FAQ

What equipment does my child need to wrestle?

  • Wrestling Shoes & Headgear are mandatory and are not provided. The program coaches & parents may have some donated shoes and headgear to provide during the season.
  • A mouthguard is required for all wrestlers with braces and is not provided.

What should my child wear to practice?

For practice: snug-fitting clothing is preferred; avoid loose clothing.

How long is a wrestling match?

3 Periods (1:00, 1:00, 1:00) for Novice & Girls League, (1:00, 1:30, 1:30) for Central jersey, and (2:00, 1:30, 1:30) for Grade School League.

How is the scoring of a match done?

There are five ways to score points in a wrestling match:

 1.  Takedown - (3 points) You score three points for taking your opponent down to the mat and controlling him/her.

 2.  Escape - (1 point) You score one point for getting away or getting to a neutral position when your opponent has you down on the mat.

 3.  Reversal - (2 points) You score two points when your opponent has you down on the mat and you come from underneath and gain control of your opponent.

 4.  Near Fall (Back Points) - (2, 3, 4 points) You get near fall points when you almost but not quite get your opponent pinned. A near fall (near pin) is when...

  • both shoulders are held for two seconds within four inches of the mat, or... one shoulder touches the mat and the other shoulder is at a 45-degree angle coming down to the mat… or the wrestler is held in a high bridge or back on both elbows.
  • If a near fall lasts for two seconds, you get 2 points. . If a near fall lasts for 4 seconds, you get 3 points. If a near fall lasts for 5 seconds, you get 4 points.

 5.  Penalty Points - (1 or 2 points) Your opponent is awarded points if you commit the following infractions.

  • Illegal Holds - There are several holds that the referee will penalize you for without warning. (There are other holds called "potentially dangerous holds" which the referee might make you let go of but will not penalize you for).
  • Technical Violations.
  • Going off the mat or forcing your opponent off the mat to avoid wrestling ("fleeing the mat.").
  • Grabbing clothing, the mat, or the headgear. Locked or overlapped hands: If you are down on the mat in control of your opponent, you cannot lock or overlap your hands, fingers, or arms around your opponent's body or both legs unless you have met criteria for a near pin of your opponent, or your opponent stands up and has all his/her weight on two feet, or you have lifted the opponent off the mat.
  • Leaving the mat during the match without the referee's permission.
  • Reporting to the mat not properly equipped or not ready to wrestle, or equipment that is detected as being illegal after the match has started.
  • Unnecessary roughness.
  • Unsportsmanlike conduct.
  • Flagrant Misconduct (ejection, the match is over).
  • Stalling (you get one warning before you are penalized, and points are awarded).
  • Incorrect starting position or false start (You get two cautions before points are awarded).

What kind of matches and tournaments can I expect my child to experience this season?

  • Duals – mostly at Home on weeknights. These will be held at Nettingham Middle School (Park Avenue).
  • Trimeets/Quadmeets – Weekends. Home and or away. These will be held at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.
  • “King of the Mat” style meets for Novice- Mostly Weeknights. This will be a live scrimmage against a neighboring program where athletes may have the opportunity for multiple matches depending on availability. These will be held at Nettingham Middle School (Park Avenue).
  • Warzone tournaments - wrestling times will be tiered based on the athletes weight. Wrestler will have 80 minutes for as many matches that they would like. Utilized by the Girls League.

How is the team scoring held for the Dual Meets?

  • For Grade School League and Central Jersey League Team Scores will be kept based off of this System:
  • Fall: 6 Team points
  • Forfeit, injury default, or DQ: 6 Team Points
  • Technical fall (Beat your opponent by 15 points ends the match): 5 Team Points
  • Major decision (winning the match by 8 - 14 points): 4 Team Points
  • Decision (winning the match by fewer than 8 points): 3 Team Points

Does my child need to cut weight?

Scotch Plains Fanwood Jr. Raiders Wrestling does not promote or condone any weight loss for youth wrestlers.

How are the weight classes determined for the season?

The kids are qualified to wrestle by weighing in before each match. Wrestlers and their parents are expected to select a comfortable weight. It is the wrestler’s responsibility to be at or below that weight before each match. The League guidelines allow for growth during the season (+1lb in Jan & +2lb in Feb.). A wrestler who does not make weight at a match or wrestle-off will not be able to compete that day. If a wrestler is above the weight a second time, he will be disqualified from competing at that weight for the remainder of the season.

Eligibility for a particular weight class is determined by the weight that a wrestler weighs in for at the first bout of the season. This is their certification weight, and he/she cannot wrestle at a lower weight for the current season. It is important that the wrestler decides which weight class is appropriate and makes that weight for their first league bouts in December.

Note that only the Grade School League and Central Jersey leagues weigh in wrestlers and certify weights. Novice participants are not required to weigh and therefore do not certify sat a specific weight. Competitions for the novice team will use the “Madison System.” This means that coaches will bring accurate weights to competitions and pair wrestlers of similar weights (and skill level) together.

What are the weight classes?

Weight Classes

  • Novice: “Madison system.” Coaches will bring accurate weights on wrestlers to king of the mat meets and pair kids with similar experience and weight.
  • Central Jersey JV: 45,50,53,57,60,63,67,70,73,77,80,85,90,95,102,110,HWT (HWT can’t be 15% heavier than opponent)
  • Central Jersey Varsity: Weights 50, 53, 57, 60, 63, 67, 70, 73, 77, 80, 85, 90, 95, 102, 112, 125, HWT
  • Grade School League: Weights, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 106, 112, 118, 124, 130, 140, 150, 175 and heavy weight. A heavyweight class shall be recognized subject to the following restrictions: The wrestler must weigh in above 150lb. This minimum weight shall increase accordingly when the weight allowances are given. The maximum weight shall be 240lb.