Falls, Nearfalls, and Out-of-Bounds

As if officiating for high school wrestling wasn't tough enough already, now officials are going to have to have crazy eyes! One will have to watch for supporting points in bounds (feet do not count) and one will have to watch for the fall. We can all thank NFHS for this debacle. GOOD LUCK!

I think the rule that's going to be hardest to enforce is the new point of emphasis on weigh-ins. No more running off weight if you're over! Question is, can we have a check scale at our home-site weigh-ins? Hard to tell what we can and can't do since we don't follow all of the NFHS rules. We need our own Kansas rulebook.

Why wouldn't the feet be considered supporting points? I haven't been to a rules meeting yet so I haven't received any clarification on the new rules.

They are getting this from Rule 5-15 page 24. When on the mat the feet are not mentioned as supporting points.

The idea is that they want to keep kids from being pinned on gym floors. You can still "drag the toes" to get 2, but you can't pin someone from that situation.

Ouch that will not be fun. So they would have to lift all of their leg off the mat for the feet to count. And I am supposed to see that and count near fall. Yea

Common sense should tell us that if a part of a wrestler is off the mat surface then they are out of bounds.
What is not common sense is to score back points with a half and my opponents shoulders are out of bounds if I am on my knees but the second I do what I have been taught all my life and get on my toes we are out of bounds.

I don't think this point of emphasis applies to Kansas.

The weigh in procedures were discussed at our Rules meeting with Mark Lentz at the KWCA Clinic. Mark Lentz mentioned also home site weigh ins will be used for BOTH days of Regionals this year and the rule will be enforced at these weigh ins (and should be enforced all year).

Teams will also see this rule enforced more for 2 day tournaments with the second day weigh in (Friday Night) being that once the wrestler steps onto the scale (and is over), he/she cannot leave the weigh in area to lose the weight.

So will there be a check scale? Can they check on a scale not in the weigh in area and then run to lose weight?

https://www.nchsaa.org/sites/default/fil...nal-updated.pdf

Found above to be helpful

Toes not counting as supporting points just crazy!

The Rulebook actually contradicts itself because rule 5-22-2 actually reads "In awarding a reversal at the edge of the mat, control must be established while all the supporting points of either wrestler are inbounds or while at least the feet of the scoring contestant finish down on the mat inbounds. (last I knew a reversal was mat wrestling).

I am also interested in this. If check scales are now banned then the uproar will be heard across the nation.

Supporting points and check scales..Yep, it just got crazier. Is Congress making these rules?

Toes are not supporting points but feet are. If you have both feet flat on the mat and the opponent is out of bounds you can recieve back points. The only scenario i can think that you would be if you hit a peterson on the edge and had both feet flat on the mat or a headlock and had both feet flat on the mat.

According the NFHS feet are not supporting points for back points or falls, but they are for takedowns and reversals.
Like I said in my original post GOOD LUCK OFFICIALS!

The picture I have seen for this situation shows that using proper technique when an offensive wrestler is in a pinning position is going to penalize the offensive wrestler. I have been taught my entire wrestling career that when you have someone on their back and are chest to chest, you need to be on your toes and not your knees. This goes directly against using the PROPER technique for this situation...

So I guess we will not be getting very many call on the edge in this situation, because I am not going to teach a wrestler to go to their knees in this situation. Making our referees, who already have a tough enough time as it is, have an even tougher job to do. Thanks for the continued confusion. This is the way to build our sport, making rules that are inconsistent, tough to call, and tough to understand for the fans. Way to go!!!

To reference the weigh-in emphasis brought by Coach Parker. I believe that Mr. Lentz referenced this in the rules video. Therefore, I would assume that it would apply to Kansas. I have already watched the video and I cannot find a way to log back in. Perhaps someone who is yet to watch can pay extra attention to this and update the group. Thanks for the discussion everyone!

The check scale question was asked at KWCA and from my understanding is there can be a check scale. My question then would be, does the check scale need to be in an area separate from the official weigh in area? I would think so, but I do not remember if that was asked.

Hello! So I am actually a ref in Maine, but this is one of the only active message boards I can find that aren't basically just kids and parents trash talking! I am curious as to how states are interpreting the NF/pin rule, specifically with the toes in. We told coaches and officials that we would go with the NFHS ruling and call it out. Of course they lost it, saying it goes against everything they tell their wrestlers to do. We were asked to hear how the surrounding states do it (we actually have a New England Championships tournament), and we found out that they will all call it in bounds as long as the knees are inside the line, kind of like the cylinder rule. They said that was how it was called at the Super 32 tournament.

Thoughts?

Welcome to the legendary wrestling forum coach

NFHS needs to GO. TO. COLLEGE. OUT. OF. BOUNDS. RULES!

Ridiculous they are so hesitant to do it. When NCAA made this change, I feel it was one of the best rule changes they made in decades! It is so easy to ref, lot easier for wrestlers, and fans as well.

It seems they are trying to "phase" in that direction, but in doing so made it even more confusing.

College out-of-bounds rules would be best, easiest, and most sensible route to go for NFHS, in my opinion.

We've been told that the NFHS rules will be enforced as written. This means that toes on the mat, with knees up, will not yield back points or a fall when the opponent is out of bounds. I agree that this is poor technique, but that's how I understand it will be called in Kansas.