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Freestyle wrestling differs from Greco-Roman in what holds are permitted - in Greco-Roman, the wrestlers are permitted to hold and attack only above the waist and to use just their hands and arms for grappling. Unlike Greek-Roman wrestling, in freestyle holding legs, backheels and cutting-downs are allowed. On the ground, turning an opponent to his/her back is allowed using any grips, clasps and actions by legs, hands and arms.
Since Greek-Roman wrestling requires stronger upper body, it is not too popular among women; that's why if it's referred to women, the word "freestyle" is usually omitted and this form of wrestling is called just women's wrestling.
Originally, wrestling as a sport, recreational activity and training was a men only activity. Women wrestled very rarely, even though some testimonies remain through the history in different regions (the oldest known and the most famous female wrestllers were Spartan girls). Since the beginning of the XX century, women started actively practicing in various forms of wrestling - from circus arenas to athletic gyms. At the second part of the XXth century, freestyle wrestling turned out to be the favorite grappling sports for women (among ones originated in Europe). By 1980s women's freestyle wrestling rapidly spread all over the world and eventually, in 2004 in Athens it became an Olympic sport, the third Olympic combative women's sport (after Judo and Taekwondo).
There are two main positions of wrestlers during contest: standing and "par terre" (from French - on the ground). All participants must wear leotard and supple wrestling shoes with no heels. Female wrestlers must have special protective underwear, unwired bra is recommended. Hair must be tied back with an elastic or ribbon, with no metal attachments. In some federations, it is obligatory for female wrestlers of all age categories to wear ear protectors.
The match starts with the wrestlers standing on their feet. Each wrestler attempts to take the opponent down to the mat, in order to pin him/her or score points. The main objective is to establish total domination by pinning an opponent’s shoulders to the mat to earn a fall (outright victory). If no wrestler has pinned his/her opponent, the victor is determined by points awarded to wrestlers as control changes. The wrestler with the most points at the end of a match is the winner.
In fact, a match can finish ahead of schedule if a wrestler is pinned. If no wrestler is pinned, a wrestling match consists of three two-minute periods. To break a tie after three periods, a one-minute sudden-death overtime period occurs, and the first wrestler to score a point wins the match. A second 30-second overtime period is wrestled, if necessary. If eventually the wrestlers have gained the same number of points, then it is ruled by the judges through certain criteria in the international styles.
Scoring.
Dropping the opponent down to the floor from a standing position and gaining control is called a takedown and is worth two points. Almost pinning an opponent scores two, three, or four points and is called a near fall. A wrestler who is able to return to a neutral position after being controlled by the opponent earns one point for an escape. A wrestler who was controlled by an opponent and reverses control earns two points for a reversal. Points are also deducted for infractions of the rules: striking an opponent, acting with brutality or intent to injure, using illegal holds, etc. Points are posted immediately and in plain sight so wrestlers and spectators know the score. In order for the match to end, one athlete must score at least three points.
A technical fall occurs and the match is ended when a wrestler establishes a 15-point advantage over the opponent. If one of wrestlers is unable to contrinue wrestling for any reason, the other wrestler is declared the winner (so-called "technical knockout" - TKO). This is officially referred to variously as WBI (win by injury), medical forfeit or injury default in the international styles. The term also encompasses situations where wrestlers become injured, take too many injury time-outs or cannot stop bleeding.
If a wrestler is too passive, the match is interrupted; the passive wrestler to goes down on all fours, and the other wrestler attacks him/her from the top at the referee signal.
Although some female wrestling competitions are organized according Greco-Roman rules, this form hasn't been spread among women (because it supposes strong shoulder and belly muscles as well as high strength of arms) and, after all, has been deprived of the Olympic status as a male only sport. The modification of freestyle wrestling - "folkstyle wrestling" (or collegiate wrestling) is wide spread in American high schools and colleges. In this form a control and domination during a match affects the final decision as well as the regular factors. The difference in rules and terms between freestyle and more accustomed folkstyle causes some problem for Americans in the international freestyle wrestling arena.
