Weight Classes Changed in High School Wrestling
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (April 26, 2011) — The most significant changes in weight classes in high school wrestling in 23 years will take place in the 2011-12 season.
In its April 4-6 meeting in Indianapolis, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee approved an upward shift of the weight classes, beginning with the 103-pound class moving to 106 pounds, which resulted in new weights for 10 of the 14 classes. The changes in weight classes, along with 17 other rules revisions, were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
The 14 weight classes approved by the committee for 2011-12 are as follows: 106 (pounds), 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220 and 285. Three middle weight classes – 145, 152 and 160 – were retained, although they are 7-8-9 in order now rather than 8-9-10. The largest weight class (285 pounds) remains unchanged as well.
“The change in weight classes resulted from a three-to-four year process utilizing data from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Optimal Performance Calculator,” said Dale Pleimann, chair of the NFHS Wrestling Rules Committee and former assistant executive director of the Missouri State High School Activities Association. “The rules committee was able to analyze data from almost 200,000 wrestlers across the country, with the goal to create weight classes that have approximately seven percent of the wrestlers in each weight class.
“Throughout the process, each state association was kept completely informed and was provided multiple opportunities for input. The results of the last survey of each state association indicated that the majority of states favored a change, and the committee listened and acted accordingly.”
The last wholesale shift in weight classes occurred in 1988, when the lowest weight class was increased from 98 to 103 pounds. The only other changes since then were in 2002, when the number of classes went from 13 to 14 and the 215-pound weight class became mandatory, and in 2006, when the 275-pound class was increased to 285 pounds.
Among changes in wrestling holds, the Figure 4 around the head has been ruled an illegal hold/maneuver. Previously, the Figure 4 was illegal around the body or both legs.
“This move was being used by high school wrestlers more and more on the head, so to minimize the risk of injury, the committee voted to outlaw the Figure 4 on the head as well as around the body and both legs,” said Bob Colgate, NFHS assistant director and liaison to the Wrestling Rules Committee.
Another significant change was made in Rule 2-1-3, which now makes the boundary line inbounds and, thus, expands the wrestling area. Previously, a wrestler was out of bounds if he or she was touching any part of the 2-inch-wide line which marks the wrestling area.
An additional exception was added to Rule 8-2-1 stating that if the second injury time-out is taken at the conclusion of the second period, and the opponent already has the choice at the beginning of the third period, the opponent would then have the added choice at the first restart after the beginning of the third period.
“Previously, at the end of the second period and before the third period, Wrestler A takes his or her second injury time-out, which now gives the choice to Wrestler B,” Colgate said. “However, it’s already Wrestler B’s choice by virtue of the original flip of the disk. Therefore, Wrestler B gains no advantage or benefit from Wrestler A’s second injury time-out. With this change, Wrestler B would now have his or her choice at the first restart after the beginning of the third period.”
In other changes, a revision in Rule 3-1-13 allows the referee the flexibility to determine his or her best position to monitor the clock and wrestlers during injury, blood or recovery time-outs. Also, language in Rule 6-2-2 was changed from “forfeit” to “disqualification” to reflect correct terminology.
The rules committee also devoted considerable time to developing rules for multi-team dual meets and team-formatted tournaments. Previously, the NFHS Wrestling Rules Book addressed only dual meets and individually bracketed tournaments. Definitions for individually bracketed tournaments, dual meet/team-formatted tournaments and combination tournaments will be contained in Rule 1-3.
“In recent years, high school wrestling has moved from dual meets and individually bracketed tournaments to tournaments incorporating a dual meet/team format,” Pleimann said. “The new Rule 11 will provide rules coverage for this type of tournament format.”
“High school wrestling is in great shape across the country as participation numbers continue to increase. The rules committee did propose 18 changes to the rules book, but approximately two-thirds of those changes resulted from incorporating the new dual meet/team format rules,” Pleimann added.
The final change is one that has been approved by the NFHS Board of Directors for use in all NFHS rules books regarding the meet referee’s jurisdiction. The rule extends the clerical duties of the referee beyond the end of the meet through the completion of any reports required from actions that occurred while the referees had jurisdiction.
