ANSWERED: The Three Types Of Wrestling In The U.S

In the United States, there are three main styles of wrestling. Among the various styles of wrestling are Folkstyle Wrestling (also called Collegiate Wrestling), Freestyle Wrestling, and Greco-Roman Wrestling.

1) Folkstyle Wrestling is the form of Wrestling that is practiced mostly in American high schools and colleges. Collegiate wrestling is another name for it. The goal of folkstyle wrestling is to pin your opponent. If you cannot pin your opponent, you want as many points as you can. Folkstyle scoring is based primarily on changes in control. A score can be earned by taking an opponent to the mat, escaping control, or turning an opponent's back to the mat. As opposed to Freestyle or Greco Roman, which discourage escapes and reversals.

2) Freestyle Wrestling is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games along with Greco-Roman. Similar to collegiate wrestling, freestyle wrestling has its roots in catch-as-catch-can wrestling (Basic wrestling style in which nearly all holds and tactics are permitted in both upright and ground wrestling. Rules usually forbid only actions that may injure an opponent, such as strangling, kicking, gouging, and hitting with a closed fist.) Both styles aim to pin the opponent to the mat, which results in an immediate victory. In contrast to Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle and collegiate wrestling allow the wrestler or the opponent to use their legs in offense and defense. It combines the techniques of traditional wrestling, judo, and sambo.

3) Greco-Roman wrestling is practiced all over the world. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympics in 1896 and has appeared in every summer Olympics held since 1904. This type of wrestling forbids holds below the waist and thus differs from freestyle wrestling. This restriction results in an emphasis on throws, because a wrestler cannot use trips to bring an opponent to the ground or hook/grab the opponent's leg to avoid being thrown. In Greco-Roman wrestling the legs may not be used in any way to obtain a fall.