In contrast to oriental martial arts and submission combat styles, the ritual (non-martial) wrestling formed the basis of freestyle wrestling. That's why a conventional position (pin) rather than submission is the indication of the victory in this competition. (Old Russian linguist Dal gave the following clear definition of wrestling: "Single combat without weapon, beating up or brawling"). Freestyle wrestling is probably the most noble and non-commercial form of athletic physical contests. Not only biting, pinching, scratching, etc. are banned in freestyle wrestling but also the following dangerous moves are banned (while allowed in some other combative sports):
- Any strikes (using hands, fists, elbows, feet, knees, or head);
- Joint manipulations (including armlocks and other elbow and shoulder attacks, leglocks and other attacks to the knees and hips, wrist and ankle locks, neck cranks, and small joint manipulation - twisting or dislocating fingers and toes);
- Chokes, strangulations, and suffocating moves (such as covering the opponent's mouth and nose);
- Spiking (by shoes, knees, elbows of hands);
- Lifting and slamming the opponent head-first into the mat (though other forms of slamming are generally allowed;
- Grasping or holding an opponent's genitals, in women's matches - also intentional holding breasts;
- Using of one's own or the opponent's clothing for grasping or performing any type of hold.
The only freestyle wrestling technique is prohibited for women because it is considered as the most dangerous - "double nelson" (thrusting the both arms through opponent's armpits and pressing by tied hands on top of his/her neck or on the back of the head). Women are allowed to use "single nelson" (thrusting just one arm through an armpit). This hold is often used for overturning of an opponent from hands and knees to the back over a head and it requires a lot of strength.
Some freestyle wrestling techniques are designed for strong clutches some parts of a body, that's why women with considerable fat layers don't participate in the sport. This is one of the reasons why there are very few heavyweights in female freestyle wrestling (unlike judo); actually there are no female wrestlers heavier than 75kg.
Usually women wrestle more actively than men, in women wrestling there are fewer stops due to passivity, less starts again in "par terre" but pins happens more often. Female freestyle wrestling competitions are more spectacular and emotional.
A priori prejudice to female wrestler appearance turns out to be groundless ("what a robust and a crude woman with a square jaw, some kind of female version of Karelin" :) ). Contrary to expectations, the bulk of female freestyle wrestlers are quite feminine and attractive. In our visitors’ opinion, freestyle wrestlers are the most feminine and attractive. Since wrestlers’ bodies are not covered by loose uniform (like kimono), body dynamics, it’s relief and all curves are well visible for spectators during wrestling matches which is quite impressive.
Female freestyle wrestling is exceptionally popular among American high school and college girls (even though, the similar folkstyle is often practiced). The indisputable pioneer of women freestyle wrestling is Morris University of Minnesota (USA). Mixed wrestling matches are quite common in school and university wrestling (mostly in the USA). Due to shortage of girls in some freestyle wrestling teams, girls sometimes have to train and even to compete along with boys (who might be upset about that). This has caused controversy in recent years, for instance, in 1990s wrestling sponsors even attempted to legally ban mix competitions fearing serious traumas of the girls but American courts considered such demands as discriminating. Besides, the fact that girls are much less interested in wrestling caused some reducing of subsidizing university and high school wrestling teams in the United States that is attributed to Title IX (Federal law requiring equal share spent for boys and girls in public schools).
Despite these problems, female wrestling is growing in popularity, especially after the debut at the 2005 Olympics in Athens. Freestyle wrestling becomes popular among girls not only in universities and in high schools but also baby girls wrestle and wrestle successfully. At the age of small children, girls are not second to boys and often defeat them. While some mature women keep away of combative sports like wrestling because they worry about female vulnerable organs or they don't have appropriate complexity, young girls don't have such problems and wrestle to their heart's content.
