Technical Fall - Definition and Overview

In amateur wrestling, a technical fall, or technical superiority, is a victory condition satisfied by outscoring your opponent by a specified number of points.

In folkstyle wrestling, a differential of fifteen points ends the match regardless of when it occurs.

Under the old rules of freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, a ten-point differential ended the match.

Under the rules adopted in 2004-2005 by FILA, the international styles moved to a three-period system similar to a "best of three" series; the technical fall wins only the period, as opposed to a pin, which ends the match entirely. The new period-only technical fall can be achieved in three ways:

• Creating a six-point differential
• Executing two three-point throws - throws which take the opponent from his feet to the danger position (his back), or grand-amplitude throws which do not end in the danger position
• Executing one grand-amplitude throw ending in the danger position - a throw in which the opponent is taken from his feet to his back while "describing a broadly sweeping arc," according to the FILA rulebook