Folkstyle or Freestyle

Which style do you prefer to watch

  • Folkstyle

    Votes: 36 56.3%

  • Freestyle

    Votes: 23 35.9%

  • Greco Roman

    Votes: 3 4.7%

  • Sumo

    Votes: 2 3.1%
  • Total voters
    64
  • Poll closed .
Crimsonblooded

Crimsonblooded

Well-known member
Has anyone one read “Assessing Folkstyle versus Freestyle debate” by Nick Corey on Trackwrestling?

I am a Folkstyle preference guy but did freestyle in my day as well as my sons. I liked freestyle as an off season option and it was a little more laid back and for fun. As the mood wasn’t as serious and the pressure to win not as intense as the Folkstyle season.
I must admit this article pissed me off. No way is freestyle as fun and entertaining as folkstyle. No control and controversial calls in freestyle where you have to get two out of three judges because no one knows for sure. Step outs suck and has nothing to do with wrestling.
To read that article and having the understanding now that people in higher levels want to change folkstyle has me resenting freestyle. If they are not gonna stay in their own lane but mess with American Folkstyle Wrestling with their contamination and plot to destroy mat wrestling then the line has been drawn for me. Mat wrestling contributes to the the success UFC fighters get from being College Folkstyle wrestlers. I think Folkstyle is worth protecting and my sons shoes may have to change to Bo Nickal!
 
 
It's all a matter of opinion. Its kinda like asking someone if chocolate or vanilla ice cream is better.. I personally like freestyle. Theres more action. Folkstyle can get boring with the stalls and riding time. Plus, freestyle gets kids more prepared for international competition.
 
Brownsfan19 said:
It's all a matter of opinion. Its kinda like asking someone if chocolate or vanilla ice cream is better.. I personally like freestyle. Theres more action. Folkstyle can get boring with the stalls and riding time. Plus, freestyle gets kids more prepared for international competition.
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Well that is fine until you get your chocolate in my vanilla. I think I chose the wrong time of year as it’s freestyle and Greco season for my poll. I enjoy Folkstyle and like I said it’s all good until freestyle wants to bleed into Folk then it’s gonna make me anti freestyle and resent it .
 
Crimsonblooded said:
Has anyone one read “Assessing Folkstyle versus Freestyle debate” by Nick Corey on Trackwrestling?

I am a Folkstyle preference guy but did freestyle in my day as well as my sons. I liked freestyle as an off season option and it was a little more laid back and for fun. As the mood wasn’t as serious and the pressure to win not as intense as the Folkstyle season.
I must admit this article pissed me off. No way is freestyle as fun and entertaining as folkstyle. No control and controversial calls in freestyle where you have to get two out of three judges because no one knows for sure. Step outs suck and has nothing to do with wrestling.
To read that article and having the understanding now that people in higher levels want to change folkstyle has me resenting freestyle. If they are not gonna stay in their own lane but mess with American Folkstyle Wrestling with their contamination and plot to destroy mat wrestling then the line has been drawn for me. Mat wrestling contributes to the the success UFC fighters get from being College Folkstyle wrestlers. I think Folkstyle is worth protecting and my sons shoes may have to change to Bo Nickal!
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The #1 way for kids to grow and become better wrestlers is wrestling freestyle/greco in the off-season!
 
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Crimsonblooded said:
Well that is fine until you get your chocolate in my vanilla. I think I chose the wrong time of year as it’s freestyle and Greco season for my poll. I enjoy Folkstyle and like I said it’s all good until freestyle wants to bleed into Folk then it’s gonna make me anti freestyle and resent it .
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Like the metric system, freestyle works for the rest of the planet outside the USA. This debate will never be settled, but IMHO you've made some of the case for me why I prefer freestyle -

- "No control" - The rule set encourages and rewards the wrestler who takes the risk and initiates action. The ultimate goal of wrestling is to pin your opponent, short of that exposing opponents back is rewarded and is control in a sense - just faster.
- "Controversial calls- two out of three judges", Controversial calls happen just as often in Folkstyle. I love the 3 ref system, it takes pressure off the mat judge and allows them to call what they see without fear of getting it wrong.
- "Step outs suck" could not disagree more. Wrestle in the center or risk giving up a point.
 
