Greco-Roman

The casual sports fan likely knows that Greco-Roman does not allow attacks below the opponent’s waist, grabbing or blocking the opponent’s legs to defend against or thwart the opponent’s attack.

With this limitation on what is technically or tactically possible in Greco-Roman, competitors attack the body in the standing position with bodylocks, headlocks and arm throws.

Because of the difficulty of getting locked around an opponent in the standing position, wrestlers will keep pressure on the opponent, hoping to catch him leaning the wrong way or to force a passivity call.

With the second passivity call, the active wrestler has a choice to remain standing or to put his opponent in the par terre (on the ground) position. Most wrestlers will normally choose the par terre position when given the choice.

In par terre in Greco-Roman, wrestlers look to expose the opponent’s shoulders to the mat with locks around the waist or chest and then a roll-through.

Given the difficulty of scoring in Greco-Roman, a win by technical superiority – commonly referred to as a “technical fall” – is awarded when a wrestler gains an eight-point advantage over his opponent.  In freestyle and women’s wrestling, the margin needed is 10 points.