Wrestling in the United States

Last updated

Wrestling in the United States
CountryUnited States
Governing body USA Wrestling
National team(s) United States Olympics team
International competitions

Wrestling in the United States include the styles of folkstyle, along with the Olympic styles of freestyle and Greco-Roman. These three styles make up the main forms of amateur wrestling that are contested competitively within the country, not to be confused with the sportive entertainment form of professional wrestling. Folkstyle is a form of wrestling that is only contested in the United States at the youth levels through college. Wrestling in the United States is contested and practiced throughout the country, with the sport having a strong regional presence in areas such as the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Southwest. [1]

Contents

History

Folkstyle wrestling is the form of wrestling practiced in Elementary School, Middle School, High School, and (for males) Collegiately in the United States. Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling is practiced at all age levels as well, by different wrestling clubs and teams across the country, and by Team USA at international competitions.

Freestyle and Greco-Roman have an ancient history, dating back to the Greek and Roman empires. Wrestling was used for various purposes back then including sport, dominance, and competition. In 708 B.C., wrestling was inducted into the Olympic games where Milo of Croton established his name as one of the greatest Greek athletes ever by winning the Olympic title six times. [2] In addition to this story, wrestling makes another debut in history within Greek mythology as the God Zeus beating his father Cronus in a wrestling match in order to obtain full control over the universe and all that comes with it. [3] Wrestling and its various styles were practiced all over the world for hundreds of years. There are less common practices such as the pankration style, a much more vicious style where it was legal to attack regions such as the eyes, as well as the practice of biting. [2] For these reasons, the pankration style did not take hold. Eventually, the ancient sport migrated over to the United States when the British began to colonize the land.

In comparison to Greco-Roman, freestyle wrestling was first introduced at the 1904 Summer Olympics and was only disputed by American wrestlers. As seen above, freestyle wrestling has less history and tradition compared to Greco-Roman on the international level, but possessed great popularity and developed into a form of entertainment which was performed at fairs and festivals across the United States.

Naturally, the rules were much different then they were today. Most moves and holds were legal in the sport, regardless of danger it could cause. Throughout the evolution of wrestling, there have been numerous regulations and rules put in place. It wasn't until around 1941, where Art Griffith developed a point system and standardized rules for safety. Some of these regulations include the possible ways of winning a match: disqualification, pin, technical, decision, and default. [3] In addition to this, there are five different avenues to score points in freestyle: takedown (2-5 points), reversal (1 point), out of bounds step (1 point), placing opponent's shoulders at a 45-degree angle (2 points), and misuse of blood time or acting out (1 point). For Greco-Roman points, they are similar but if one opponent touches the legs of another, this will result in a point. [2]

National Governing board

USA Wrestling is the national governing for wrestling in the United States. It is also the representative to the UWW (United World Wrestling) which is the international federation for wrestling and the USOC (United States Olympic Committee). USA wrestling consists of over 233,000 members which includes numerous age ranges, coaches, and officials. It is divided into State Associations where each state has its own set of bylaws for which it operates. USA wrestling is accountable for the assortment of contestants to represent the United States in the Olympic and World competitions. [4]

Olympics

The United States is a powerhouse in Wrestling at the Summer Olympics winning 54 gold medals, 43 silvers and 35 bronzes winning 132 medals. [5] [6] [7] At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, American wrestler Rulon Gardner scored one of the biggest upsets in wrestling history by defeating three-time defending Olympic gold medalist Aleksandr Karelin to take the gold. [8]

International results

Men's Freestyle

Men's Greco Roman

Related Research Articles

At the 1904 Summer Olympics, seven wrestling events were contested, all in the freestyle discipline. Then known as catch wrestling, it was the first time freestyle wrestling was featured at the Olympic Games, as the first Olympic wrestling contests in 1896 had been in the Greco-Roman style. Weight classes also made their first appearance. The sport continues to be in the Olympic program to the present day. The event also doubled as that year's Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Catch Wrestling Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentathlon</span> Combined sporting event of five contests

A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente (five) and -athlon (competition). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games. Five events were contested over one day for the Ancient Olympic pentathlon, starting with the long jump, javelin throwing, and discus throwing, followed by the stadion and wrestling. Pentathletes were considered to be among the most skilled athletes, and their training was often part of military service—each of the five events in the pentathlon was thought to be useful in war or battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Submission wrestling</span> Fighting style

Submission wrestling, also known as submission grappling, submission fighting or simply grappling, is a competitive martial art and combat sport that focuses on ground fighting and submission techniques. It is a hybrid discipline that incorporates elements of various grappling arts such as various wrestling styles, judo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Submission wrestling is practiced both as a competitive sport and as a training method for self-defence and mixed martial arts (MMA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrestling</span> Combat sports

Wrestling is a martial art and combat sport that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves different grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins, and other grappling holds. Many different wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sports, and military systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greco-Roman wrestling</span> Style of amateur wrestling