Old&Grumpy142 said:
Like the metric system, freestyle works for the rest of the planet outside the USA. This debate will never be settled, but IMHO you've made some of the case for me why I prefer freestyle -

- "No control" - The rule set encourages and rewards the wrestler who takes the risk and initiates action. The ultimate goal of wrestling is to pin your opponent, short of that exposing opponents back is rewarded and is control in a sense - just faster.
- "Controversial calls- two out of three judges", Controversial calls happen just as often in Folkstyle. I love the 3 ref system, it takes pressure off the mat judge and allows them to call what they see without fear of getting it wrong.
- "Step outs suck" could not disagree more. Wrestle in the center or risk giving up a point.
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Well the No control being able to score eliminates scrambling which is risk taking in folkstyle while trying to better or win a position.
 
Crimsonblooded said:
Well the No control being able to score eliminates scrambling which is risk taking in folkstyle while trying to better or win a position.
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Again, we'll never settle this, but I'd argue there's plenty of scrambling in Freestyle - just different as one must be careful not to expose their back. In Folk, scrambling is really a defensive tactic rather then an offensive one. I'd also add that Freestyle helps a wrestler finish an attack cleaner as to avoid a scramble.
 
Old&Grumpy142 said:
Again, we'll never settle this, but I'd argue there's plenty of scrambling in Freestyle - just different as one must be careful not to expose their back. In Folk, scrambling is really a defensive tactic rather then an offensive one. I'd also add that Freestyle helps a wrestler finish an attack cleaner as to avoid a scramble.
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I don’t believe it is about settling it anymore but sounding the trumpet for Folkstyle fans! That the Trojan horse is at the gates of the city and if they wanna preserve Folkstyle and mat wrestling as we know it then may have to promote Folkstyle by whatever means available. Whether that be a spectator, consumer, athlete, referee or administrator.
 
Crimsonblooded said:
All the more reason Folkstyle is on the way out and freestyle may replace it!
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I'd be OK if it did, but there's no evidence or ground swell that Free is replacing Folk any time soon in the USA. I'd argue that wrestling all three styles makes for a well rounded wrestler. Some argue that USA's recent success on the world stage has a lot to do with our Folkstyle background - to your earlier point - scrambling & pace. I can say that wrestling Greco helped me tremendously in transitioning from High School to College in learning positioning, pressure, and handfighting. It all works together, and getting out of ones comfort zone is energizing and fun. Wrestling is wrestling. .
 
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Old&Grumpy142 said:
I'd be OK if it did, but there's no evidence or ground swell that Free replacing Folk any time soon in the USA. I'd argue that wrestling all three styles makes for a well rounded wrestler. Some argue that USA's recent success on the world stage has a lot to do with our Folkstyle background - to your earlier point - scrambling & pace. I can say that wrestling Greco helped me tremendously in transitioning from High School to College in learning positioning, pressure, and handfighting. It all works together, and getting out of ones comfort zone is energizing and fun. It's all just wrestling.
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Did you read the article by Nick Corey? The fact NCAA voted on getting rid of riding time, changed takedowns to 3 points while reversals stay at 2 points. I think it is settle but change is leaning towards wrestling neutral and less mat wrestling, which is moving towards freestyle model.
 
Crimsonblooded said:
Did you read the article by Nick Corey? The fact NCAA voted on getting rid of riding time, changed takedowns to 3 points while reversals stay at 2 points. I think it is settle but change is leaning towards wrestling neutral and less mat wrestling, which is moving towards freestyle model.
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Since that article was written in 2018 not much has really changed with the exception of the 3pt TD (which turned out to be a good change IMHO). Riding time is still a thing but there's an emphasis now on “working to turn” rather than “working to hold". By rule, top position wrestlers must only aggressively work to break down the opponent but also require him to pursue near-fall points and/or a pin or be penalized with a stall.
 
Old&Grumpy142 said:
Since that article was written in 2018 not much has really changed with the exception of the 3pt TD (which turned out to be a good change IMHO). Riding time is still a thing but there's an emphasis now on “working to turn” rather than “working to hold". By rule, top position wrestlers must only aggressively work to break down the opponent but also require him to pursue near-fall points and/or a pin or be penalized with a stall.
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Just the fact riding time was debated and Takedowns were given value over the reversal leans against mat wrestling. This rang the bell of concern for me and honestly found the article while seeing if there is a movement to change. I’m sure covid delayed things and we will see what’s next. I hope the push outs don’t come next!
 
