What is locked hands anyway?

[NJDan 674]

To be guilty of locked hands, does one need to grip hands, or is it enough to interlock fingers? Is it enough to touch hands? 

Also, if one is gripping a bottom wrestler who is standing up, is it locked hands immediately when the bottom guy takes a knee? Or when he puts a hand on the mat? 

[gimpeltf 1,643]

interlocking or overlapping.

 

As mentioned earlier- it's referee's discretion as to reaction time before calling in those situations. And it could actually be ignored if felt to be intentional as to dropping to the knee.

In recent past, it could be considered unsportsmanlike.

[NJDan 674]

If that's the rule, then it looked like Suriano was trying to engineer a locked hands call when he sat out during regulation. It's karma that he lost on a ticky-tack penalty call.

 

[gimpeltf 1,643]

I didn't see it but it's not easy to sit out while standing. It's while defending sit outs and switches where most locked hands normally happen, I would think.

[gowrestle 651]

14 minutes ago, gimpeltf said:

I didn't see it but it's not easy to sit out while standing. It's while defending sit outs and switches where most locked hands normally happen, I would think.

GIMP KNOWS 

[NJDan 674]

He wasn't sitting out while standing. He was stitting out and kept shifting his hands so Fix's hands would accidentally overlap. This was earlier in the match.

[gimpeltf 1,643]

Just now, NJDan said:

He wasn't sitting out while standing. He was stitting out and kept shifting his hands so Fix's hands would accidentally overlap. This was earlier in the match.

That was my point. It's only illegal on the mat.

[NJDan 674]

1 minute ago, gimpeltf said:

That was my point. It's only illegal on the mat.

I know. I think Suriano was trying to get a locked hands call when he was sitting out. Ironic that he gave up one (tho it was called back) while Fix was standing up.

[wrestlingnerd 2,774]

If that was indeed what Suriano was trying to do, then he doesn't understand the rules. You can't bait a locked hands call. It is specifically disallowed in the rulebook and no ref who knows the rules would call locked hands in that situation. It is a good way to give up riding time though.

 

From the latest rule book:
"Interlocking Hands — Baiting. It is inappropriate conduct for the
defensive wrestler to touch either or both hands or one knee to the mat in order
to release the offensive wrestler’s lock, and the referee shall not call a violation if
the lock is held in such cases."

[quanon 161]

3 minutes ago, wrestlingnerd said:

From the latest rule book:
"Interlocking Hands — Baiting. It is inappropriate conduct for the
defensive wrestler to touch either or both hands or one knee to the mat in order
to release the offensive wrestler’s lock, and the referee shall not call a violation if
the lock is held in such cases."

Has this rule changed since 2015 (Brown/Wilps final)? 

[gromit 436]

6 minutes ago, wrestlingnerd said:

If that was indeed what Suriano was trying to do, then he doesn't understand the rules. You can't bait a locked hands call. It is specifically disallowed in the rulebook and no ref who knows the rules would call locked hands in that situation. It is a good way to give up riding time though.

 

From the latest rule book:
"Interlocking Hands — Baiting. It is inappropriate conduct for the
defensive wrestler to touch either or both hands or one knee to the mat in order
to release the offensive wrestler’s lock, and the referee shall not call a violation if
the lock is held in such cases."

Which is why all of the anti-PSU fans were all up in arms when Matt Brown appeared to bait Wilps (Pitt) in the NCAA finals a few years ago 

Edit: quanon, beat me to it.... no, it was in the rule book in 2015

Edited January 14, 2019 by gromit

[wrestlingnerd 2,774]

Quanon, as gromit noted, it was definitely in the rule book. The exact same wording I quoted, starting from "it is inappropriate..." is in the rulebook for the 2014-2015 season. I did notice, interestingly, that in subsequent years, the passage I quoted was yanked from the general Interlocking Hands section and given its own heading, titled "Interlocking Hands -- Baiting." Influenced by the Brown/Wilps match?

[gimpeltf 1,643]

1 hour ago, quanon said:

Has this rule changed since 2015 (Brown/Wilps final)? 

 It used to be ok (at least it wasn't mentioned). Then it could be unsportsmanlike. Then inappropriate.

 

But it doesn't appear to be a substantial change since then. They call it baiting now Probably more of an emphasis.