What is a stand-up in wrestling?

What does the term describe?

From the hands-and-knees start the bottom wrestler tries to get to their feet and face the opponent. A terminology glossary defines the stand up as an escape from bottom position where you stand up and turn to face your opponent.

It is one of the basic bottom options that sit alongside the switch in beginner outlines.

Where does USA Wrestling list it?

The listing at two levels shows that the skill is introduced early and revisited as athletes progress. The Level 2 outline also places the stand up beneath short sit, which tells a parent that coaches treat it as part of a family of bottom options and not as a single isolated move.

Because Level 1 already lists it, a club that follows the outlines will meet the stand up early, and a parent who wants to know what a child is learning can ask which level the practice plan follows.

How is a successful stand-up scored?

The NCAA book awards an escape when the offensive wrestler loses control of the opponent while any part of either wrestler remains in bounds. The NCAA men’s value is 1 point. The escape is awarded when control is lost, not when the wrestler first rises.

If the wrestler gains control of the opponent either on the mat or in a rear-standing position, the award is a reversal instead. That distinction explains why two stand-ups that look alike on video can score differently: one ends with the athletes apart and the other ends with the former bottom wrestler holding the opponent.

What does the offensive wrestler have to do in the rear-standing position?

The rules book lists, among on-the-mat stalling situations, an offensive wrestler not making an effort to return the defensive wrestler to the mat, and states that in all rear-standing situations it is the offensive wrestler’s responsibility to make an effort to return the defender to the mat. A top wrestler who simply holds a standing opponent can therefore be called for stalling.

The warning steps are explained under stalling. Read stalling.

How can athletes and parents use the term?

1. Note the period and time the bottom wrestler began to rise.
2. Write down whether the award was an escape, a reversal or nothing.
3. Ask the coach whether a stand up or another option fits the next match.

Smart Wrestler records the escape or reversal with its period. The word stand-up can be added to the coach’s own notes.