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I like both, but prefer folkstyle wrestling. After officiating both, I see value in adapting some rules from freestyle to folkstyle to make it more interesting. For example, I like the step-out rule because it incentivizes the athletes to continue wrestling and make every effort from going out of bounds. It makes controlling center mat that much more important. I also like the ability of freestyle officials to stop mat wrestling when nothing is happening and start in the neutral position. I prefer neutral wrestling of the three positions so this may be a personal bias on my part. Mat wrestling is fine, but there is nothing more boring than watching two athletes not make any progress on the mat. Finally, I wish we could incorporate some degree of passivity in the folkstyle world but I don't see that ever happening. It does promote action occurring in neutral position.
 
Mr. Red said:
I like both, but prefer folkstyle wrestling. After officiating both, I see value in adapting some rules from freestyle to folkstyle to make it more interesting. For example, I like the step-out rule because it incentivizes the athletes to continue wrestling and make every effort from going out of bounds. It makes controlling center mat that much more important. I also like the ability of freestyle officials to stop mat wrestling when nothing is happening and start in the neutral position. I prefer neutral wrestling of the three positions so this may be a personal bias on my part. Mat wrestling is fine, but there is nothing more boring than watching two athletes not make any progress on the mat. Finally, I wish we could incorporate some degree of passivity in the folkstyle world but I don't see that ever happening. It does promote action occurring in neutral position.
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You like both but I think you prefer freestyle, plenty of guys on top working for turns. If the top guy isn’t working a turn and riding hips then that’s stalling. Im not big on the Ohio tournament of champions, which is a hybrid and is where some want to take folkstyle. Mitch Clark has awesome top wrestling and some want to kill that style. Under the banner of excitement but really some can’t wrestle on the mat and prefer freestyle. I have seen very boring freestyle so some terms are subjective. Colleges could add freestyle in the spring so how about we push for that and leave Folkstyle as being all three factions of it’s style….. Neutral, Top and Bottom!
 
Mr. Red said:
I like both, but prefer folkstyle wrestling. After officiating both, I see value in adapting some rules from freestyle to folkstyle to make it more interesting. For example, I like the step-out rule because it incentivizes the athletes to continue wrestling and make every effort from going out of bounds. It makes controlling center mat that much more important. I also like the ability of freestyle officials to stop mat wrestling when nothing is happening and start in the neutral position. I prefer neutral wrestling of the three positions so this may be a personal bias on my part. Mat wrestling is fine, but there is nothing more boring than watching two athletes not make any progress on the mat. Finally, I wish we could incorporate some degree of passivity in the folkstyle world but I don't see that ever happening. It does promote action occurring in neutral position.
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You sure you didn’t vote freestyle? Sounds like the Ohio Tournament of Hybrid Champions
 
Crimsonblooded said:
You sure you didn’t vote freestyle? Sounds like the Ohio Tournament of Hybrid Champions
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I definitely have a bias for the neutral position, but I do think mat wrestling is valuable. I like mat wrestling as long as there is some kind of action happening. Sometimes in folkstyle I'm officiating and there is no scoring going on and neither kid meets the criteria for stalling and I just get bored watching it. That's when a good ol' stalemate comes into play sometimes.
 
Ohio's Tournament of Champions does a really good job of blending both freestyle rules with folkstyle somewhat. One of the reasons I really like that Tournament
 
heartsslayer2 said:
Ohio's Tournament of Champions does a really good job of blending both freestyle rules with folkstyle somewhat. One of the reasons I really like that Tournament
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That is exactly what I’m talking about, this is the compromise coming for folkstyle wrestling. Folkstyle should be three parts! Neutral, Bottom, and Top. This marriage of Folkstyle and Freestyle isn’t good and these are two different forms of wrestling.
 
I personally enjoy Folkstyle more than Freestyle. I feel like Folkstyle requires more control and a larger skill set. The most entertaining and drama filled event each year in the US is the Folkstyle NCAA Championships. I also feel like Folkstyle translates better to MMA due to skills developed to control the ground. However, I think the demands of Folkstyle take its toll on a wrestlers body and I don’t believe the human body is designed to continue Folkstyle into mid/late 20s and beyond. The looser and somewhat lazier Freestyle lends itself to longevity. I do, however, 100% agree that Freestyle, Greco, or any other style help with Folkstyle success and would support competing in all styles if able.
 
MPhillips said:
TOC's all neutral wrestling has everything to do with time and number of participants.
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Really? So big tournaments don’t have time for mat wrestling? I’m gonna do my research and see what I can find on the history of this abomination to mat wrestling!
 
remember the old state mats
IMG_3781.jpeg
with the guy fighting to get off bottom!
IMG_3780.jpeg
Now the mats look like this!
IMG_3779.jpeg
That look a lot like this mat!!!
 
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