What is negative wrestling?

Where does the UWW text put it?

Chapter 8 of the UWW rules is titled Negative Wrestling and opens with the par terre position article, followed by the passivity articles. Chapter 9 lists the general prohibitions, fleeing a hold, fleeing the mat and illegal holds. The passivity procedure says negative wrestling is defined in the par terre article and in Articles 47 to 50, and that passivity and negative wrestling are distinctly different calls.

Passivity is explained on its own page. Read passivity.

What does it say about the par terre position?

When one wrestler brings the other to the ground, wrestling continues in par terre and the bottom wrestler may counter, stand up or counterattack. In Greco-Roman the bottom wrestler may not place more than one hand on the opponent’s upper body or defend with closed arms or by blocking with elbows and knees, and in freestyle the bottom wrestler may not defend with two closed arms.

The wrestler on top has no right to interrupt the bout or ask that wrestling resume standing. A bottom wrestler who refuses the correctly ordered start is warned, then given a caution, with one point to the opponent in freestyle or two in Greco-Roman.

What are the general prohibitions?

• Pulling hair or ears, pinching, biting or twisting fingers or toes
• Kicking, head-butting, strangling or pushing; touching the face between the eyebrows and the line of the mouth
• Clinging to or grasping the mat; talking during the bout
• Grasping or interlocking fingers to block the opponent and prevent active wrestling
• Agreeing with the match result between themselves

The text says these are sanctioned according to the severity of the foul, from verbal warning to caution with points to disqualification, and disciplinary sanctions can follow the competition.

What about fleeing?

The rules separate fleeing a hold, where a defender openly refuses contact to stop the opponent from executing or starting a hold, from fleeing the mat. Both are listed in Chapter 9 beside the general prohibitions.

The mat version has its own page. Read fleeing the mat.

How do officials and families treat the term?

The mat chairman and judge confirm calls, and the result is shown on the scoreboard as a caution or points. Spectators used to folkstyle should not assume negative wrestling means the same as stalling, which is the NCAA term.

Smart Wrestler records the points and cautions the table enters under the event’s rules.

The text requires the mat chairman’s approval for passivity, cautions and before granting a fall, so a call is a team decision. Families can read a caution or a point on the scoreboard as the result of one of the articles above, and ask the host which one.