Points of emphasis adopted by the committee for 2011-12 include communicable diseases, injury time-outs, coach/referee conference, and concussion recognition and management.
Wrestling is the sixth-most popular sport for boys at the high school level with 272,890 participants in 10,363 schools during the 2009-10 season, according to the NFHS Athletics Participation Survey. In addition, 6,134 girls were involved in wrestling in 1,009 high schools.
MEDIA CONTACTS:Bruce Howard or John Gillis, www.nfhs.org
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27 Comments
Amen and Amen. I still think that the weight brackets should be set up so that there is a equal jump from one class to the next in terms of percentages (i.e., set up the classes so that no wrestler has to gain or lose more than 7% of his body weight to go up or down to the next class–only exception is heavyweight), but evening out some of the upper brackets was long called for in my view.
this is a joke…once again the lightweights get punished. I wouldn’t have been a real 106 until my Junior year of high school. 103 was a great weight class
I agree what a JOKE! One of the only sports where the small kid has a chance to compete. My son weighs 90lbs going into 9th grade! How is he going to compete with the 115lbs kids droping to 106lbs?
“What a joke” is too lenient. Its a travesty for the small athlete who has chosen to participate in wrestling. The argument that this will keep 7% in each weight class is ridiculous for 106. The lightest class will always have a smaller percentage of wrestlers. All they’ve accomplished is to increase the likelihood that more parents of light wrestlers will hold their kids back a year in school, and/or go to the doctor for growth hormones.
Why do we assume that a lower classmen should be guaranteed a spot on the varsity line-up? Look at every other sport…a freshman or sophomore on varsity is an extremely good athlete!
I am a high school coach and this is terrible. 106 will now be 110 the last day of PA states. This punishes so many light kids. Adding another upper weight is a joke too. Most upper weights are football players coaches are scrambling to pull in to fill a spot. That is the only reason data shows more 180 pound kids. Coaches attempt to fill the spot with 3 terrible 1st or 2nd year wrestlers.
[...] the weight classes? I like these changes. Cut down the number of the lower weight classes Weight Classes Changed in High School Wrestling|The Open Mat __________________ 23 NCAA Wrestling Team Titles 32 Big Ten Conference [...]
To get the smaller kids in there they should have added the 98 lb. class if they moved 103 up to 106. There are too many kids in the sport as fresh or sophs that are under 105 lbs.
if your kid is 90 pounds, its most likely he wouldnt be good enough to make the line up anyways, or he would be held back. compared to the middle weights, 103 is always an easier weight class because of the lack of upperclassmen, and 3 pounds may not sound like much, but it can increase the amount of competition
Making Varsity is not the point. Wrestling gives the smaller athlete a chance to compete against the same size opponent, so my 90lb freshman will have to wrestle 110lbs freshman/JV/Varsity kids, he will win most (already been wrestlign 6 years) but will strugle just based on size alone. So shoule he quit wreslting until he is big enough to wrestle? This is just pushing kids away from the sport. How many 106 pound football, basketball, hockey, lacross, track… etc. have you seen?
why is the figure four around the head illegal? theyre trying to make the sport into a gentle sport…its not a gentle sport! its a great move that many kids use to effectively pin their opponents and now they cant use it….ridiculous
What about the kids who are tiny and have trouble making weight but are amazing wrestlers, there is a stud coming in who only weighs 80 pounds as an eighth grader and was planning to wrestle 98, kids at 106 will destroy the usual 98 pounders, it just doesn’t seem right.
Honestly, we all know that 103 is and always has been a joke of a weight class, how many times have state placers had to move up to 112 and failed to place the following year? countless. and in comparison to the amount that happens in any other weight it is more than proof of a need of change. There will always be those few who are punished for a rule change, but this is definitely the lesser of the evils.
