NCAA Rule Change Proposals

[Idaho]

Rules committee meets this week. In addition to review changes...

• Mandatory mouth piece.
• Eliminating the interlocking fingers penalty because it is virtually impossible for referees to determine who created the violation. 
• Making the wearing of ear protection optional for wrestlers.
• No longer requiring the referee to say "set" from all three starting positions.
• Stopping the riding time when the offensive wrestler is going to be called for stalling.
• Establishing a protocol for schools to request a review of flagrant misconduct penalties. The school would have up to 48 hours to make the request to its conference. After reviewing the video, the conference could send it to be reviewed by a panel that would include the NCAA men's wrestling secretary-rules editor, the NCAA national coordinator of men's wrestling officials and an independent third party.
• Penalizing wrestlers for unsportsmanlike conduct for throwing, tossing, spiking or sliding any piece of equipment before, during or after the match. 

 

https://www.ncaa.org/news/2025/5/1/media-center-matside-video-review-changes-proposed-in-mens-wrestling.aspx

[Coastal]

Not a fan of tossing or sliding equipment being a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  Intent is the key there and I am struggling to see how sliiding something is unsportsmanlike.   

[BruceyB]

31 minutes ago, Idaho said:

Stopping the riding time when the offensive wrestler is going to be called for stalling.

When is the offensive wrestler "going to be called" for stalling?

Is this when the referee begins a count? So essentially you're just taking away 4 seconds at a time and creating a whole new mess for the scoring table to manage?

Or is it when the top wrestler is called for stalling the riding time stops?

I actually love the idea that if you get called for stalling in the top position that riding time stops. Especially in tie-breakers. It would essentially give you two potential ride-out results. A dirty ride out when you take a stall call (can't get 30 seconds of RT) or a clean ride out where the wrestler would get their full 30 seconds of RT.

[Idaho]

10 minutes ago, Coastal said:

Not a fan of tossing or sliding equipment being a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  Intent is the key there and I am struggling to see how sliiding something is unsportsmanlike.   

Agree...dumb penalty. I am not sure what is meant by that recommendation when it's already a rule????

Forgot to add another recommendation:  

"Allowing the offensive wrestler to leave both feet and use one or both legs to return their opponent to the mat when the defensive wrestler is standing (broomstick position). The double knee kickback, however, still would be illegal. "

[Idaho]

2 minutes ago, BruceyB said:

When is the offensive wrestler "going to be called" for stalling?

Is this when the referee begins a count? So essentially you're just taking away 4 seconds at a time and creating a whole new mess for the scoring table to manage?

Or is it when the top wrestler is called for stalling the riding time stops?

I actually love the idea that if you get called for stalling in the top position that riding time stops. Especially in tie-breakers. It would essentially give you two potential ride-out results. A dirty ride out when you take a stall call (can't get 30 seconds of RT) or a clean ride out where the wrestler would get their full 30 seconds of RT.

My guess "going to be called for stalling" is when the count starts. However, I believe there are situations where there is no count when the ref is considering top man for stalling. How will that work???  I agree...better have some smart and wrestling knowledgable people at the tables to stop that riding time. I see matches being stopped a lot to get the riding time right. 

[wrestlingfandadcoach]

1 hour ago, Coastal said:

Not a fan of tossing or sliding equipment being a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  Intent is the key there and I am struggling to see how sliiding something is unsportsmanlike.   

I understand what you are saying, but why has it become such a necessity to take off your headgear in the 20 seconds between the final buzzer and walking off the mat after the handshake?  I mean you've had the headgear on for nearly 10 minutes, what is so painful about 10:20?

[Coastal]

5 minutes ago, wrestlingfandadcoach said:

I understand what you are saying, but why has it become such a necessity to take off your headgear in the 20 seconds between the final buzzer and walking off the mat after the handshake?  I mean you've had the headgear on for nearly 10 minutes, what is so painful about 10:20?

I get that but by the way this is written, if a headgear falls off and you slide it out of the way, you get an unsportsmanlike?

That's about the only scenario where I have seen a wrestler slide anything.   Of course they may do away with headgear.

[GimJustafan]

 you teach youth wrestlers , when you report to scores table be ready to wrestle

head gear on

mouth guard in

shoes taped

 

so, at the end of the match

just keep everything on , shake hands walk off the mat

 

[rsotelo]

3 minutes ago, GimJustafan said:

 you teach youth wrestlers , when you report to scores table be ready to wrestle

head gear on

mouth guard in

shoes taped

 

so, at the end of the match

just keep everything on , shake hands walk off the mat

 

That's how it should be.

[nhs67]

8 minutes ago, GimJustafan said:

 you teach youth wrestlers , when you report to scores table be ready to wrestle

head gear on

mouth guard in

shoes taped

 

so, at the end of the match

just keep everything on , shake hands walk off the mat

 

Difficult to really understand why your completely logical line of thought is too difficult to comprehend, let alone follow.

