I can see a wrestler taking down another opponent over and over to build a small lead, but doing it repeatedly is stalling and is not being called by the refs.

"Stalling" ?????

It is not being called by the refs because it is absolutely NOT stalling. From page 28 of the NFHS rule book:

ART 4... It is stalling when the contestant in the advantage position:

a) Does not wrestle aggressively and attempts to secure a fall, except when the wrestler intentionally releases the opponent in order to thereafter immediately attempt to secure a takedown.

I take all these insults personally. You call these kinds of wrestlers bad sports, and say they're showing off and what not, but I can assure you I'm not a bad sport, nor have I ever displayed poor sportsmanship. There are several reasons I did it, and none of them were to embarass my opponents. As for the self esteem statement, come on, it's wrestling. If a kids worried about his self esteem, then he's in the wrong sport. Every wrestler has had some lumps at some time in their career and their self esteem has been hurt from it, it's part of the sport.

I personally have had two wrestlers in the last two years who have tried to break the takedown record at our highschool,it stands at 107(one wrestler is 30 away from breaking it). Is that any different than other sports where, sacks and home runs are counted? Does Barry Bonds feel bad when he strikes out more times than he gets on base? Does he feel "bad" for embarassing the pithcer? We are, I am speaking as a coach, trying to get all kids to that level-taking people down at will. Coach Mills is right in that most State titles are decided by a takedown, we lost a state title last year by a takedown.

I was embarassed in school many times, I didn't find the salvation of wrestling till my sophmore year, one from Jeremy Vath sticks out clearly. Do we want them to be men? I have two young sons and I understand that they will get beat badly at times, wrestling is about "dominating" another opponenet-not about worrying about his self-esteem. This sport is too damn tough to think about those things while you are out there, you do what works-if that is taking someone down and letting them up then so be it. Neither of my former wrestlers ever teched someone by doing this, but 7 or 8 takedowns before pinning someone has happened.

Now I am, and will always be for, good sportsmanship-the rules state that it is only un-sportsman like if you let them up from their back or near-fall position. I do not tell them to do this, and I have chewed wrestlers out who show poor sportsmanship. You will never see me laughing at another wrestler, at my own perhaps, but never at an opponenet. Once again, this sport demands that we be gentlpeople off the mat-and animals on it!

Just my two-cents, sorry if I ruffled some feathers. I do not condone embarassing someone-but I have no problem dominating them.

Coach Brown

SVO69:

No, I didn't. I think you missed mine. Read my football metaphor again. It's called winning by any means necessary. Plus, I hate to say this for fear of backlash, but if the kid is that embarassed he can always lay down. Some kids in high school are trying to impress college coaches to get a free education, and takedown skills is something they (the coaches) want to see, to be honest once again.

Curtis:

I second this.

My definition of unsportsmanlike behavior IS 'if the opponent is of significantly lesser ability than you', and you continue to let them up and take them down. I have no problem with letting an opponent of near or better abilities, up as a tactic.

Back to the original question, how is Sharky doing on his takedowns this year.

I don't have a problem with taking a kid down and letting him up if its done right. Meaning, when we have our kids do this in the usa program we are having them do a different takedown every time, usually if they are very dominant over their opponent we will have them do different takedowns that the wrestler is not real comfortable with yet, that gives them a chance to try these moves and yes it is about having mat time. I have even had kids coaches on more than one occassion ask us not to pin their wrestler because it was their first year and they needed mat time. It does benefit both wrestlers whether some people want to believe it or not. A wrestler that is taken down and let up has more opportunity to defend a takedown or learn to defend a takedown. What is the wrestler that gets taken down and pinned in 30 sec. learning? Usually, how many lights are in the gym.
Now, I don't like it when a wrestler lets his opponent up and then shoves him half way across the mat, I do consider that unsportsman. I guess their are two ways of looking at it,
1. If the wrestler does this type of wrestling with class and they are trying to work different moves each time, I personally do not have a problem with.
2. If the wrestler is doing this type of wrestling and being real arrogant about it and just flat being mean and disrespectful to his opponent, Then yes I do have a problem with it.
There is a differance, and we as coaches and parents need to make sure our kids are doing this the right way and for the right reasons, and it will benefit both wrestlers.

I don't think that there is anything wrong with a kid getting as many takedowns as they can. If somebody doesn't like it who cares the name of the game is to score points. For it making a kid look bad sorry get better so you don't have this happen to them. Look at a kid like sharky he's fun to watch from his feet. Alot of the times he's hitting a different takedown each time so he's just not doing the samething.

It is not that I have any problem with take downs, irregardless of the number of take downs in a given match - provided it is done in the spirit of "competition". Same can be said for hard-nosed, aggressive wrestling. But ... in a non-competitive match (where one opponent holds clear, obvious advantage) to simply "toy" with an opponent, simply because you can, the effect of which causes unnecessary embarrassment and/or humuliation to an opponent, and/or serves as an opportunity for the superior wrestler to do no more than "show-off" in front of his coach, teammates and/or fans ... I find that type of wrestling to be unsportsmanlike. Sorry. Legal, but unsportsmanlike. Reduced to its essence: Be gracious in victory and defeat. My last 2 cents.

If your really trying to work on something fine, but once you get them to their back end it. I dont care what anyone says when you are two inches from pinning someone then just let them up that is bad sportmanship. Forget about embarrassing the weaker wrestler you look like a complete a$$ when you do it. That is bad sportmanship no matter what anyone says. I wanted arguments on the repeated take downs and i got some good and valid arguements. I will keep your ideas in mind when i witness it happen again to see what the wrestlers intent is. I still dont agree with it but that is my opinion.

First, I thought that the tech fall was put in to prevent humiliation. Before that if you had a major decision you were not allowed to let the opponent up. Second, if you can take your opponent down and you can escape, then your chances of winning are huge.( ask a college coach about that) Third, every time you take your opponent down, the odds of taking them down straight to their back increases.

There is absolutely no way this is stalling, and any official that would call it as such should be taken off of the mat. I HAVE seen an official make an unsortsmanlike call against a kid who let his opponent up from a 3 point near fall situation when a fall was imminent. That is a different situation entirely. The more I think about this, the more I feel like takedowns are the most important and exciting part of wrestling, and taking a wrestler down repeatedly is not poor sportsmanship.

hey cokeley,

i am confused over your post, "kc ballhandler". What are you trying to say there. Can you clarify this for me. I think it is real clever how you switched the two names around though. It takes and educated man to make something like that up. As they say on the guiness commercials, "Brilliant!!"

P.S. 3rd grade called, it wants it's joke back.

I apologize as the thought never occured to me that Handballer might be your real lastname. I just thought it was your forum alias.

not my last name. I just play the sport of handball. (similar to racquetball, except with your hands and a different type of ball). No harm done.

He does that to everyone. It's just his way of being disrespectful to people with differing points of view.

thanks for the heads up.