What is not allowed in freestyle wrestling?
A · Advanced · Fouls and penalties · 1 of 6Wrestling bans anything meant to hurt and not to control: striking, choking, twisting joints, bending an arm past 90 degrees and holds on the head alone. Freestyle also bans a leg scissors with the feet crossed on the head, neck or body. A foul costs a caution and points.
How it works
| Kind | What the rules forbid |
|---|---|
| Hurting the opponent | Pulling hair, ears or genitals; pinching; biting; twisting fingers or toes; kicking; head-butting; strangling; an elbow or knee into the stomach |
| Dangerous holds | A throat hold; twisting an arm more than 90 degrees; an arm lock on the forearm; an arm bent up behind the back at an acute angle; stretching the spine; anything that could break or dislocate a limb |
| Head and neck | Two hands or arms on the head or neck; a hold on the head alone (head and one arm is allowed); the chancery, a front headlock; a double nelson, unless from the side and without the legs |
| The bridge | Lifting an opponent out of a bridge and throwing them down; breaking the bridge by pushing towards the head |
| Throws from behind | With the opponent head down, the throw must go to the side, never straight down on to the head |
| Other | Touching the face between the eyebrows and the mouth; holding the singlet; clinging to the mat; seizing the sole of the foot; interlocking fingers to block; talking; agreeing the result |
| Freestyle only | A scissor-lock with the feet crossed on the head, neck or body |
| Women's wrestling | Every double nelson, standing or on the ground |
What it costs:
- A foul by the attacker: The hold is void. First time, a verbal warning. If repeated, a caution and 1 point to the opponent.
- A foul by the defender that stops a hold: a caution, and 1 point to the opponent. If the attacker completes the hold anyway, its points are given as well.
- A hold that starts legal and turns illegal is scored up to the foul. The bout restarts standing with a verbal warning, and a second offence brings a caution and 1 point.
- Brutality, such as a deliberate head-butt: the wrestler may be disqualified from the competition by a unanimous decision of the officials.
- A wrestler pinned as a result of their own illegal hold loses by fall.
- Under-17 and under-15 wrestlers may not use the double nelson at all.
Tricky cases
Is a headlock legal?
It depends on what is inside it. A hold round the head and one arm is allowed. A hold on the head alone, or with two hands or arms on the head or neck, is not.
Can a wrestler grab the opponent's singlet?
No. Holding the opponent by the singlet is forbidden.
Is a body scissors legal in freestyle?
No, not with the feet crossed. The rule bans "a scissor-lock with the feet crossed on the head, neck or body".
Why the rule exists
The aim is to control the opponent's body, not to injure it or force a surrender through pain. The list removes the holds that attack the neck, the spine and the joints.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| UWW rules, freestyle | As above | W 47; W 50; W 51; W 52 |
| Greco-Roman | No holds below the belt line and no use of the legs. A defender's foul gives 2 points | W 51; W 50 |
| Under-17 and under-15 | The double nelson is banned from the front and the side | W 50 |
From the rule book
United World Wrestling International Wrestling Rules, Articles 42, 47, 50, 51 and 52. Edition dated January 2026. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: UWW International Wrestling Rules (PDF).