Wrestling Basics

---

You've come to the right place! As a new wrestling parent, it's easy to become a bit overwhelmed. We've created these informational pages to help prepare you and your wrestler(s) to excel this season. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to any coach or board member if you have any questions at any point. We are all here to support you! 

For practice, your wrestler will need a t-shirt, shorts/pants, wrestling shoes, headgear and mouth guard (if they have braces). To compete in tournaments, your wrestler will need a singlet or compression shirt and fight shorts, and wrestling shoes. Headgear and mouth guard are recommended by our coaches and required for some tournaments. 

Optional gear recommended by veterans includes:

• Many wrestlers love wearing crazy socks for tournaments. Who knows, it might even be a lucky charm!
• Sweatpants and a hoodie/jacket are great for warming up cold muscles, and keeping them warm in between matches. 
• Slides or cleat covers to wear over wrestling shoes when not on the mat. This helps keep your wrestler's shoes clean with traction intact. Clean shoes means fewer germs floating around on the mats. Shoes with better traction means less sliding and more leverage on the mats.
• Wrestling bags come in all shapes, sizes and colors from simple drawstring to duffle bags. We'll cover what you may want your wrestler to carry in their bag on the Tournament Day page.
• NAEW apparel helps other parents recognize you as part of the team, not to mention the logo is pretty awesome. Head over to our store page and check out the latest options!

Folkstyle wrestling is where your wrestler will learn the fundamentals of wrestling, and is the most widely practiced style of wrestling in Alabama. For the AYWO organization, folkstyle season typically runs from October through the end of February. 

Freestyle wrestling is similar to folkstyle, but focuses on exposure points from the bottom position rather than escapes and control. Greco Roman, commonly referred to as simply Greco, wrestling involves upper body moves and throws only. AYWO does not currently offer a freestyle or Greco tournament series, but there are tournament options in neighboring states for advanced wrestlers who wish to pursue a more year-round schedule. Freestyle/Greco season typically begins in April and runs through the end of summer. Please talk with the coaches if your wrestler is interested. 

Here is an excellent scoring comparison between the three styles, and also details referee hand signals. Understanding the hand signals and points awarded in each situation will help you immensely during matches!