I absolutely love freestyle and greco. while i do love folkstyle too i think some new rule adoptions would be for the best. like back exposure off of takedowns. if a wrestler hits a risky throw he should be rewarded for it even if he isnt able to hold his opponent for the two count. like maybe have a feet to back three points. it rewards the aggressive wrestler for his throw. Also this would null any funk rolls or any of that. while yes i do find funk rolls to be very exciting and fun to watch it is terrible for freestyle where you have to rely on fundamental leg defense. and you can still have phenomenal scrambles watch russian nationals for example. also i dont think that they should take away the top and bottom game of folkstyle. thats what makes folkstyle folkstyle. but taking away riding time and being less conservative on stalling calls for the top and bottom man alike would make for a better wrestling match. folkstyle doesnt need to be thrown out, it just needs a few changes

This recent Russia-US dual meet makes a graphic case for training freestyle all your life. The United States team doesn't just get (to put it politely) manhandled, they look particularly vulnerable to ground turns and big throws.
http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/free...atches-31.html (Good Matches) (scroll down... well worth watching, Haze and Poeta each get launched twice.)

It's my opinion that things are reversed in our country in regards to our (collective) thinking for wrestling. Yes, American folkstyle has definite advantages and can be exciting, but if I could have things my way, freestyle/greco would be the main disciplines with folk being the stuff of club sports and intra-mural competitions. Folkstyle could still be encouraged and competed in at the state, regional and national levels, but shouldnt be the main focus.

i think there should be more freestyle! as a wrestler i love it when freestyle/greco comes around. i would much rather wrestle freestyle/greco than folkstyle.

Originally Posted by azref87

It's my opinion that things are reversed in our country in regards to our (collective) thinking for wrestling. Yes, American folkstyle has definite advantages and can be exciting, but if I could have things my way, freestyle/greco would be the main disciplines with folk being the stuff of club sports and intra-mural competitions. Folkstyle could still be encouraged and competed in at the state, regional and national levels, but shouldnt be the main focus.

I am in full agreement! I love folkstyle wrestling. I wrestled a grand total of one freestyle tournament as a wrestler, myself, and I trained by pinning AAU move demonstrations on the wall of my friends' garage as we tried to duplicate the technique. Even though I love folkstyle, in recent years I have come to love freestyle and Greco even more. The people who do not like it have never taken the time to learn the rules and understand them, IMO. It does take some getting used to, but it is not like learning Mandarin Chinese. People who don't like FS and Greco often point to the finals matches at the Senior Open or similar events where the scoring is comparatively low because the opponents are so evenly matched that they neutralize each other. Spend some time watching the whole tournament, and you will see some great throws and technique. The same is true of the NCAA's. For me, though, Greco is king. If I had to choose a favorite, it would be Greco. It is a different mentality. It is more "in your face". Greco guys have a certain fearlessness about them, knowing they can be launched on their heads at any time with no legs to grab.

Originally Posted by arm-spin

This recent Russia-US dual meet makes a graphic case for training freestyle all your life. The United States team doesn't just get (to put it politely) manhandled, they look particularly vulnerable to ground turns and big throws.
http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/free...atches-31.html (Good Matches) (scroll down... well worth watching, Haze and Poeta each get launched twice.)

Not to pick on Hazewinkle, but his match is typical of our guys. We get a couple of one point takedowns or pushouts, and then we get LAUNCHED. The Russian shoots in and, instead of getting the one point takedown, is looking for the high amplitude throw. We emphasize what is "safe"; and we do not coach our guys to take risks. It is also true of the NCAA. Folkstyle as it currently is wrestled is safe and boring. It didn't used to be like that.