Post by rulesguy on Nov 8, 2011 12:16:39 GMT -5
Hello all,
Hopefully this will be the start of a weekly column, where you will get to ask questions and voice your concerns (appropriately) about rules and officiating in general.
I will post new topics as often as I can, and hopefully your responses will drive the creation of new topics.
This first article will discuss the major rule changes and points of emphasis that are going to apply to the 2011-2012 season.
The Boundary Line is now In-Bounds
In previous years in high school wrestling, the boundary line was considered to be out of bounds and any supporting point on and/or beyond that line was considered out of bounds. Now, the boundary line is considered in-bounds, and therefore any supporting point that is still in contact with the boundary line is to be considered in-bounds.
Basically, the boundary line used to be like an out of bounds line in football and now is like a foul line in baseball.
Wrestlers attempting to score, still need to have there supporting points down on the mat in-bounds (or finish with 2 feet/toes down on the mat in-bounds) but now they get a little extra area to work with.
Figure 4 Around the Head is Now an Illegal Hold/Maneuver
The Figure 4 is illegal, period! You could not do it around the body before, now you cannot do it around the head from any position. AKA, you cannot do it!
Second Injury Time-out Clarified
As before, the second injury time-out results in the opponent receiving choice of position on the restart of the match. The clarification of this rule specifically talks about the rule if the second injury time-out is taken at the end of the period.
EXAMPLE: Wrestler A takes an second injury time-out at the end of the 2nd period. Wrestler B is scheduled to have choice for the 3rd period anyway. Wrestler B selects bottom and escapes in 10 seconds. 15 seconds later, the wrestlers go out of bounds. Wrestler B now receives their choice of position on the restart an elects to take the bottom position again.
There are few more rule changes, but all of them are on the administrative side of the sport such as the conducting of tournaments, weigh-ins, table visits, and the like.
Point-of-Emphasis
Every year the NFHS also puts out a "Points-of-Emphasis" article for things officials should watch for. The one that I want to share deals with Injury Time-outs.
It is no secret that wrestlers at the high school and college level of the sport have been known to use injury time-outs when they are not really injured, but just need a rest. Here is exactly how it is worded to us.
Notice how they say unethical and not illegal. They also do not go on to tell officials that they can deny an injury time-out. I know when a wrestler is milking a time-out simply to get rest, but as an official I cannot deny him that time-out unless I want to put my butt on the line for a serious lawsuit if that wrestler gets hurt.
The NCAA is looking at creating a rule (it's not a rule yet) that officials will have the discretion to award 1 point to the opponent if he believes the injury time-out is for rest only. There proposal is below.
Alright, that's all I got this time around. Tell me what you think! What is your opinion on these changes and proposals? Are there any topics you want me to cover in my next article? Do you have any questions you ever wanted to ask a ref? Let me know by responding to this article.
Hopefully this will be the start of a weekly column, where you will get to ask questions and voice your concerns (appropriately) about rules and officiating in general.
I will post new topics as often as I can, and hopefully your responses will drive the creation of new topics.
This first article will discuss the major rule changes and points of emphasis that are going to apply to the 2011-2012 season.
The Boundary Line is now In-Bounds
In previous years in high school wrestling, the boundary line was considered to be out of bounds and any supporting point on and/or beyond that line was considered out of bounds. Now, the boundary line is considered in-bounds, and therefore any supporting point that is still in contact with the boundary line is to be considered in-bounds.
Basically, the boundary line used to be like an out of bounds line in football and now is like a foul line in baseball.
Wrestlers attempting to score, still need to have there supporting points down on the mat in-bounds (or finish with 2 feet/toes down on the mat in-bounds) but now they get a little extra area to work with.
Figure 4 Around the Head is Now an Illegal Hold/Maneuver
The Figure 4 is illegal, period! You could not do it around the body before, now you cannot do it around the head from any position. AKA, you cannot do it!
Second Injury Time-out Clarified
As before, the second injury time-out results in the opponent receiving choice of position on the restart of the match. The clarification of this rule specifically talks about the rule if the second injury time-out is taken at the end of the period.
- If the second injury time-out, is taken at the end of the 1st period, then opponent receives the choice of position for both the 2nd and 3rd period.
- If the second injury time-out is taken at the end of the 2nd period and it was that wrestler's choice, the opponent now gets choice for the 3rd period.
- If the second injury time-out is taken at the end of the 2nd period and it was already the opponent's choice, then the opponent will receive their choice at the start of the 3rd period AND on the first restart that occurs in that period.
EXAMPLE: Wrestler A takes an second injury time-out at the end of the 2nd period. Wrestler B is scheduled to have choice for the 3rd period anyway. Wrestler B selects bottom and escapes in 10 seconds. 15 seconds later, the wrestlers go out of bounds. Wrestler B now receives their choice of position on the restart an elects to take the bottom position again.
There are few more rule changes, but all of them are on the administrative side of the sport such as the conducting of tournaments, weigh-ins, table visits, and the like.
Point-of-Emphasis
Every year the NFHS also puts out a "Points-of-Emphasis" article for things officials should watch for. The one that I want to share deals with Injury Time-outs.
It is no secret that wrestlers at the high school and college level of the sport have been known to use injury time-outs when they are not really injured, but just need a rest. Here is exactly how it is worded to us.
Misuse of injury time is a growing problem. in the last several years, there have been entirely too many time-outs taken when an individual is primarily looking for a rest and is not injured. Taking an injury time-out for a non-injury situation is unethical.
-NFHS
-NFHS
Notice how they say unethical and not illegal. They also do not go on to tell officials that they can deny an injury time-out. I know when a wrestler is milking a time-out simply to get rest, but as an official I cannot deny him that time-out unless I want to put my butt on the line for a serious lawsuit if that wrestler gets hurt.
The NCAA is looking at creating a rule (it's not a rule yet) that officials will have the discretion to award 1 point to the opponent if he believes the injury time-out is for rest only. There proposal is below.
The committee has become concerned that wrestlers have been using the injury timeout rule as a strategy to avoid wrestling action or being scored on.
Members are thus recommending that a wrestler who signals for an injury timeout that requires the 90-second injury clock to start should be penalized one point. It will be up to the official to determine if the one-point penalty should be applied.
The committee supports the current position that only a referee may call a timeout and has the prerogative to stop a match to determine whether an injury has occurred.
The rule change is not intended to change how officials are determining injuries
Members are thus recommending that a wrestler who signals for an injury timeout that requires the 90-second injury clock to start should be penalized one point. It will be up to the official to determine if the one-point penalty should be applied.
The committee supports the current position that only a referee may call a timeout and has the prerogative to stop a match to determine whether an injury has occurred.
The rule change is not intended to change how officials are determining injuries
Alright, that's all I got this time around. Tell me what you think! What is your opinion on these changes and proposals? Are there any topics you want me to cover in my next article? Do you have any questions you ever wanted to ask a ref? Let me know by responding to this article.