Stalling

[Crablegs]

3 minutes ago, juniorvarsity said:

It is a solution. I guess it could be on either guy to come back to center before a push out can occur, but couldn't this be gamed too? Both wrestlers could potentially use a step out in this situation, not just the top wrestler. The escape could tie the match and the top wrestler may not want to give opponent the opportunity for a push out to tie. 

Only allow escapes away from center and never return. I'm probably over doing it, but you sorta have to evaluate a drastic rule change in these manners. 

If you never return, you’re stalling.  That’s pretty simple.  Or, as you state, only 1 wrestler has to return to the center.  I don’t think it would be a problem.  To me it seems like the best solution to address the issues with top/bottom wrestling when adding a step out.

[cl415]

1 hour ago, Crablegs said:

If you never return, you’re stalling.  That’s pretty simple.  Or, as you state, only 1 wrestler has to return to the center.  I don’t think it would be a problem.  To me it seems like the best solution to address the issues with top/bottom wrestling when adding a step out.

In my mind the way to prevent the gaming wouldn’t be the count as that would force the guy on the edge to put himself at risk in order to get off the edge in say 5 seconds. 
 

I don’t like the option that one guy has to be back to the middle either because I feel like it may be difficult in longer exchanges for referees and wrestlers to keep track of that. Would lead to some challenges that take forever because an escape could happen on the edge, 45 seconds go by and someone steps out all the way on the other side mat. They may have gotten close to the circle but never entered it and they have to rewatch the whole thing. 
 

The only thing that makes sense to me is stalemate it as soon as there is a break in action and any step outs that happen before the stalemate are left up to the ref to decide whether the step out occurred as a result of the “neutral edge” or the “grounded edge.” There would be some controversy for sure though but some things need to be at the refs discretion.

[Fletcher]

3 hours ago, forkemaz said:

Jason Bryant didnt wrestle. Should he not have an opinion in the rules? This is just a bad argument

If he's one of these idiots next to me at every meet I go to who's yelling "stalling" for 90 minutes straight, then no.

[Fletcher]

While we're on the topic of stalling, another pet peeve of mine is when there's a top wrestler who's just flat out better than the bottom guy. Bottom guy works his tail off to get out, but is just not good enough.

Inevitably, fans start screaming for stalling and refs oblige.

[red viking]

I've thought about this for a while. WHENEVER you increase points for a certain type of score, you, in effect, decrease the value of other types of scores. We've increased the points for TDs and NFs the past few years. As a result, escapes, reversals and all penalties are less, relatively speaking. 

I like the warning for stallings still, but I think I'm seeing officials be more liberal about calling that. Either way, I think we should. 

[WrestlingRash]

4 hours ago, forkemaz said:

Jason Bryant didnt wrestle. Should he not have an opinion in the rules? This is just a bad argument

To my knowledge, he is not on the rules committee. Your argument is the bad one. 

[alex1fly]

Edge wrestling is great. Don't neuter it by adding a step out and/or forcing guys back to center. Returning to center doesn't increase action, I can stall there too.

56 minutes ago, Fletcher said:

While we're on the topic of stalling, another pet peeve of mine is when there's a top wrestler who's just flat out better than the bottom guy. Bottom guy works his tail off to get out, but is just not good enough.

Inevitably, fans start screaming for stalling and refs oblige.

Agreed on too much fan influence. If you're building up a base and getting broken down, you shouldn't be called for stalling. Sometimes building a base means as little as crawling your fingers forward. Additionally there are cases of guys not doing anything for entire matches and not getting called for stalling. Maybe it's an issue of inconsistent ref training. 

[Dogbone]

1 hour ago, Fletcher said:

While we're on the topic of stalling, another pet peeve of mine is when there's a top wrestler who's just flat out better than the bottom guy. Bottom guy works his tail off to get out, but is just not good enough.

Inevitably, fans start screaming for stalling and refs oblige.

Agree.  I also hate when someone keeps shooting (like Desanto would and MM does) and the other wrestler gets called for stalling.  Defending a shot is not stalling (unless you are backing up or blocking off), but a lot times I see a guy take 3 half effort shots in a row and every one yells "stalling"

[WrestlingRash]

1 minute ago, Dogbone said:

Agree.  I also hate when someone keeps shooting (like Desanto would and MM does) and the other wrestler gets called for stalling.  Defending a shot is not stalling (unless you are backing up or blocking off), but a lot times I see a guy take 3 half effort shots in a row and every one yells "stalling"

good point. +1

[Dogbone]

1 hour ago, red viking said:

I've thought about this for a while. WHENEVER you increase points for a certain type of score, you, in effect, decrease the value of other types of scores. We've increased the points for TDs and NFs the past few years. As a result, escapes, reversals and all penalties are less, relatively speaking. 

I like the warning for stallings still, but I think I'm seeing officials be more liberal about calling that. Either way, I think we should. 

This is the best comment I have seen on this topic! 

Refs need to be more liberal with stalling calls.   It doesn't need to be a huge barrier to get a stall call, especially when there is very little action.    

If you make it more punitive to stall 1 time, refs aren't going to call it so they don't influence the match or get yelled at by the coaches. 

Even if you made it so 3 stalls was a point but refs handed them out like candy, it would be better. 

[forkemaz]

1 hour ago, WrestlingRash said:

To my knowledge, he is not on the rules committee. Your argument is the bad one. 

Wow we are moving the goal post all the way to the rules comittee?! The post i quoted said simply guys who never wrestled d1 should stop talking about the rules because they dont know what theyre talking about. Which is idiotic.

[Gene Mills Fan]

Can you guys start a summer league to test all these great solutions? I'm in for summer school.

[MPhillips]

9 minutes ago, forkemaz said:

Which is idiotic.

[WrestlingRash]

16 minutes ago, forkemaz said:

Wow we are moving the goal post all the way to the rules comittee?! The post i quoted said simply guys who never wrestled d1 should stop talking about the rules because they dont know what theyre talking about. Which is idiotic.

how do you think rules are created? 

[forkemaz]

8 minutes ago, WrestlingRash said:

how do you think rules are created? 

So are you ammending your first statement? I just looked it was you i quoted saying people who didnt wrestle d1 shouldnt say anything about the rules and then implying they're all drunk fans who cant tell what stalling is. 

 

Are you changing your statement to people who didnt wrestle d1 shouldnt be on the rules comittee? You're still wrong but its less stupid than your original comment. 

Edited January 27 by forkemaz

[WrestlingRash]

11 minutes ago, forkemaz said:

So are you ammending your first statement? I just looked it was you i quoted saying people who didnt wrestle d1 shouldnt say anything about the rules and then implying they're all drunk fans who cant tell what stalling is. 

 

Are you changing your statement to people who didnt wrestle d1 shouldnt be on the rules comittee? You're still wrong but its less stupid than your original comment. 

I appreciate your effort. You are NOT stalling. 

[forkemaz]

3 hours ago, Gene Mills Fan said:

Can you guys start a summer league to test all these great solutions? I'm in for summer school.

Jokes aside ive commented this at flo about 1000× times. They wont shut up about a folkstyle step out, test it yourself. They hold all kinds of events. They even did that RTC tournament. Just get a couple of guys and run a 16 man single elimination tournament. Its not a sufficient sample size but its something to chew on. I personally dont have the means or connections, and thats not the changes id make anyways but if they wont shut up they might as well try it.

[Gene Mills Fan]

6 minutes ago, forkemaz said:

Jokes aside ive commented this at flo about 1000× times. They wont shut up about a folkstyle step out, test it yourself. They hold all kinds of events. They even did that RTC tournament. Just get a couple of guys and run a 16 man single elimination tournament. Its not a sufficient sample size but its something to chew on. I personally dont have the means or connections, and thats not the changes id make anyways but if they wont shut up they might as well try it.

Seems like nothing will get implemented unless it gets tested and proves positive, but summer is all FS tourneys??

[juniorvarsity]

4 hours ago, forkemaz said:

Jokes aside ive commented this at flo about 1000× times. They wont shut up about a folkstyle step out, test it yourself. They hold all kinds of events. They even did that RTC tournament. Just get a couple of guys and run a 16 man single elimination tournament. Its not a sufficient sample size but its something to chew on. I personally dont have the means or connections, and thats not the changes id make anyways but if they wont shut up they might as well try it.

They should do this so we can see. I do think gaming top position for a push out is not something we all want to see.

[juniorvarsity]

What do y'all think about a double stall call when first period ends 0-0?

This is a half baked idea, but even if someone has already been hit with one stall call, you award the either wrestler with 1 point due to second stall call and go into second period 1-0. Would this be a bad incentive and the guy without a stall call might coast out the rest of the first period for the easy point?

And then it's like, well what if it is 3-0. Why not still give a stall call to the guy who hasn't scored any points?

[He Rassle]

On 1/27/2026 at 4:24 AM, Scouts Honor said:

if only someone had warned us the 3 point takedown would do this

If the takedown were only 3 points when inside the center circle, it might encourage more action at the center from the whistle. The push out point could be restricted to a sequence that started from neutral. After an escape, the ref can wait just long enough to see if there's an immediate, post-escape attack, after which he whistles them back to center, at which point the neutral sequence begins.

[Scouts Honor]

i like the idea.. if i keep a toe down in the center, i get 3.

no pushout though.

[Scouts Honor]

i run a summer league for high school kids

but its for kids to prepare for the current rules.... for the current season

 

if i turn them into guinea pigs it would have to be under agreement and not sure the coaches would want to use their time that way.

 

[Gene Mills Fan]

Pushouts might be scored like on the mat cautions. 2 cautions then a point each one  

[Dogbone]

12 hours ago, juniorvarsity said:

What do y'all think about a double stall call when first period ends 0-0?

This is a half baked idea, but even if someone has already been hit with one stall call, you award the either wrestler with 1 point due to second stall call and go into second period 1-0. Would this be a bad incentive and the guy without a stall call might coast out the rest of the first period for the easy point?

And then it's like, well what if it is 3-0. Why not still give a stall call to the guy who hasn't scored any points?

 I would suggest with a mandatory stall call on 1 wrestler after the first or any other period that doesn't include a score.   

The double call is okay too, but I think it just leads refs to not calling the second one in a close matches. 

 If someone studied the stall calls that refs actually call in the 3rd period without knowing the score or time, there is no consistency.   If a guy is up 3-1 and doesn't have a stall called yet, the refs are liberal with the first (mealiness) stall call.  If the score is 3-2 and the winning wrestler has a stall call, that same sequence that gets called in my first example, rarely, if ever, is called in my second example.