Self-determined female wrestlers not belonging to any federation and not participating in any official competitions, quite rarely follow freestyle wrestling rules. When women wrestle independently, they usually follow submission wrestling traditions because it less requires developed skills, complex technique and sophisticated score calculations. Besides, women usually prefer a defeat declaration to any conventional positions (like "pin"). Nonetheless, freestyle wrestling, as the most authoritative and traditional wrestling form, increasingly attracts amateur female wrestlers.
Women's freestyle wrestling is a growing sport around the world. International wrestling federation FILA (Federation Internationale de Luttes Associees - French acronym) and other federations and associations regularly hold tournaments and championships in different parts of the world. The first world women's wrestling championship was held in 1987 in Lorenskog, Norway. European wrestlers grabbed all gold medals. Since that time, an increasing number of nations field women's wrestling teams each year and gold has been spread beyond Europe. But the first world champions making history were:
Brigitte Wiegart (Belgium) - 97Lbs/44kg;
Anne Holten (Norway) - 103.5Lbs/47kg;
Anne Marie Halvorson (Norway) - 110Lbs/50kg;
Sylvie Van Gucht (France) - 116.5/53kg;
Isabelle Dourthe (France) - 125.5/57kg;
Ine Barlie (Norway) - 134/61kg;
Brigitte Herlin (France) - 143/65kg;
Georgette Jean (France) - 154/70kg;
Patricia Rossignol (France) - 165/75kg.
France became the fist team champion.
Between 1987 and 2000, Japanese female wrestlers got the most number of world championship medals - 74. Russian wrestler Samira Ganatchoueva became the first world champion in 1995 in the category of 110Lbs/50kg.
At the first Olympic competitions in women's wrestling in 2004 athletes from 7 countries gained medals in 4 weight categories - 48kg, 55kg, 63kg and 72kg. (Russian Gyuzel Manyurova got silver in the category of 72kg).
NOTE: Photographs without references are reprinted from the website Amateur Wrestling Photos
48kg
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1. Irini Merleni (Melnik), Ukraine |
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2. Chiharu Icho, Japan |
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3. Patricia Miranda, USA |
55kg
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1. Saori Yoshida, Japan |
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2. Tonya Verbeek, Canada |
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3. Anna Gomis, France |
63kg
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1. Kaori Icho, Japan |
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2. Sara McMann, USA |
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3. Lise Legrand, France |
72kg
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1. Xu Wang, China |
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2. Gyuzel Manyurova, Russia |
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3. Kyoko Hamaguchi, Japan |
48kg
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1. Ren Xueceng (China) |
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2. Irini Merleni (Ukraine) |
51kg
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1. Hitomi Sakamoto (Japan) |
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2. Vanessa Boubryemm (France) |
55kg
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1. Saori Yoshida (Japan) |
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2. Su Lihui (China) |
59kg
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1. Ayako Shoda (Japan) |
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2. Mariann Sastin (Hungary) |
63kg
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1. Kaori Icho (Japan) |
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2. Jing Ruixue (China) |
67kg
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1. Lili Meng (China) |
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2. Martine Dugrenier (Canada) |
72kg
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1. Iris Smith (USA) |
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2. Kyoko Hamaguchi (Japan) |
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Kaori Icho of Japan works with Sara McMann of USA, 63kg
Irini Merleni of Ukraine and her coach celebrate after beating Chiharu Icho of Japan, 48kg.
Xu Wang of China attacks Gyuzel Manyurova of Russia, 72kg.
Saori Yoshida of Japan, up, gets Tonya Verbeek of Canada, tongue tied during the 55kg final. 
Ren Xueceng of China pins Irini Melnik-Merleni of Ukraine in the 48kg
Japan's Hitomi Sakamoto (blue) handled Vanessa Boubryemm of France during their 51kg final.
Kaori Icho (blue) of Japoan wrestles against Jing Ruixue of China, 63kg
Lili Meng of China (red) throws Martine Dugrenier of Canada, 67kg
Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan (blue) attempts to hold in Iris Smith of USA, 72kg
