What is a banana split in wrestling?

What does the NFHS illustration show?

The National Federation publishes a three-part set of illustrations for splits, hosted on state association sites, that includes a banana split. In the banana split frames the set-up is a grapevine leg ride. The top wrestler then locks hands through the opponent’s crotch and around the upper thigh, and when the opponent hangs their head over the side, the top wrestler rolls through to put them on their back.

The caption says a near fall count may begin when near fall criteria are met. It does not describe the move as automatic points, only as a route to a position the scoring rules judge.

When is the split legal, dangerous or illegal?

The set-up frame states that the grapevine leg may split, while the other leg must be pulled downward toward the ear guard and no wider than the shoulder. The official must be vigilant because the split may become potentially dangerous, then illegal, very quickly. The knee has to be taken toward the ear guard or shoulder of the defensive wrestler to be legal.

The same document shows the related spladle with the same ear-guard test.

Why can a legal-looking split turn illegal?

The NCAA rules book prohibits the bending, twisting or forcing of any limb beyond its normal limits of movement and lists a down-position leg ride that hyperextends the knee as illegal. Spreading legs puts load on the hips and knees, so officials watch the angle as the hold develops rather than judging a single frame.

A wrestler applying a legal hold should not be penalized when the opponent turns it into an illegal one, but the referee announces that the hold must be released once it becomes illegal. The official, not the crowd, decides the moment.

How does it relate to the spladle?

Both holds spread the legs from a ride or a trapped single leg. The NFHS set shows them side by side, and each is judged against the same leg-range test. A parent who hears one name used for the other is not necessarily wrong, but the legal test is about the legs, not the name.

The spladle has its own explanation. Read spladle.

How should coaches and parents talk about it?

1. Say which legs were split and how far.
2. Say whether the official stopped the action.
3. Record the award: near fall points, a penalty or nothing.

Smart Wrestler records near fall points and penalties the table enters. The hold’s name is not a scoring field.