In a match this weekend, not once, but three times my wrestlers opponent used one or two fingers while working for an escape/reversal. I asked the ref why she didn't stop the match and award my wrestler a point and she said the bottom wrestler didn't apply pressure. I asked her how the bottom wrestler was able to move the top wrestlers hand away from his waist without applying some sort of pressure to which I was told they didn't see that. What's the rule on hand control using fingers?

This is going to be kind of long.

Specifically

Rule 7
Section 1 Illegal Holds/Maneuvers
Article 4.

"Pulling back as opposed to grasping the thumb or 1,2, or 3 fingers of an opponents hand"

Also

Rule 7
Section 1
Article 5.P

"bending, twisting, or forcing the head or any limb beyond it's normal limits of movement"

The 1st rule above was changed about 4 years ago where it was automatically an infraction simply to grasp any less than all four primary fingers, to what the current rule is. It was changed because the rule committee felt that in the normal course of a match it was simply too easy for a wrestler to accidentally grab less than 4 fingers and even though they were exerting no force on those fingers which could cause injury they were still being penalized.

So the way it stands now is that it is the judgement of the official (trust me I know everyone hates hearing that phrase), as to whether a wrestler has bent back 1 or more fingers in a way that would or does cause injury, and on that same line of thinking, did they bend them beyond their natural limits.

What you have to understand here is the intent of the rule which is to prevent injury. At the same time this is a contact sport, and given the nature of hand fighting from nearly any wrestling position, there is going to be some finger grasping, and some finger bending that does push the gray area. So as officials it is our job to watch this and give our best effort to make sure that it isn't a situation where an injury is likely to occur.

One other thing regarding this.

Rule 7 Section 1 Article 8.
"A wrestler applying a legal hold/maneuver shall not be penalized when the opponent turns the legal hold/maneuver into an illegal hold/maneuver"

In other words if the would be offended wrestler caused the move to become illegal by their own action it is not penalized, although the referee may need to stop the match to clear the situation. So bearing that in mind, I have seen MANY times in my career where a wrestler has a legal grasp on their opponents fingers, and the opponent moves their hand in such a way that their fingers get bent into what would be an illegal situation. However experience taught me to make sure I recognize this and either stop the hold as potentially dangerous in the case of the defensive wrestler causing it to become illegal, or penalizing the offending wrestler if they did it themselves.

Hope this helps you understand.

Thanks, and yes that did help, but I guess I'm still somewhat confused. If I understand correctly, the rule is to prevent injury, not to prevent one wrestler from gaining an advantage? I don't see how a bottom wrestler could remove a tight waist or break the top wrestlers wrist control while grabbing 1, 2, or 3 fingers without bending or twisting fingers beyond their normal limits of movement.

It's my opinion that if an official waits to blow the whistle when they see bending fingers, it may be too late and injury may have already occured. Kind of like a full nelson. Referees blow the whistle (as they should) as soon as both hands even touch the head gear to prevent an injury. There's alot going on while both wrestlers are trying to get hand control/wrist control.....etc. I think when an official sees less than 4 fingers being grabbed, the whistle should blow......... again, just my opinion.

I guess you have to think about it in a number of different ways.

As I explained in my first post, the way the rule used to be, to grab less than 4 fingers was illegal by application. That of course made it much easier to make such a call and most likely prevent injury, however at the same time it unfairly penalized wrestlers who although grabbing less than the required fingers also caused no injury to their opponent at the same time.

On the other hand, it is entirely possible to injure a wrestlers fingers even if all four fingers are grabbed as well.

In my 10+ years of officiating I can't say that I have ever seen a wrestler have a serious, long lasting, injury as a result of various different types of holds applied to their fingers even if they were bent illegally. Thats not to say it can't happen, but in my opinion, the likelihood of a match deciding illegal finger bending episode, which happened completely by accident, and caused no pain, suffering, or injury is far greater than allowing the official discretion in the matter as is currently the rule.

The easiest way to explain this like nearly every other rule we have in this sport is this ... There is the letter of the rule and then there is the spirit of the rule. The letter of the rule in all cases is to ensure fair competition and reduce potential injury. The spirit of the rule is knowing when and how to apply the rules in the best way possible. I can tell you that from my personal experience there is no greater frustration from an officials point of view than a coach who is well aware of a rule and simply seeks to exploit the letter of the rule. Some do so make sure their wrestler wins a match, rather than understand the spirit of the rule and let the experience of the official dictate that aspect.

Anyway I don't make a habit of posting on this forum as most are well aware, but I thought since I limit myself to 1 or 2 posts a year here this was well worth the time to respond and potentially shed light on a common topic. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions