New step out rule in action

[Dark Energy]

I think I’m liking the new step out rule.  You really don’t want to play the edge now.  You drop to knees can be slid out.  Part of me isn’t a big fan of just sliding someone out.  But am a big fan of guys staying away from the edge and making more of an effort to not go OOB.  
 

I didn’t watch a ton of matches but what I saw suggested more continuous action as the OOB was avoided.

I heard a Flo announcer say that if grounded, it takes more than one foot to be called for OOB.  Or perhaps when wrestling down on mat.  Anyone hear that / know what the rule is here?

[D3 for LU]

I was fascinated w/ this change of the step out rule.

In the past, when a wrestler was being bulldozed towards the OOB and the ref calls out "zone red (or blue,") that wrestler quickly drops down towards their knees to avoid the push out point.

NOW, (I guess, depending on the circumstance,) the new interpretation puts a kibosh on that tactic to avoid giving up that push out point.

In THAT respect, I like it... other opinions from anyone else? 

D3 

[Wrasslin]

5 hours ago, Dark Energy said:

I think I’m liking the new step out rule.  You really don’t want to play the edge now.  You drop to knees can be slid out.  Part of me isn’t a big fan of just sliding someone out.  But am a big fan of guys staying away from the edge and making more of an effort to not go OOB.  
 

I didn’t watch a ton of matches but what I saw suggested more continuous action as the OOB was avoided.

I heard a Flo announcer say that if grounded, it takes more than one foot to be called for OOB.  Or perhaps when wrestling down on mat.  Anyone hear that / know what the rule is here?

I like it too (so far), although the refs are now seeming to stop action much quicker in positions rather than letting wrestlers work through things. Not sure if the two are related. 

As for above, I believe it is still only one foot, when grounded per UWW Article 38 (below). 

[JMill]

So, in theory, if your opponent is just trying to  push you out (not take you down or expose you), he won’t get a point unless you drop to your knees. In theory.

The thing that gets me is the defensive wrestler putting his head on the mat out of bounds to stop the action. That should be caution and one, par terre restart, every single time.

[Booger]

30 minutes ago, JMill said:

So, in theory, if your opponent is just trying to  push you out (not take you down or expose you), he won’t get a point unless you drop to your knees. In theory.

The thing that gets me is the defensive wrestler putting his head on the mat out of bounds to stop the action. That should be caution and one, par terre restart, every single time.

I'm good w/ that!

[Booger]

49 minutes ago, Wrasslin said:

I like it too (so far), although the refs are now seeming to stop action much quicker in positions rather than letting wrestlers work through things. Not sure if the two are related. 

As for above, I believe it is still only one foot, when grounded per UWW Article 38 (below). 

Thanks for retrieving that, Wrasslin. 

[Dark Energy]

@Wrasslin - thanks for that.  Maybe I misheard.

And @JMill - I’ve seen that called exactly how you want it.  Has to be in a position where putting head down is clearly voluntary.  

[JMill]

19 minutes ago, Dark Energy said:

And @JMill - I’ve seen that called exactly how you want it.  Has to be in a position where putting head down is clearly voluntary.  

I’ve seen it called that way (correctly), too, but it’s pretty rare that it does. Putting the head down is used with the same level of gamesmanship that dropping to the knees to avoid a step out had before the rule change. One match last night I watched, the guy had a shin whizzer and put his head down off the mat. Whistle. No points. Huh?

[LJB]

USAW runs over 30 mats of 3 man mechanics for 5 days...

the reffing is always a total crap shoot at the open...

there are generally few good international refs in this country and they get the senior assignments at the Open... the rest is just who they can get to show up and for how many days... how good an official they are is not a top priority... just a warm body...

[Dark Energy]

So Spencer had Luke way OOB.  Both feet and to the knees.  Ref does not stop it.  Same situation for Spencer when rotate and Luke gets the point.  Huh???

And Brands does not challenge.  There is some additional depth to this rule.

 

Edited April 26 by Dark Energy

[Chas2105]

1 hour ago, Dark Energy said:

So Spencer had Luke way OOB.  Both feet and to the knees.  Ref does not stop it.  Same situation for Spencer when rotate and Luke gets the point.  Huh???

And Brands does not challenge.  There is some additional depth to this rule.

 

Grounded the head or upper body/pinning points need to be out not the feet. 

[LJB]

the rules are really not that hard to grasp if you actually take minute to try and understand...

[pokemonster]

54 minutes ago, Chas2105 said:

Grounded the head or upper body/pinning points need to be out not the feet. 

Yet Hayden Zillmer just scored a step out on Buchanan with one foot, maybe two OOB. Pyles and the announcers said it's for sure a step out. I don't get it. 

[LJB]

1 minute ago, pokemonster said:

Yet Hayden Zillmer just scored a step out on Buchanan with one foot, maybe two OOB. Pyles and the announcers said it's for sure a step out. I don't get it. 

quit listening to the Flo Bros when they have never taken one serious attempt to actually understand international rules...

[Dark Energy]

@LJB - you are such a prick.  Instead of being an ass, try for once to take the time and help out vs seeking to step on the other guy.  Go ahead and clearly define the rule for the rest of us.  Provide good detail.  Let’s see if your intelligence and wrestling knowledge rivals your smugness.

Edited April 26 by Dark Energy

[LJB]

14 minutes ago, Dark Energy said:

@LJB - you are such a prick.  Instead of being an ass, try for once to take the time and help out vs seeking to step on the other guy.  Go ahead and clearly define the rule for the rest of us.  Provide good detail.  Let’s see if your intelligence and wrestling knowledge rivals your smugness.

use some personal initiative and learn them yourself...

quit being lazy and just begging to be spoon fed...

https://www.uswoa.com/

[JMill]

9 minutes ago, LJB said:

use some personal initiative and learn them yourself...

quit being lazy and just begging to be spoon fed...

https://www.uswoa.com/

So what you’re saying is we should ask Grok.

