Officals, please realize that the leg cradle is a legal move. Please understand the difference between a Figure 4 and The Scissors when the leg cradle is applied. I have seen this move called illegal FOUR times this year, each time it was over-ruled by the Head Official. The wrestler was not awarded the 2-3 points for nearfall, when you stopped the match.

Please understand what a spladle is. I have seen this move not awarded points 3 times this year, with one time it being called a stalemate.

Thank you!

Man i totally agree. My kid has ran the leg cradle 5 times this year. 3 of those times were called illegal. 2 of 3 the times back points were awarded 2 were pins Yesterday at hays he ran it was called for a technical and no points were awarded to him but 1 point was to the other wrestler! Its a legal move folks as long as you lock at the ankle not the knee and you have a arm leg and head in the hold!

It is a legal move, unless the scissors used to secure the move becomes a figure 4, at which point you would have earned the NF points already counted, then the illegal move point awarded to the man on bottom.

I'm not saying it wasn't called incorrectly but sometimes people don't realize the one leg slipping down to behind the knee making a legal leg cradle become illegal by way of a figure 4.

Don't forget the guillotine once NF Criteria has been reached offensive wrestler can lock hands without an arm, cost us back pts last yr at districts and just because the bottom wrestlers starts squealling when the arm is being raised to go over offensive wrestlers head does NOT mean it is PD. Cost BP at State and a loss. Ref's get down there and make sure the arm goes the correct direction instead of standing up and blowing your whistle signaling Potentially Dangerous

You explained it perfectly thank you bronco!

Alex: As you know, scissors on body is legal, but not on the head. Figure four is now outlawed.

I'm not so sure that there is such a thing as an illegal leg cradle no matter how you have it cinched up. You can't scissor the head, and you can't figure four the head, but once you have the leg involved in a leg cradle you are good unless I'm missing something. It would be pretty tough to get into a figure four with the leg, and I've never seen it done, but it would not be illegal. Perhaps you meant that when the scissors gets slid into a Fig. 4 around the body, which happens, it is illegal.

This is an uncommon hold...I saw it stopped as illegal at a HS regional one time by a very good official. If you have the chance right before the match, or have the kid do it as he's getting ready, just tell the ref that you use a leg cradle so please don't stop it.

I think what gets missed a whole lot more is a legal move that ends up being illegal when the leg slips out or into a scissors and the wrestler does not release the headlock. Or, when the defensive wrestler gets out of criteria briefly and the lock is not broken. You have to have a grapevined leg and be in criteria to lock on the head without an arm encircled above the elbow ...failing to have either one makes it an illegal headlock. And even if it is legal, it can be PD if the shoulder is being torqued to the limit of its normal range of motion...and it is important to be in position so you don't take away an advantage fairly earned while protecting the safety of the wrestlers.

And here's a controversial proposition...I believe the official needs to make sure the offensive wrestler knows the situation so he can lock and unlock legally. It's easy going into it because you verbalize the NF "One, two" so he knows he can lock. But if the defensive wrestler comes out of criteria, and unless its obvious, I believe the official needs to warn the offensive wrestler to release the lock...the reason? It is the official who decides whether criteria is met or not. It is not up to the wrestler to decide. Criteria can be a matter of a few degrees or an inch or so, in the official's determination. And in this situation, it is often hard for the wrestler to see the defensive man's shoulder area as well, making it even more important for the official to verbalize if the NF criteria changes.

(This was actually a topic in the NFHS Officals' Quarterly a while back and that's the conclusion reached there as well, just in case anybody might think this preventing officiating technique is coaching).

By having the head included in the leg "cradle" you then have the head/body together, and having a figure 4 on either of them is illegal, so when the leg slips down from a leg cradle (scissor position) to a figure 4 position while still in the same position (leg cradle) I'm inclined to think believe that the move is illegal by definition.