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Wrestling 101
New to wrestling? Here are the basics to help get you started.
History
Wrestling is the oldest sport in the world, dating back to 3000 BCE. Classical styles of wrestling evolved in regions across Europe and Asia before becoming popular in Great Britain and the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries. creating the foundation for many modern-day combat sports.
Wrestling Styles
In Canada, there are two styles of wrestling: freestyle and greco roman.
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Freestyle wrestling is the most common style in Canada. The goal of freestyle wrestling is to pin your opponent's shoulders to the mat or score points with throws, takedowns and turns. Matches can be won by pinfall or by points.
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Greco Roman wrestling has the same goal as freestyle, to score points or pin your opponent's shoulders to the mat. The difference is that greco roman only permits moves above the waste.
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Folkstyle wrestling is popular in the United States. This style has a different scoring system based on demonstrating physical control of your opponent, where freestyle is more focused on exposure points. Folkstyle wrestling is not commonly practiced in Canada.
This video offers a good explanation of how scoring works in freestyle wrestling.