Freestyle Wrestling
The Olympic wrestling style which, unlike Greco-Roman, permits holds on the legs. On the programme since 1904; the women's competition was added in 2004.
Quick Facts
United StatesCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for Freestyle Wrestling
About Freestyle Wrestling
Freestyle is, alongside Greco-Roman, the second Olympic form of wrestling, on the programme since 1904; the women's competition was added in 2004. It developed out of British and American catch-as-catch-can, that is, out of a milieu of fairground and mining-camp wrestling. The difference from Greco-Roman is single but fundamental: **grips below the waist and full use of the legs are allowed**. A wrestler may seize the opponent's leg, sweep him, block a leg during a throw, and defend with the legs against a shot. That opens a whole family of techniques Greco-Roman does not know — single leg, double leg, low single, and their defences (the sprawl). The bout therefore takes place lower and faster. Stance setting, the height of the centre of gravity and the timing of the shot are decisive; a single well-executed level change often settles it. Ground work (par terre) aims at turning the opponent onto his shoulders and at control, not at finishes — locks and chokes are forbidden. Bouts run over two three-minute periods; victory comes by fall, on points, or by technical superiority at a ten-point difference. Freestyle is the most direct route to the skill that decides in MMA — the ability to determine whether the fight happens standing or on the ground. The load on knees, neck and shoulders is high and grows with training volume.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.