[LJB]

Just now, JMill said:

So what you’re saying is we should ask Grok.

the link is where USAW has all of their official training and it has been there for years...

there will be plenty of videos there for any anonymous forum nerd to exercise some personal initiative instead of just whining on the internet...

[LJB]

when the new rule was instituted i immediately went that site and watched the video explaining the new rule...

why is that so hard for anyone else to do???

 

[Chas2105]

20 hours ago, pokemonster said:

Yet Hayden Zillmer just scored a step out on Buchanan with one foot, maybe two OOB. Pyles and the announcers said it's for sure a step out. I don't get it. 

As the rule is written in the USA wrestling rule book. Page 3 of 61 under 2026 Points of Emphasis. Also if you don't want to watch the whole video skip to 17:30. That's where the grounded step out is addressed. A little after the 20 min mark he tells you what qualifies as out when grounded.

2. When the action in a bout starts from standing, transitions to parterre/grounded position and then proceeds to go out-of-bounds with no points scored while on the mat, a stepout will be scored for the opponent of the athlete who goes out-of-bounds first. Wrestling will restart in a standing position, unless the defensive athlete commits a foul while in parterre. Out-of-bounds is indicated when the full head of the athlete touches the protection area or the upper body/pinning points of an athlete are no longer contained within the cylinder of the wrestling area.

NOTE: The
only exception to this rule is when a CLEARLY offensive athlete goes into the protection area first
while in grounded position.
 

Edited April 27 by Chas2105

[Ragu]

I love the new rule and thought it was called very appropriately, hoping folk does something similar and soon 

[LJB]

i have been watching the new step out rule all year overseas... much better product...

they still are not calling the fake injury time like was changed, but, baby steps...

[Psalm 1 guy]

Over on Iowa's wrestling board, jrod65 had the following question regarding when Luke Lilledahl was awarded a step out point against SpencerLee in their match at the U.S. Open, making the score 4-1 at the time: "I still have a question on the situation with Lilledahl and Spencer that I'm not quite grasping. I understand that when Lilledahl was on his knees, he's grounded and chest/shoulders would determine oob. But once he comes off his knees, wouldn't he no longer be "grounded" and regular stepout rules apply?"

I decided to email Casey Goessl from USA Wrestling, who made the video referenced in this thread and which is attached here: 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qk1marsuxh2l0ewrfelkl/2026-Rules-Modifications-02-27-2026.mp4?rlkey=1fu9rp6zz8abk1233x0br6slk&e=1&dl=0

Here is his gracious and thorough reply: I highlighted in blue where he addresses the specific question jrod65 had. Sorry about the black backround to my text. Normally there is the option of removing that background when copying text, but for some reason this time that option wasn't available:

Hi Gaylon. I'll see if I can help answer these questions.

Please understand the evolution of the "grounded out-of-bounds (oob)." In previous years, wrestlers would be under attack from standing and then drop to their knees near the zone to avoid a standing stepout. The onus was on the referees to determine if this was correct defense and no points, or a tactic to avoid going out-of-bounds whereby fleeing the mat would be called. To avoid these types of tactics going forward, the "grounded oob" provision was added to the UWW rules this year. Please understand, fleeing the mat from this position is still an existing application if an athlete intentionally leaves the wrestling area, but hopefully this modification increases action towards the edge and takes some of the referee subjectivity out of the equation.

If the athletes are standing and facing one another, then per Olympic style rules, each athlete can score a takedown. If the athletes start in this position, but then transition to a knee/s without one wrestler showing dominance (meaning no score during this transition), and then go oob, a point for grounded stepout shall be awarded assuming that a clearly offensive wrestler does not go oob first (think of a go behind situation). If neither athlete is clearly offensive or if the athletes are just in a scramble for position, a grounded oob should be scored. If the athletes score during the transition (takedown, or turn from par terre), the sequence for grounded oob will not restart again until the athletes come to a standing position, facing one another since each athlete would then be eligible to score a takedown again.

The only other exception to going out of bounds in par terre where no point is awarded would be an ordered par terre situation. In this case, it is only fair to allow the bottom athlete an opportunity to defend without fear of penalty by going oob.

To clarify the situation at 2:00 in the bout in the Lee v. Lilledahl match, the interpretation of this position comes back to Article 34 in the UWW rules:

"any momentary loss of contact of the knees from the mat once the athletes have established parterre position will not be considered a standing action."
Lilledahl comes off his knees but Lee maintains his chest on his back, never allowing him to come to a fully standing position. Think of it from these terms: if Lee would do a front headlock on Lilledahl in this position (knees slightly off the mat) , it would only be judged as two points, not four points, meaning Lilledahl is still in parterre, not standing. By the time Lilledahl comes back to what I would consider standing, he is already well in bounds and then gets the stepout on Lee.

And please do not be confused; grounded is par terre, only in that grounded implies no wrestler is dominant.

I apologize but the pictures you sent in your message aren't coming up for me.

The last highlighted point you sent is in regards to "push-outs." I make sure to cover this topic in every rules clinic because the American wrestling audience often mixes "push-outs" with stepouts. Pushing your wrestler out of bounds in all styles is not allowed, even though no real penalty exists. It generally involves a break in contact near the zone and one athlete extending his arms to attempt to get a cheap point, although we don't consider this a wrestling action worthy of a point.
 

[Dark Energy]

Thank you @Psalm 1 guy!!!!

[wrestlingshoe]

Gemeni does a pretty decent job of summarizing the new push out rules.