• The Wrestling Rules Committee improved the offensive starting position and clarified language for takedowns, escapes and reversals at its annual meeting April 10-13 in Indianapolis. The committee’s proposals will be forwarded to the Playing Rules Oversight Panel for final approval later this month.

In an attempt to deal with numerous false starts and unfair starts in the offensive position, the committee altered and clarified the sequence a referee must follow when restarting a match in that position.

“With this rule clarification, we hope it will make it easier for referees and student-athletes to have a fair restart and help reduce the number of false starts and ‘rolling starts,’ ” said committee Chair William Walker, deputy athletics director at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

The procedure, which is covered in Rule 2-1-b and c, reads:

“The time sequence of assuming the offensive position is to: (1) set the knee(s) and feet; (2) place the palm of one hand on the navel; (3) place the other palm on or over the near elbow; and (4) the referee may pause momentarily before starting wrestling.”

The committee also voted to standardize language dealing with supporting points and the out of bounds line. Under the proposed change, takedowns, escapes and reversals will be consistent, making any part of the supporting point the determining factor.

“This is a rule that really has worked very well in takedowns,” Walker said. “With this success, the committee decided to expand the wording for escapes and reversals to be consistent.”

Under the previous rule, determination of escapes and reversals depended upon the foot of either wrestler being in bounds. Now, if a hand, knee or other supporting point(s) is in bounds, the points will be awarded.

The committee proposed another clarification in the takedown rule as well. When competition approaches the out of bounds line and a takedown is in progress, but both wrestlers leave the mat and are in the air, points will be granted, providing a supporting point ends up in bounds and a foot of either wrestler remained in the wrestling area at all times.

“That certainly is a rare situation, but it is one that occurred this year and caused discussion among officials and coaches,” Walker said. “It made sense for us to clarify the language and further encourage wrestling at the edge of the mat.”

Committee members also reviewed the NCAA’s Weight Management Program, which the committee administers in conjunction with the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Members noted that some institutions were fined for violations of the program but that only one of the violations was considered to be dangerous to the student-athlete. All violations included a monetary fine.

“In general, the program is accomplishing the goal of assisting our institutions in determining the safest and most appropriate weight for student-athletes,” Walker said.

The committee took action on several weight-related items, forwarding the proposals to the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport. Those measures include: 

• Requiring the assessor (for example, athletic trainers, medical personnel) to verify and submit Sections I and II data on the NWCA system. Under such procedures, coaches will have access only to change personal information (for example, correct spelling of a name or year in school). Coaches will have viewer-only capabilities pertaining to the medical data.  
• Eliminating the December deadline but requiring student-athletes to establish their weight class by February 1, 2007. The last allowable date in which a competitor may reach his or her original certified weight is February 1, 2007.
• Emphasizing that student-athletes may wrestle no higher than one weight class above the certified weight class and still be eligible to return to the lower class. For example, if a student-athlete is certified at 125 but weighs in and wrestles at 141, the 133-pound class becomes the lowest allowable weight class.
• Adding a section to the rule that requires each institution to enter their complete competition schedule in the NWCA system, further ensuring that all institutions are following proper weight procedures.

The Wrestling Rules Committee also recommended the following changes:

• Weigh-ins should take place one hour before the start of the match, particularly when a junior varsity weigh-in precedes the varsity.
• Penalties for flagrant misconduct should be increased to include a suspension for any remaining competition and the next date of competition.