From everything we are reading online, the center of last week's controversies seems to center on the matches featuring Nahshon Garrett and J'den Cox. In reviewing the tweets at the time and since, the one thing that seems abundantly clear to me isn't that there were refereeing errors, but that most American fans, coaches and athletes simply don't know the freestyle rules well enough to lodge complaints with much veracity.
The majority of American coaches, wrestlers and fans don't watch international wrestling until the Trials or other major events. USA Wrestling and United World Wrestling have gobs of content up (for free) on their site and YouTube, with more coming every week from tournaments around the world. Still, most content doesn't reach the core American wrestling fan. Why? Because the NCAA and local high school seasons run simultaneous to the international season and we believe in American exceptionalism in making international sports our own and then claiming their "objective" superiority (rugby to football, cricket to baseball). I like NCAA wrestling, but freestyle is a totally different sport with different rules, motivations for referees and outcomes for wrestlers.
Unfortunately, in wrestling, that exceptionalism and blind eye is resulting in the mistakes like we saw last weekend in Iowa.
From where I sit it looks like the issues faced in America are always unique to the world discussion. The stalling this weekend is just the most recent iteration. Before that it was the near takedown and other since-clarified rules. Never in another country have I seen or heard of the controversies that bubble up stateside. Part of the issue is that referees and coaches are bringing in too many habits and notions from NCAA into a sport that has drastically different rules.
The best example of this is the kerfuffle surrounding Nahshon Garrett. He was absolutely, one-hundred percent stalling in trying to protect his lead in the last 30 seconds. That is a conditional call we are used to seeing be ignored on the NCAA mat, because we don't want referees involved. International referees are asked to get involved from the very start of the match to ensure that the athletes wrestle. If action is maintained they fade into the background. When they don't they are forced to prompt action. No referee at the international level would have allowed Garrett that type of repetitive hold fleeing. Garrett was explicitly warned of this action and told to not flee … and then immediately fled!
And yet there is another wrinkle …
The call which cost Garrett the match was not confirmed by all three referees and should have been challenged by the coaching staff where it would have been overturned! Not only would the referees have seen the white paddle of the mat chairman, but also, even if he'd somehow lost the challenge, Garrett would have still needed the same takedown. It was a gimme challenge that the coaches never took.
With more international wrestling experience, all these issues, from understanding referee judgment to knowing what to challenge, would cease to exist.
On the other side of this issue, J'den Cox was correct in not being called because Kyle Dake was not making any wrestling actions in his attempts to score. While fans think a pushout is a pushout, there is mention in the rules that extended arm pushing does not receive the single point for stepping out of bounds. The international community doesn't want to see a shoving match and it was obvious that Dake wasn't attempting a takedown, but a series of pushouts.
In Dake's case, were he not in Dake country, he would have been cautioned for stalling in the second period. International referees don't let you drop into a sumo squat, pull and underhook and sprawl. They believe the losing wrestler should attack or move position just the same as the winning wrestler. In the final few seconds Dake made almost no wrestling maneuvers. This match really should never have been equated with the happenings of Garrett since they were much different realities and flees.
Americans should love freestyle! There is an incredible impetus put on action. Unfortunately the NCAA control-based rules system has infected our brains and made us believe that MORE time is somehow the key to action-based results. It's one-hundred percent not. The amount of wrestling action we saw in well-competed matches at the Trials far outstripped the best of the NCAA wrestling tournament where many matches saw fewer than TWO offensive scoring actions.
The Mongolian Qualifier is next week. For fans looking to get ready for the Olympics I recommend watching these matches not just for Team USA but to get a feel for the rules and nuances of the international style.
To your questions ..
Q: When watching Kyle Dake wrestle, he is consistently seen complaining about calls to the refs and in a match against J'den Cox seemingly purposefully pushing him off the stage when they were clearly already out of bounds and the one point was awarded. Does he lack good sportsmanship and is this overlooked because of his stature as one of the most successful college wrestlers ever?
-- K.K.
Foley: Dake is popular and carries a lot of cache in the American wrestling community for having won four NCAA titles. That might be why he avoided an absolutely blatant penalty call when driving Cox off the mat after the whistle had blown and he'd earned his point.
