should be called, and called and called.
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