How to Learn Wrestling Terms

1. Step1

   Master the names of the basic types of amateur wrestling, the kind you'll see at high school and college matches and in the Olympics. In Greco-Roman wrestling, opponents are limited to using their arms and upper bodies, and may only apply holds above the waist. In freestyle (sometimes called folkstyle) wrestling, opponents can use arms and legs, and can apply holds both above and below the waist.

2. Step2

   Identify the basic action. A wrestling match, or bout, consists of three rounds; in the Olympics, they're 2 minutes each, with 30-second rest periods in between. The goal of the wrestler is to bring the opponent's shoulders to the mat and keep them there for a particular duration (2 seconds in high school, 1 second in college, and about a half-second-the time it takes the ref to say the French word "tombe," or "fall"-in the Olympics). This is called a pin or a fall, and it wins the round. A wrestler can also score a technical fall by accumulating points awarded for certain moves during the round. The winner of two out of the three rounds wins the match.

3. Step3

   Learn your way around the ring. The floor of the ring is called the mat. It's divided into colored concentric circles that define the areas of competition. The innermost ring is the starting circle, where opponents begin the round. Surrounding this is the wrestling area (usually yellow). Outside this area is the red ring known as the passivity zone; wrestlers who spend too much time in this area can be penalized for avoiding contact. The outermost area is the protection zone; a wrestler who steps here is out of bounds. The two corners, where the opponents' coaches are placed, are red and blue to correspond with the opponents' singlets-the tight, one-piece suits wrestlers wear.

4. Step4

   In amateur wrestling, legal moves can generally be grouped into holds or locks (in which one wrestler controls another's movement) and throws (in which one wrestler lifts another off the mat to change position). (Body slams, a highlight of pro wrestling, are illegal in amateur wrestling.) Both holds and throws can be used offensively or defensively. Wrestling moves have colorful names, like the half nelson and the gut wrench. The best way to learn these terms is to watch a match and to follow the glossary in the match program.

5. Step5

   Get acquainted with the officials. Amateur wrestling matches are decided by three officials: the referee, the judge and the mat chairman (who sometimes goes by the French title "Chef de tapis"). These officials award technical points and decide the outcomes of rounds and matches. If there is a tie, the mat chairman's vote is decisive. During a match, the referee directs the action by calling out commands like "Contact" if wrestlers are avoiding one another, "Open" if they are too tightly clinched and "Head up" if a wrestler is keeping her head too far forward to avoid engaging the opponent.