[bnwtwg]

Yawn. Call me when they limit the entirety of the review period to 2 minutes or less.

[Boring]

The only really dumb rule change is requiring mouthpieces for wrestlers. It's not like wrestlers are getting punched in the mouth constantly like boxers or getting jacked in the mouth by offensive linemen firing off the ball. Sure, on rare occasions the mouthpiece might help (I wrestled over 300 wrestling matches, a lot against real brutes, and never sustained a dental injury on the mat), but 99% of the time all it's going to do is at least partially impede a wrestler's breathing, especially if he has a damaged septum. 

Edited 22 hours ago by Boring

[cowcards]

28 minutes ago, Boring said:

The only really dumb rule change is requiring mouthpieces for wrestlers. It's not like wrestlers are getting punched in the mouth constantly like boxers or getting jacked in the mouth by offensive linemen firing off the ball. Sure, on rare occasions the mouthpiece might help (I wrestled over 300 wrestling matches, a lot against real brutes, and never sustained a dental injury on the mat), but 99% of the time all it's going to do is at least partially impede a wrestler's breathing, especially if he has a damaged septum. 

I’d say that the idea is to help prevent concussions even though there is no true evidence that it either helps or doesn’t yet.

I can say from personal experience, I used to get 1-2 concussions a year for a few years in HS/College. I started to wear a mouthpiece and have never had one since. I’d never wrestle without one again. 

[Boring]

1 minute ago, cowcards said:

I’d say that the idea is to help prevent concussions even though there is no true evidence that it either helps or doesn’t yet.

I can say from personal experience, I used to get 1-2 concussions a year for a few years in HS/College. I started to wear a mouthpiece and have never had one since. I’d never wrestle without one again. 

Seems weird that a mouthpiece can help prevent concussions, but I believe you. How about padding the headgear on top so creampuffs like Meyer Shapiro aren't bleeding out from their scalp every other match? 

[EntertainMe]

Get rid of any unsportsmanlike behavior with equipment at the end of a match. promote celebrations and grow the sport. Or continue to try and keep it relevant when WWE, UFC, Pride, opening ceremonies of most events are entertaining. Make wrestling entertaining before the boost from female wrestling wears off, and we are back to trying to save or make it financially not a burden.

[EntertainMe]

Riding time stalls are already based too much on referee discretion and should be left alone. I don't enjoy the way they keep pushing folkstyle towards the TDWrestling

[cowcards]

16 minutes ago, Boring said:

Seems weird that a mouthpiece can help prevent concussions, but I believe you. How about padding the headgear on top so creampuffs like Meyer Shapiro aren't bleeding out from their scalp every other match? 

The thought process is that the mouthpiece can absorb some of the energy that goes through the jaw to the brain from impact. 

I think headgear padding works minimally, as well. But it's really impossible to know because it may not prevent concussions, but it may prevent some of the consistent banging the head gets that builds up. 

[Jimmy Cinnabon]

No pushout rule?

[PortaJohn]

Most pressing matter is changing reversals from 2 points to 3 and it's not even up for review?  Shame

[EntertainMe]

The mouthpiece is a financial decision. Follow the money, and I bet Pyles of cash that some company is writing a check to push such an equipment mandate. # of wrestlers 4-40 yrs old that will need one and a backup, and a replacement for the lost one, and as you grow, you need more. You also need the newest and coolest ones. A championship mouthpiece for the finals. Now you get more tired since you can't breathe well, causing more stalling and blah blah blah. Fix what's not broke 

\

 

[Boring]

7 minutes ago, EntertainMe said:

Riding time stalls are already based too much on referee discretion and should be left alone. I don't enjoy the way they keep pushing folkstyle towards the TDWrestling

I think the refs should only allow a guy to continue riding if he's actually working for turns (or to keep really active guys down). Too much of the time they just allow guys to wallow around on top of the other guy while not working for turns. 

What do you mean by "TDWrestling"? 

[gimpeltf]

1 hour ago, cowcards said:

The thought process is that the mouthpiece can absorb some of the energy that goes through the jaw to the brain from impact. 

And lessens the distance the jaw might be open during a collision.

[D3 for LU]

I remember my nephew using a mouth guard in his frosh season,

but that was due to him having braces then.

 

D3

[flyingcement]

59 minutes ago, D3 for LU said:

I remember my nephew using a mouth guard in his frosh season,

but that was due to him having braces then.

 

D3

Same for me.  Only wore a mouth guard when I had braces.  I did a little backyard boxing as a young man and it only took one hole in my lip before I got a mouth guard for that as well lol

[MPhillips]

9 hours ago, Idaho said:

I am not sure what is meant by that recommendation when it's already a rule????

flex...