For many the term ‘wrestling’ immediately conjures up images of WWE gladiators going through their choreographed and well-rehearsed routines in the name of sporting showbiz. But in the sense of it being a competitive sport worthy of having a bet on, it’s the sport in its traditional form that tends to be of interest to the serious punter.
There are two distinct disciplines, freestyle and Greco-Roman, both of which form the basis of the sport’s major championships, the biggest of which is naturally the Olympic Games. But national, continental and world championships are competed for throughout the calendar, offering ample opportunities to those who fancy a bet.
The Main Differences Between Freestyle and Greco-Roman
Both styles of wrestling involve grappling with an opponent, but there are significant differences. Despite its name, Greco-Roman wrestling originates from France in the 19th century – the name simply coming from a desire to reflect ancient values – with freestyle being derived from ‘catch as catch can’ wrestling. The latter is a sport where essentially you can use nearly any technique to pin your opponent’s shoulders to the ground, and is one that became popular during the 19th century in the US and UK.
In freestyle, the wrestlers can use their legs as both offensive and defensive weapons – this is not permitted in Greco-Roman. Also freestyle wrestlers can attempt to take down an opponent to the mat with a single or double-leg takedown, but in Greco-Roman they are not permitted to grab their opponents below the waist. And in Greco-Roman they cannot use their legs to make contact with an opponent, thereby making it more difficult to achieve a takedown.
Another element of Greco-Roman that doesn’t apply to freestyle is in the former the wrestler must maintain contact with his opponent throughout the takedown for the hold to be legal. In freestyle they can throw an opponent to the ground and then regain contact with him or her afterwards to apply a hold.
There are of course other more technical differences but predominantly freestyle is regarded as a more dynamic form of wrestling, with the competitors spending a lot of time circling each other looking for opportunities to attack. Greco-Roman is regarded more as a challenge of brute strength, but one thing they both have in common is the need for exquisite levels of balance.
One final thing to note is that women only compete in freestyle.
The object of both versions of the sport is to put your opponent on his or her back – to pin your opponent. A pin (or a fall) is when you put your opponent on his or her back with any part of both shoulders or both shoulder blades of your opponent in contact with the mat for two seconds. If there are no falls the outcome is decided by the referee on a points-scored basis. The ‘ring’ is essentially a circle with a diameter of seven metres.
Where to Bet
Most online bookmakers will run books for the major championships but in between there are others who will offer odds on smaller events like national championships and, in particular the US, collegiate competitions. As ever it’s a question of finding one that offers the level of detail and information that suits your betting needs. To ensure you find one that’s right for you, look no further than those recommended below:
Different Types of Bet
Generally, those who bet on wrestling are trying to simply pick the winner, so a moneyline bet – or a straight up bet – tends to be the preferred option, but for those who wish to hedge their bets and/or steer clear of short-priced favourites, there is the option of an each-way bet. As wrestling competitions are in a knockout format, a successful each-way bet will require you to identify a wrestler who reaches the semi-final stage. With an each-way bet being one that is essentially two equal bets placed on one selection – one part placed on the wrestler to win and the other to reach the semi-final stage – if your choice wins you win twice! If they reach the semi-final stage but not the final you will earn 1/4 or 1/5 of their starting odds, depending on which bookmaker you are using.
For those looking to identify a winner well before a tournament commences think about a Futures bet, and there are also team events in which you can attempt to pick the winning country.
INTENSE TRIVIA
Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. And since 1908, the event has been in every Summer Olympics. Wrestling is technically the last remaining Olympic sport in which competitors are required to be amateur in order to compete.
Weight Classes
In the major competitions there are six weight classes for each of the three divisions: men’s Greco-Roman, men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle. There is no “unlimited” weight class in wrestling and boxing terms such as flyweight, welterweight and super heavyweight are no longer used.
Below are the weight classes for each of different disciplines; the weights being the maximum that a participant can weigh.
Men’s Greco-Roman
- 59kg (130 lbs)
- 66kg (145.5 lbs)
- 75kg (165 lbs)
- 85kg (185 lbs)
- 98kg (216 lbs)
- 130kg (286.5 lbs)
Men’s freestyle
- 57kg (125.5 lbs)
- 65kg (143 lbs)
- 74kg (163 lbs)
- 86kg (189.5 lbs)
- 97kg (214 lbs)
- 125kg (275.5 lbs)
Women’s freestyle
- 48kg (106 lbs)
- 53kg (117 lbs)
- 58kg (128 lbs)
- 63kg (139 lbs)
- 69kg (152 lbs)
- 75kg (165 lbs)
The Major Championships
The UWW United World Wrestling Championships: Attracts the world’s best amateur wrestlers in the Greco-Roman and freestyle disciplines, with women competing in just the freestyle event. The full range of weights will be competed for, with individuals being awarded gold, silver and bronze in each event and also in the team event. These championships are held annually; the 2017 event due to take place in Paris and the 2018 event in Budapest. These usually take place in September, unless it is an Olympic year when it gets pushed back to later in the year.
The European Wrestling Championships: In a similar format to the ‘Worlds’ but attracting the elite athletes from Europe. Again, these are competed for annually, the 2017 event in Novi Sad, Serbia and the 2018 event in Kaspiysk, Russia.
The Olympics: The big one, and regarded as the blue riband event in the sport. Also, the time when, once every four years, the sport gets maximum TV exposure.
INTENSE TRIVIA
Strict rules maintaining a wrestler must defeat his opponent to claim victory led to marathon matches in the early modern Games. In 1912, Russian Martin Klein took 11 hours and 40 minutes to defeat Alppo Asikainen of Finland, and was then too tired to contest the gold medal match.
Betting Strategy and Tips
Wrestling betting is much like every other sport in that there is no magic formula in picking a winner. To familiarise yourself with the various aspects of the sport, including the different events and the dominant characters and countries, is a good start but ultimately it boils down to research.
Google has made this an infinitely easier task than it was in the pre-internet age, and it’s now easier than ever to identify the big names, their form and statistics. In a similar vein to boxing it’s useful to examine a wrestler’s past record and identify which competitors they have beaten and have lost against in previous tournaments. Also bear in mind though their career trajectory and whether they are on an upward or downward curve.
To bet but without having done the necessary research leaves a greater element down to the role of Lady Luck. Those who do their research are giving themselves a greater chance of making some money.
Finally, familiarise yourself with the nations who are most likely to compete for the medals. The US are notoriously strong on the wrestling mat – a product of the aforementioned collegiate system – but in recent years the Eastern Europeans and Russians have dominated alongside Iran. In the women’s freestyle event Japan have emerged as a very dominant force.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully some of the above information will prove helpful when, or if, you feel the urge to bet on wrestling. By using some of our info together with research of your own there is money to be made when betting on this sport. As ever it’s about having fun while giving yourself the best chance of winning some of cash along the way, and with that in mind please allow us at OnlineGambling to wish you the very best of luck.
