Wrestling
Tips for the Fan
Like any sport, wrestling is confusing to watch
if you never participated in competitive wrestling
yourself. Here are a few things you can do to
learn more about the sport.
1. Understand what type of wrestling
that you're trying to learn about. Our
tips ARE for the following: youth, high school,
and college. These levels all follow folk-style
(also called "collegiate") wrestling.
These tips are NOT for pro-wrestling or international
wrestling (Greco-Roman or Freestyle).
2. Read about the sport. Here
are a few sites you should visit to learn more
about the sport:
SportSpectator Fan's Guide
to Folkstyle Wrestling: Our 10-minute guide
to the game.
Wikipedia:
Good wiki community writeup on the sport.
Technique
analysis: Once you understand the basic principles
from the articles above, you may wish to visit
this page to see specific moves.
3. Watch a match with a player
(current or former). At high school matches, there
are usually multiple levels (frosh soph, j.v.,
varsity) that compete on the same day. Come early
or stay late and watch the game with someone who
can answer your questions. Also, at tournaments,
there is plenty of time to watch games with coaches
or players. Watch a competitor's game while you
have a break.
4. Watch a televised match.
Watching a match with the professional commentators
will help you pick up the lingo. Here is a great
free resource:
CSTV:
College sports TV (CSTV) has free online clips
of college wrestling. If the page doesn't load,
visit CSTV.com
and click on the "highlights" or "video"
tab and sort by wrestling.
5. Ask questions. If you have
a question, don't be afraid to ask. Good resources
are coaches or players. Ask someone in person,
or contact us
and we'll try to help you out. You can also visit
Themat.com
forums, which has an amazing community of
wrestling coaches, referees, and players who will
be more than happy to answer any of your questions.
On your first visit to the site, you'll need to
create a free account by clicking on "Get
Passport Account."
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