LOL @ all the people qq’ing about the 103 class being changed to 106… It’s three pounds. I can understand freshman wrestling in the 103(106 now) bracket because they are legitimately that size, but to try and stay in that class for any longer than that is ridiculously stupid. Kids at 14 and 15 years old should be bulking like mad in the off-season. Kids at that age can pack on so much lean mass over a summer of eating and lifting right. Like the guy above me said, the only reason kids try to starve themselves to stay that lean is to narrow down the competition. I say man up, eat a burger, lift hard in the off-season, and bump up a class… no big deal.
Damned shame that athletic diversity again gets killed to benefit those who need it least: the folks in the middle of the bell curve. I was 82 pounds as a freshman; if the 98 pound weight class hadn’t been there my junior yr. of h.s. I would never have gotten into the sport, which I have remained active in the past 42 years. What sport are the little guys supposed to do now: horse racing?
It is a shame that we are making this a sport of who falls on who first heavyweight sport that everyone hates. If they keep the new weights at least add 98 back into the mix and give lightweights a chance to shine.
The point of having the minimum weight at 106 is to evenly distribute competition. I personally feel that they weight should have been done away with all together and merged with 112. Because the truth is, even with 7% of the wrestlers, the weight is still going to be 99% freshman and sophmores. To the very few who are to light for the sport, I’m sorry but it would just continue to embarrass the lower weights as they show a serious lack of upperclassmen and thus, competition.
i am in 8th grade and was planning to wrestle 103 as a frosh..i weigh 91 lbs at the moment and trying to gain as fast as i can..this is just going to make it harder
What is the biggest problem of them all besides the 106 weight witch is a terrible idea is that there is no 140 that weight every year was always tough and now all this is going to do is stack 138 with every good 40 pounder and 35 pounder witch is terrbile to have one weight class harder than all the others
I agree with the 106 change being not the best idea. I”m almost a junior and will still be in the 106 weight class, granted I’ll be struggling to stay down so i wouldn’t have the problem of kids being bigger than me, but as a freshman i weighed about 92 pounds and it was HARD to try to keep up with these guys who were over 10 pounds more than me. I think they should put the 98 weight class back for the littler guys. Its basically like saying black people cant wrestle because they are black by saying small kids cant wrestle because their small. EVERYONE should have an equal opportunity to play to their potential.
Why are you complaining about 103 changing to 106, this will only motivate the smaller people to work harder to achieve their goals. Balancing out the weight classes is exactly what was needed I am tired of tournaments that have most the weights done with still go on because there are 2 weight classes still going. It is going to turn tournaments from all day to most the day and allow a little sleep before it is sunday.
As a highschool wrestler myself, I really don’t like the changes in weight classes. Our team doesn’t usually fight for spots as much as we are going to have to now. And friends last year have pretty much turned to rivals.
with a 103 weight class even a 106 that is putting unexperianced freshman on a VARSITY mat where they dont belong how many freshman stary on the varsity football team? if they are good enought to wrestle with the big boys then let him but untill then leave him at JV
if there is going to be a wieght class for lil kids leave it on the JV mats
In Illinois anyway they did leave lighter weights below 106 for Freshman, so really only the more elite younger wrestlers will wrestle at the lighter varsity weights, is 3 lbs. really that significant?
I believe this bump up in 106′s is a great idea!
Anyone who says 106′s or lower weight classes are a joke obviously never faced any good lightweight wrestlers.
Winning states as a freshman is a nearly impossible feat. to do!
If people want too destroy their bodies just to take the easy way out they have another thing coming.
They might make weight but their bodies r pretty much fatigued before they even wrestle the first match.
If any of you were really even true wrestlers than you wouldn’t complain, you would learn to get up and adapt to these new changes.
Life isn’t fair so just deal with it
And the 3lbs allow more wrestlers to challenge
The 106 weight class may be the lightest but it’s one hell of a division to be set upon because you and everybody in that same division dropped to that weight for a reason and I know it was to win…
And “eric”
Obviously you are one of those heavier weight classes who have no speed at all like those lighter weight classes.
It is really obvious to tell how inexperienced you are because of how much you underestimate these 106 weight class.
each weight division is going to have their strengths and weaknesses.
Apparently all you see is the weakness, just pay attention and you might figure out how good these light weight guys really are.