Wrestling 101: What exactly is a pin and how is one executed?

For wrestling fans that plan to venture up to Fitzgerald Field House this season to watch… For wrestling fans that plan to venture up to Fitzgerald Field House this season to watch Pitt’s wrestling team and expect to see a NCAA wrestling version of WWF Smackdown! you will be very disappointed.

Wrestling matches in college are a lot different than the professional wrestling matches seen on television. In NCAA wrestling, there are actual rules, and teams attempt to amass as many team points as possible in order to win the meet.

NCAA wrestling features 10 head-to-head match-ups between opponents in the same weight classes. Both teams have to fill each weight class otherwise it is considered a forfeit, which is worth six team points. The weight classes are 125, 133, 141, 149, 157, 165, 174, 184, 197 and heavyweight.

Each match is three periods unless there is a pin, technical fall or overtime. Period one is three minutes long and periods two and three are two minutes long.

The order in which the wrestlers wrestle varies from meet to meet, so one meet could begin at the 125-pound weight class while the next could begin with the heavyweight bout.

Once the meet begins, each team sends out its wrestler for the corresponding weight class. At the beginning of the first period, the wrestlers line up in the center of the wrestling mat in what is called the neutral position.

The goal is for one wrestler to take the other wrestler down. The two basic takedowns that are used are single- and double-leg takedowns. A wrestler is awarded two points for a takedown.

A single-leg takedown is when a wrestler is able wrap up one of his opponents’ legs to take him to the mat and vice versa for a double-leg takedown. If neither wrestler is able to secure a takedown at the end of the three minutes then the score remains 0-0 and the second period begins.

Other than the neutral position, there are three different positions that wrestlers can begin from during the second and third periods. A wrestler can begin on the bottom while the opposing wrestler is lined up over his back with one hand on the elbow and one half way around the waist. Or the wrestler can choose the top position in which the opponent would end up on the bottom.

During one of the last two periods, each wrestler will have the choice of deciding which position they want. This is determined before the match as the captains meet for a coin toss. Whatever team wins the toss has the choice of odd or even.

If they choose, even this means that they get the choice in the second period for even weight classes, which are weight classes 133, 149, 165, 184 and heavyweight. If the team chooses odd they get choice in the second period for weight classes 125, 141, 157, 174 and 197.

Wrestlers have the choice of deferring their choice to the third period and forcing their opponent to choose a position in the second period.

There are two ways to score from the bottom position. A wrestler can escape, which is worth one point. This can be accomplished by standing up, getting away from their opponent and then turning around and facing their opponent. The other method of scoring is known as a reversal, in which a wrestler reverses the opponent to the bottom position and ends up on top. A reversal is worth two points.

There are only two ways to score from the top position. The most common is to gain back points. The wrestler on top must use a legal method of exposing his opponents back at a 45-degree angle. When this is accomplished, the referee will begin to count. The wrestler is awarded two near-fall points if the referee gives at least a two count, but does not make it to five. If the referee gives a five count, the wrestler is then awarded three near fall points.

The final way to score from the top is when a wrestler is given one point for riding time. This is given at the end of the bout to the wrestler that spent the most time in the top position.

Wrestlers can also be awarded a penalty point if the top wrestler locks his hands around the bottom wrestlers’ waist while his hands are still touching the mat.

Each individual bout contributes to a team score, and whoever has the most team points at the end of the match is the winner. Wrestlers are awarded three points for a decision, which is a victory by less than eight points.

A victory by major decision, which is winning by eight points but no more than 14 points, earns a team four points. Teams can earn five points if their wrestler wins by a technical fall, which is winning by 15 points or more. When this occurs, the match is stopped regardless of if time has expired.

Finally there is the fall or pin. A wrestler must pin down their opponents’ shoulder blades for two consecutive seconds. If this is accomplished the team is awarded six points.