Kansas Wrestling Forums Question regarding locked hands...

SITUATION A

Ok lets say from referees position the wrestler on top circles around to the front and the bottom wrestlers graps the top wrestlers leg. The top wrestler sprawls and lock his hands around the bottom wrestlers body to get his leg free.

I have seen this dons countless times without it being called locked hands, however this year a ref called this as locked hands several times.

SITUATION B

From referees position the bottom wrestler stand up. The top wrestler grabs and wraps this arms arounf both legs inorder to keep the bottom wrestler from escaping. The bottom wrestler falls back down to the mat and the top wrestler keeps his hands locked.

Again I have seen this not called locked hands a ton of times... but this year I have seen it called.

Refering to my rule Book 7-3-4
(summary) Overlapping hands... around the opponent's body or both legs by a wrestler in the advantage position, unless the opponents weight is supported entirely by this feet or lifted off the mat or nearfall criteria is met, is a technical violation.

I guess my question is would both Situation A and B be examples of locked hands and if so I believe both situations are called very inconsistantly...

excuse any typos

Both of these situations are indeed locked hands violations by the offensive wrestler.

In Situation A, assuming that the top wrestler is still in control (no escape has been awarded to the defensive wrestler), this would be locked hands around the body by the offensive wrestler as long as the defensive wrestler is not completely on his feet (hands still on the mat). Even though the offensive wrestler has moved out in front of the defensive wrestler, he is still in control and cannot lock his hands around the body. This is a call that very often gets missed by officials, but by rule it is locked hands and should be called.

In Situation B, if the defensive wrestler comes to his feet and the offensive wrestler locks his hands around both legs to bring him back to the mat, when the defensive wrestler comes back down to the mat, the offensive wrestler must then release his locked hands. If he keeps his hands locked beyond reaction time after coming back down to the mat, this is a locked hands violation.

You are correct in that both situations you presented are calls that are often missed by officials, but the officials that called locked hands in these situations made the correct call.

In situation B above: Assume the top wrestler only grabs one leg and upon returning to the mat he does not release the clasp. In order to remain in control, he simply “holds on” with his hands locked on the single leg while remaining on top and behind the hips of the bottom wrestler. Is this by rule locked hands?

You may lock hands around a single leg, however you must move up to and work for a fall, if you just hang on the leg to "hold on" it will most likely result in stalling being called.

Clasping onto one leg is not locked hands. Clasping both legs or around the body while the defensive wrestler is on the mat is locked hands. In Situation B if the wrestler is taken directly to his back it is not locked hands. The key word is directly.

just out of curiousity... the situation you describe, would directly be a judgement call? I could see it both ways.

No, the key here is that the offensive wrestler can lock his hands around the body if the defensive wrestler is in near fall criteria. If the wrestler goes directly from his feet to near fall criteria, the hands can remain locked. For example, imagine two wrestlers on their feet, one does a body lock and takes the other wrestler directly to his back to near fall criteria. Because the wrestler goes directly from the feet to near fall criteria, he can keep his hands locked around the body.

Now, to show an example of a violation, let's assume the wrestlers from their feet end up down on the mat in a scramble situation. One of the wrestlers ends up sitting on his butt, and the other wrestler (after being awarded control) locks his hands around the body to drive the defensive wrestler to his back to near fall criteria. In this example, this would be a locked hands violation because the wrestler locked his hands prior to near fall criteria, and the wrestling didn't go directly from the feet to near fall criteria.

Does that mean that after a wrestler gets his opponent in a tilt, and nf criteria is met, can the hands then be locked around the body?

Yes, but the hands can only be locked when the defensive wrestler is in near fall criteria. They couldn't be locked to "tilt" the wrestler into near fall criteria, or remain locked if the defensive wrestler came out of near fall criteria.

Rule 7-3-4...
"Interlocking or overlapping the hands, fingers or arms around the opponent's body (with or without arms included) or both legs by a wrestler in the advantage position, unless the opponent has all the weight supported entirely by the feet or has lifted the opponent off the mat, or the opponent has met near-fall criteria, is a technical violation. (When bringing your opponent back to the mat, hands overlapping or interlocked beyond reaction time is a technical violation)."

Alright me being stupid I think

I saw the other day a locked hands situation called and I was confused but went on and decided an arguement would be best left alone because I was not sure of myself

here it is

hands that don't overlap or interlock but are touching say pinky to thumb- is that locked hands

The rule states that hands cannot be overlapping or interlocked, if they are not overlapping or interlocked then there is no violation.

I know this is for high school rules, but would you happen to know if this rule the same for college?

Originally posted by Curtis Chenoweth: "I know this is for high school rules, but would you happen to know if this rule the same for college?


I looked up the NCAA rule, and it is the same as the high school rule.

Sweet. Thank you for looking that up.