Dake's behavior was unacceptable, but like you mentioned not totally out of character. Should Dake have hurt Cox, it would have major consequences for Team USA and that type of wrestling only sets back the team's ability to win at the international level. To most fans, it looked like Dake was too focused on relieving his frustrations than trying to solve the technical problems he was facing on the mat.
There is a bigger message here. Wrestlers from around the USA need to chill the hell out with their tough guy bravado. Stop trying to win matches with "intensity." Stop chest-pounding and screaming into the air. Focus more on technique, game planning and match experience. Being humble and gracious in victory and defeat is not easy, but it's a richer path forward than having to always act as though the man in front of you is holding your family hostage and you have to club their freedom out from the back of his head.
Look around the world, we are the only ones with a habit for this behavior and it's time to take a hint and drop the act.
Q: I believe there should be some tweaks when it comes to winning by criteria. Specifically, winning the match when it's tied on equal criteria with a passive point I think is completely and utterly absurd. Most of us are used to a situation like that in folkstyle: you're winning by a point, and the ref hits you for a stall point to send it into OT. But in the case where criteria is the same, and that passive point decides the match, there is a problem -- passivity (like stalling) is subjective. The last thing we want is to give too much control to anyone other than the two guys wrestling. Case in point: Tony Ramos vs. Nahshon Garrett.
The referee basically decided the match there. I don't see that much difference in what Cox did in the final match against Dake. Again, it's all subjective, and another ref could have easily hit Cox for a passive point there. I am not saying Cox should have been called for passive, but another ref in another country could have seen it differently. My solution would be simple: in the case of a tie match where criteria is the same, and the losing wrestler earns a passive point, we should go to sudden death. So in the case of Ramos vs Garrett, it would be overtime, not the ref declaring him the winner. I am sure that many people in both instances think the right calls were made, but that is not really the point. This has huge implications internationally. Go watch or re-watch the Cary Kolat documentary; the goal is always to keep it as objective as possible. I heard Rob Koll got an official warning (think they said a yellow card) because he went ballistic after the call, and rightfully so! What are your thoughts?
-- Frank C.
Foley: The absolute beauty of criteria is that you have to wrestle six minutes but ONLY six minutes. Referees are there to ensure that the action is maintained. Though I was tuxed up on Saturday and in transit Sunday I saw enough of the American college kids wrestling to see that there is WAY too much focus on trying to eke out a one-point victory starting in the FIRST PERIOD.
The international guys know better and don't turn off their offense. The attacks don't stop! Maybe they take fewer risks in their attacks, but they don't just shut it down. Same can be said for Jordan Burroughs. He doesn't just sit back and allow his one point edge to carry him into the next round. He is constantly looking to score.
Kyle Dake battles J'den Cox in the finals of the Olympic Team Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Overtime is not a solution to anything. The only thing it would provide is even more action like you saw from Dake and many others. Lead holding and dancing for OT when a regulation tie is in effect. The difference is that in America the wrestlers think it's OK to just wait around as you're losing on criteria or points, whereas internationally nobody ever thought that doing nothing was a method for winning.
Q: What did you make of Tony Ramos' comments about Tom Brands and Iowa following his loss to Dan Dennis? Do you see where he's coming from? Or is just sour grapes?
-- Mike C.
Foley: I don't think Olympian Tony Ramos says anything about the coaching staff at the press conference, but I don't think it was just sour grapes. He had his feelings hurt when seeing the coaches he trusted to help him secure his dream backed a guy he knew. If they also helped find a flaw in his technique then he's got a case for some serious professional misconduct.
I think Dan Dennis has a style that will likely see more success at the international level.
Q: Per Wikepedia (yes, that's right, Wikipedia), your boy Sadulaev won't have to wrestle off for his spot on the Russian Olympic team. Do you know anything about this? I could be wrong, but I feel like even Buvaisar Saitiev had to wrestle off at Russian Nationals for his spot each year. Speaking of Russian Nationals, do you happen to know when they are (I think early June?) and if there is a way to watch?
-- Mark R.
