by Caleb Watson — A new ruleset has been put into place for the upcoming wrestling season. The oldest sport in the world will be reshaped, changing how matches will be scored and won.
There are a few rules that are being edited for the season, but the biggest and most controversial is the 2–point takedown being changed to a 3–point takedown. The 2–point takedown has been a staple of not just college wrestling, but wrestling as a whole.
Members of the wrestling rules committee proposed the changes, saying that these changes will help reward and encourage more action and offense within matches. It was also agreed among the committee there should be a larger point differential between takedowns and escapes, as it used to be only a 1–point differential.
The hand–touch takedown was eliminated because the board agreed that there is not enough overall control through a hand–touch takedown, which is what the committee wants to emphasize moving forward.
“Personally, I think it’s good for the sport.” said senior wrestler Brenick Birks–Hoppe. “It increases the urgency for offense and reduced referee reliance, which has been an issue in the past.”
While some people embrace the rule change, others are a little frustrated by the sudden change of heart by the NCAA and the wrestling rules committee.
“I like the incentive for more offense, but personally I never thought the offense in matches was the problem,” said former national qualifier Ben Schmitz. “I think for my wrestling style these rule changes hurt me more than help me, so I don’t necessarily like it.”
With wrestling being the oldest active sport in the world, the rules committee feels that changes need to be made to accommodate the times. These changes will be active throughout the 2023–24 season and coaches and fans all across the country are going to have to adapt to the changes as they come.
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