Why the UWW freestyle weight classes are wrong

[denger 339]

My point of view on Olympic styles :

 

1 classic wrestling style with throws and pins. A mixture of freestyle and greco so i think freestyle.

 

1 submission wrestling style : grappling or combat wrestling.

 

You can't ignore the growth of submission wrestling community around the world.

 

The ideal choice : freestyle,greco and "submission wrestling".

I think this is a valuable observation, WrestlingSuperior. 

Isn't Greco-Roman considered the "traditional" style?

Subsequently, would a "submission" style be more like "traditional wrestling", or more like a new evolution? 

The wiki version describes Greek wrestling as having rules with a goal of putting the opponents back to the ground or pushing him out of bounds. However, my anecdotal education is that the first wrestlers fought to the death, which is more like what I imagine when I read "submission wrestling"

Whatever the answers to those questions are, I agree that we have plenty to gain from adapting to the popularity of "combat" or/or "submission" wrestling.

I'd hate to see it devolve into an uncivilized dogfight, like some MMA bouts. I mean, we don't televise Fencing athletes without protective gear getting all cut up, and for good reason. 

[WreslingSuperior 123]

I don't know denger. In my opinion submission wrestling = UWW grappling so you have submission holds and takedowns. The Greek wrestling form without rules was ancient pankration. Now Pankration under UWW has full contact striking, submissions, protection gears and banned ground and pound so it is a mild form of mma...ideal for IOC events not an uncivilized dogfight.

 

I love all wrestling forms under UWW so I hope in a big step to improve Freestyle/Greco and a strong development of non Olympic styles.

Edited January 2, 2016 by WreslingSuperior

[denger 339]

I don't know denger. In my opinion submission wrestling = UWW grappling so you have submission holds and takedowns. The Greek wrestling form without rules was ancient pankration. Now Pankration under UWW has full contact striking, submissions, protection gears and banned ground and pound so it is a mild form of mma...ideal for IOC events not an uncivilized dogfight.

 

I love all wrestling forms under UWW so I hope in a big step to improve Freestyle/Greco and a strong development of non Olympic styles.

Thanks, Superior. I have a lot to learn about those other styles.

[repechange 184]

The olympics already has a grappling/submission style in judo. The ioc is never going to add the weight classes back or another style of wrestling. Wrestling simply is not a revenue generating sport like swimming or track and field. The fact the wrestling is an original sport is irrelevant to the ioc. They simply do not care.

[WreslingSuperior 123]

No, judo is stand up oriented and it has limited submission techniques. Grappling is ground oriented with deep submission game. But I'm agree with you...there are a lot of troubles on combat sports in the Olympic games. The non Olympic styles have also European/Asian/World games.

[WreslingSuperior 123]

Six months ago :

 

https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/14853

[repechange 184]

The last quote in that link is very telling. Lalovic doesn't see his position in the IOC is to protect wrestling. He says he has to taking a wider view of the Olympic movement. To me that says he would throw wrestling under the bus.

[WreslingSuperior 123]

It is a formal sentence. Now he is part of the IOC.

[WreslingSuperior 123]

Another interesting article :

 

http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1029857/the-mirror-man-saviour-of-wrestling-the-serbian-anita-roddick-call-him-what-you-like-nenad-lalovic-has-what-it-takes-to-be-an-outstanding-ioc-member