Greco-Roman, Graeco-Roman, classic wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1904. This style of wrestling forbids holds below the waist, which is the main feature that differentiates it from freestyle wrestling. This restriction results in an emphasis on throws, because a wrestler cannot use trips to bring an opponent to the ground or hook/grab the opponent's leg to avoid being thrown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amateur wrestling</span> Widespread form of sport wrestling

Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced at Olympic, collegiate, scholastic, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed at the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the supervision of the United World Wrestling (UWW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freestyle wrestling</span> Style of Wrestling

Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the United States are conducted under different rules and termed scholastic and collegiate wrestling. U.S. collegiate women's wrestling is conducted under freestyle rules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combat sport</span> Competitive contact sport involving combat

A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opponent, or attacking the opponent in a specific or designated technique. Combat sports share a long history with the martial arts.

Real Pro Wrestling was a professional sports league of wrestling, similar to the amateur wrestling found in the Olympic Games and at the college and high school level. The term "real" was meant to emphasize that it was professional and it was wrestling, but that it was not professional wrestling in the traditional sense; modern professional wrestling features predetermined outcomes and operates under a very different set of rules from amateur wrestling.

James "Chico" Hernandez is an American martial artist who competes in the sport of Sambo. He was the first Sambo champion to be featured on a box of Wheaties Energy Crunch and CNN/SI "Faces In the Crowd".

Cole Konrad is an American retired mixed martial arts fighter. Konrad won a gold medal at the 2005 Pan-American Championships. He won the NCAA wrestling championships in 2006 and 2007 at 285 pounds and finished third at the 2006 World University Championships at 120 kilograms. He was the first Bellator Heavyweight World Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United World Wrestling</span> Amateur wrestling governing body

United World Wrestling (UWW) is the international governing body for the sport of amateur wrestling; its duties include overseeing wrestling at the World Championships and Olympics. It presides over international competitions for various forms of wrestling, including Greco-Roman, Freestyle, Grappling, and others. The flagship event of UWW is the World Wrestling Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States at the 1920 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

The United States competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 288 competitors, 274 men and 14 women, took part in 113 events in 18 sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finland at the 1920 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Finland competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium for the first time as a fully independent state. It did compete at the previous Olympics, however, only as the Russian-dependent Grand Duchy of Finland. 63 competitors, 62 men and 1 woman, took part in 51 events in 9 sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Jackson</span> American wrestler and coach (born 1964)

Kevin Andre Jackson is an American retired freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, and mixed martial artist. Following his competitive career, Jackson would become a wrestling coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of collegiate wrestling</span>

The history of collegiate wrestling can be traced to the many indigenous styles of folk wrestling found in Europe, particularly in Great Britain. Those folk wrestling styles soon gained popularity in what would become the United States, and by the mid-to-late 19th century those styles, especially freestyle wrestling, emerged in gymnasiums and athletic clubs throughout the country. From then on, tournaments were sponsored and a professional circuit of wrestlers helped promote wrestling in the United States and throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of wrestling</span>

Wrestling and grappling sports have a long and complicated history, stretching into prehistoric times. Many traditional forms survive, grouped under the term folk wrestling. More formal systems have been codified in various forms of martial arts worldwide, where grappling techniques form a significant subset of unarmed fighting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Styles of wrestling</span>

The different styles of wrestling may be classified in various ways, such as:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Coon</span> American football player and wrestler (born 1994)

Adam Jacob Coon is an American heavyweight wrestler and professional football player, playing offensive guard for the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL, notable for not having played football in college. Before pro football, Coon was an accomplished wrestler at the state, national, and international levels. He was a 2011 Cadet World freestyle gold medalist, 2014 Junior World double bronze medalist in both Greco-Roman and freestyle, two-time NCAA Division I finalist, 2018 Senior World silver medalist in Greco-Roman, and a Pan American gold medalist in 2019 and silver medalist in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gable Steveson</span> American professional and freestyle wrestler

Gable Dan Steveson is an American professional football player who is a defensive end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He is an Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler and 2 time gold medalist folkstyle wrestler and also had a brief stint in professional wrestling where he was signed to WWE from 2021 to 2024.

References

  1. ↑ Grasso, John (6 March 2014). Historical Dictionary of Wrestling. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   9780810879263 . Retrieved 11 March 2019– via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 3 García, Justin D. (2022), "Wrestling", Salem Press Encyclopedia, Salem Press, retrieved 2022-12-04
  3. 1 2 Bullard, Eric (2017), "Freestyle wrestling", Salem Press Encyclopedia, Salem Press, retrieved 2022-12-04
  4. ↑ "Team USA". Team USA. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  5. ↑ Nash, John S. (13 August 2012). "The Olympic History of Catch Wrestling". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  6. ↑ "From mat to ring, WWE's amateur and pro wrestling connection". USA TODAY. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  7. ↑ "Why 1996 Was the Most Important Year in Wrestling History". Complex. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  8. ↑ "History of Wrestling | United World Wrestling". unitedworldwrestling.org. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.