All About Olympic Wrestling

The primary difference between freestyle and Greco-Roman styles of wrestling is that the legs are a primary weapon and target in freestyle. Wrestlers try to set up opponents for an attack on the legs, which is the best way to knock them off balance and take them down. One of the basic strategies of freestyle wrestling is to fake one's opponent out of a protected position.

"The object is to set your opponent up in order to get the reaction you want in order to attack the opening," says Clint Kingsbury, domestic development manager of Wrestling Canada. "An example is if I put pressure on your head, you will fight to get your head up, so therefore this opens your legs up for attack."

Of course, this strategy isn't as easy as it sounds. Wrestlers will anticipate this move and attempt to counter it. Former Canadian Olympic Champion Daniel Igali was a classic example of the lightning-fast counter-attacker who waits for his opponent to make an attack and put himself in a vulnerable position.

Greco-Roman wrestlers aren't allowed to grab or use their legs in any way, except for strength and balance. Instead, they attempt to take down their opponent with an upper body-throw. This results in more "hugging" between wrestlers as they grapple for the upper hand to try and lift the opponent or get leverage from the hips to throw them down, as is done in the hip toss.

"You can't use your legs like a foot sweep or leg ride on the ground," says Kingsbury. "Also you cannot use the legs in a defensive manner, such that you grab the legs to stop a move. This changes the nature of the sport."

What you will see a lot of in Greco-Roman wrestling is the gut wrench or reverse waist lock (Olympic lift). Wrestlers try to get behind their opponents and get a grip around their abdomens, lift them off their feet and throw them to the ground. Using the legs to apply a hold may be illegal, but leg strength is important to drive an opponent down with a gut-wrench move.

Since everything is done from the hips up, Greco-Roman wrestling can feature some spectacular throws, especially with the new rules of the "clinch." This gives one wrestler the advantage of having the grip of the reverse waist lock, which has increased the number of high amplitude throws.

The scoring system is the same in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Wrestlers earn one, two, three or five technical points for various takedowns, depending on the level of control during the execution of the move or the difficulty of the move.

* One point: Awarded for a takedown, or bringing an opponent down to the mat in a way that the attacker ends up in control. If a wrestler steps out of bounds in the standing position, the attacker will receive a point.
* Two points: Awarded for turning an opponent's shoulders so that the back or part of the back is touching the mat at less than a right angle to the mat. This puts the opponent in the danger position. If the defending wrestler is kept in that danger position for five seconds as counted by the referee, the opponent gets another point.
* Three points: Awarded for taking an opponent off his or her feet and into the danger (on back) position in one action.
* Five points: Awarded for throwing an opponent in the air, or similar risky moves. The most common throw earning five points is a "grand amplitude," in which the opponent's centre of gravity is higher than the thrower's.

Wrestlers who flee the mat, flee a hold, apply an illegal hold, clinch position or assume an incorrect par terre starting position may be given a caution. This results in an opponent receiving one technical point. The opponent of a wrestler who receives three cautions over the duration of a complete match will be declared the winner of the match.

Before the match begins, the referee checks out the combatants' grooming. Fingernails must be trimmed, hair must be cropped short or tied back and no rough beards are allowed. Wrestlers are also expected to keep from getting covered in sweat, since that could make it harder for their opponents to hold their grip.

Wrestlers are constantly watching their weight. They're required to weigh in the day before the competition. If a wrestler is over the limit for his/her weight class, then the extra mass will have to be shed before the weigh-in prior to the competition, usually by jogging in intervals wearing heavy clothing.

Wrestlers can lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Wrestlers will not re-hydrate themselves during a jog or workout but it's important that they do so afterward.

Wrestlers usually practice five or six days a week. They also have at least three sessions of weight training, drill and technical work, along with scrimmaging.

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