Foley: I have zero problem with this decision. Even if some clown beat him, none of the backups have yet to win anything of merit, or even place. There would be no reason to take them over Sadulaev. The deal he cut was that he had to win U23 Europeans and he could sit out. He did that with relative ease and is on his way to Rio.
The matches will be livestreamed on a Russian site. The Russian Nationals are at the end of May in Yakutsk.
Q: I'm still a little confused … Is wrestling an 'official' or 'core' sport for Rio? I though it wasn't until 2020 when it would be back as a full sport after some sort of probationary period. From the screenshot from the official Rio 2016 page, it looks as if the men's disciplines are fully integrated, while women's freestyle is not. How does this impact media coverage, medal count (are the medals counted if the sport is not 'official'), and historical records?
-- Coach K
Foley: Not only is it an official sport of the 2016 Games but going forward it is among the 28 core sports of the Olympic Games. That list will not change, or be put back up for reconsideration. The only changes made will be additional disciplines added by the organizing committees of each Games, starting with Tokyo 2020 who will most likely choose baseball and softball as an additional sport.
Q: As former wrestler and coach, I am now starting my BJJ journey. In being a loyal reader to your mailbag on InterMat and knowing that you also train BJJ, I would like to know if you have any good references/blogs/articles for someone transitioning from wrestling to BJJ?
-- Nick J.
Foley: The best piece of advice for anyone entering into BJJ is to try to let go of your ego. There is so much to learn, but to understand the roll more you have to understand that there is a lot of tapping at each stage of your journey. There is always someone out there who is doing it bigger and better than you, so make the sport about personal growth and challenging your learning patterns. Wrestling is checkers. BJJ is chess. Embrace that difference and it'll become extremely enjoyable and fulfilling.
As for some of the details this is a pretty good primer.
Q: With so much talk about Jake Herbert, Kyle Dake, David Taylor, etc. leading up to the Trials, I am surprised there is not more news coverage about J'den Cox's performance and his victory at the Trials, especially given his admitted limited training in freestyle. Why isn't this bigger news?
-- KK
Foley: Unclear! I think that there is more coverage to come on Cox and his achievements, but right now he needs to focus on qualifying the weight for Rio!
Q: With the Olympic Team Trials over, who do you see retiring and/or moving on to MMA?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Unfortunately, I think we've seen the last of Brent Metcalf. For me his recent improvements on the mat, and in his demeanor since the NCAA days, has been a pleasure to watch. He's got incredible insights into competition and has been a leader for the USA team on and off the mat. I don't know him well, so I don't know that he is retiring, but I do know that if he does I'll miss watching him wrestle and wish him the best in his next career.
Uniform Update of the Week
By Dan B.
I am the team lead for Team Nevada wrestling. I have been following your commentary for several years regarding the need for a change in the uniforms in our great sport. I want you to know that Nevada USA Wrestling is on board. Attached is a picture of our national team, which competed this last weekend at Folkstyle Nationals in Cedar Falls. Fight gear was the uniform we chose. Our tiny little state finished with two national champs, a runner up and four additional All-Americans. Did it all in compression shirts and board shorts.
Thought of the Week
By Nate H.
After watching the Olympic Team Trials, I should add ...
I can't help but notice the name recognition that NCAA success brings to U.S. male freestyle athletes. It builds really compelling storylines at home and that's great, I love seeing prominent NCAA champs compete in the international styles. But … this lends itself to a men's freestyle bias where everyone wants to see former NCAA stars match up, even if said NCAA stars are markedly below the world's elite.
Here in the ol' USA, both our women and our men put damn good wrestling on the mat. Although just as impressive in the quality of technique and scrapping, the women's matches have a noticeable PR disadvantage with the average American wrestling fan whose international knowledge comes from former folkstyle name recognition. The male Greco athletes who go through Northern Michigan or straight to the OTC have the same PR disadvantage.
In the U.S., freestyle and Greco, men and women, all have fantastic, ascending programs. I hope that come August, our U.S. fan base (including media) can get just as hyped about Adeline Gray or Robby Smith et al. as watching former NCAA champs rematch their collegiate rivalry in the quarters of domestic freestyle meets.
I look forward to seeing Helen Maroulis' and Adeline Gray's gold medal runs right next to Kyle Snyder's and Jordan Burroughs'!
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