What is a collar tie in wrestling?

What is the grip and what is it used for?

A collar tie puts a hand on the back of the opponent’s neck or head. Wrestlers use it to control posture, pull the head down and set up an attack. A one-handed grip is the common starting point, and the glossary used here does not describe a two-handed version.

Posture is the practical idea: whoever controls the head often controls where the opponent’s hips go.

Because the grip sits near the head and neck, it is also the tie most affected by the rules about head and neck holds. That is why coaches who teach it usually teach the limits at the same time, and why a referee may tell a wrestler to move the hand if it drifts toward the throat. The grip is a means of steering the opponent, not a way to hurt them.

How does it appear in USA Wrestling’s outlines?

None of those is called a collar tie, which is why this page treats the name as coaching usage and not an outline term.

Does a collar tie score points?

No. The NCAA book awards a takedown only when control is gained from the neutral position in bounds and beyond reaction time. A tie that is held and released is part of hand fighting and produces no award.

The scoring context is covered in the hand-fighting entry. Read hand fighting.

What limits does the grip have in international styles?

UWW Article 50 lists illegal holds that include holding the head or neck with two hands, holds including solely the head, and two hands or arms on the head, adding that only one arm may be used to hold the opponent’s head or neck. A double grip behind the head is therefore a risk in freestyle and Greco-Roman, while a single grip is the more common form.

The NCAA book separately prohibits choke holds and any hold with pressure over the mouth, nose, throat or neck that restricts breathing or circulation. A grip that slides to the throat is not a collar tie.

How should coaches and parents talk about it?

1. Name the grip and the hand that holds it.
2. Say what the attacker did next, such as a snap or a shot.
3. Record the award from the match record, not from memory.

Smart Wrestler records scored actions and penalties. A tie is not recorded and belongs in coaching notes.

A useful scouting note sounds like this: “collar tie with the left hand, snap down, shot to the right leg, takedown in the first period.” It names the grip, the follow-up and the award, which is enough for a coach to prepare a drill without turning the tie into a statistic.