Pet Peeve(STALLING)

[mike.carman]

We have referees stalling kids that are working and not stalling kids that are laying on the mat watching the clock. I realize that stalling is the referee's discretion, but come on. Our refs have gotten completely off base with this. I know we have all seen it. When you get a kid who is tough on top, the opponent always goes into the don't get turned mode and balls up. I hate this. Top guy is working his but off trying to turn the bottom man and the ref just sits there and watches as the bottom man just balls up. Can someone please explain this to me, because I really don't get it. Why are they letting these kids get away with it? Only hurts the sport.

[Realwrestling]

Mike

I agree with you on the stalling,as I have seen this at a WV tournament
Long gone are the days of brutal toughness. I teach my kids in HS that if a wrestler decides to just lay on the mat.
Make him pay for it dearly
By that I mean cross face him to the point where he will move or get stuck.Pain is a very good lesson in life!

[wvnorth]

Is fighting your opponent from scoring on you not wrestling as well? Certainly we all hate that wrestler that gets a lead and cruises ,particularly when it's against your wrestler but I've seen some really bad stalling calls against a wrestler that was just defending the onslaught of a losing wrestler in desperation. In practice a bottom wrestler is taught keep your head up, elbows tight and hand control. These are wrestling moves as well. How can you be called for stalling for defending yourself? Now a wrestler that is winning and dives in on a leg and does not try to advance from an advantageous position while looking at the clock drives me crazy but a wrestler doing what he was taught to defend , I think, is too often called. This is usually the complaint of the losing side.

[mike.carman]

What I am talking about are clear guidelines for stalling. We don't have them. At the college level they have tried to implement clear guidelines. Why have we not adopted them at the HS level. Example: bottom guy stands up, top guy drops to a leg(In college a five count is initiated and if reached stalling is called on the top man). When no attempt is made to improve your position, that is stalling by definition. Elbows tight and covering up and "cruising" as was stated is stalling. 2 full minutes should not be allowed to go by in that position. I agree there have been some awful stall calls on someone who is clearly working in the past. Here is one I saw this weekend. Bottom guy covers up, ref bangs the mat and gives a warning for stalling, bottom guy does not change his approach and continues same tactic, ref never calls it again for 1:30. Stalling was already initiated but not followed up on. Now I know the ref does not want to dictate the results in a match and catch a lot of flak for stalling calls both ways, but its a rule none the less and needs to be enforced. The wrestler has to at least look like he/she is trying to work.

[aaacoach200]

The rule book does state if the bottom guy is being overpowered then he should not be called for stalling, which unfortunately leaves room for good or bad judgment....as for clock watching, I like my wrestlers to know where they are in a match, wouldn't you want to know, some clock watchers are more blatant than others but I don't think to check the time should be a penalty...and we always try not to get down in points so the top guy can't stall, but it happens a lot, so then you have to ask, how did we get behind, well I guess we were outwrestled, just general statements with no scenarios in mind

[mike.carman]

He wasn't being overpowered. He was winning and just laying on the mat.

[mike.carman]

I'm not even talking about one match in particular. I am talking about matches I have noticed for a long time. This type of wrestling doesn't fly in college, but then again college gives riding time so there is incentive to get off the bottom. So, I guess I am asking, in HS what is the incentive for a wrestler to wrestle all three periods? I just don't like how stalling is called or not called period. If its not going to be called that's fine. Just looking for some consistency and I don't mean consistently bad.

[aaacoach63]

Something has to be done period!! I watched a kid get a stalling called on him in a 30 second ot period, never thought I would see that and he was top man go figure. Refs need to go back and take training or classes every year to stay on top of their game. In this situation caused kid to loose 2-1, just bad, bad, call period and nothing is said to ref!! I fill very sad for kids wrestling in every!!!

[Truesouthfaninhunt]

I have no idea what some of you are watching with regard to blatant stalling. My guess is you are taking an isolated incident that in YOUR biased opinion is and should have been deemed stalling.
I just don't see it going uncalled or called inappropriately as you suggest. I would argue that there is much less stalling now as opposed to .... Say 20 years ago.

[forthekids]

1. Refs do take training every year.
2. Stalling was called in 30 second overtime not tie breaker. If you read the rule book those two periods are extension of match and stalling should be called when seen.
3. If stalling was called that way it states in rule book. NOT many matches would make it to third period.
4. Maybe all the people on this site and please read, (Really going to spilt hair on 5 second rule), should become ACTIVE officials themselves and fix so called problem.
5. STALLING is a judgment call and YOU will never get two officials to call it the same. Coaches and wrestler must know official on mat and wrestle to that. Heck, I did that 35 years ago.
6.ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! COM ON MAN, let's quit bitching about the officials they are human and trust me not doing it for the glory, but for the kids. LIKE every year no major freak out till finals. Just remember this, With officials or without. Some one is going to win and someone is going to lose. Some will be happy and some will not. UNLESS of course we just make everyone a state champ.

This thread does not teach the kids or adults what the sport is about! But then again that is another thread, Let's title it WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICA! I will say for the most part best sportsmanship among the wrestlers, best I have ever seen. KIDDO''s to the coaches.

PEACE OUT! copy all the post and I am sure will we be reading the same ones next year and on and on.