2007 NCAA 149 pound semi-final matches

[BARR]

You have Schlatter vs. Gillespie and Churella vs. Palmer.

I think the Schlatter/Gillespie match is terribly boring and stalling should have been called numerous times. Now Gillespie wrestled a smart match, but could he have backed up anymore? Geez. He backed out of bounds a dozen times. Schlatter didn't do a whole lot other than push and push. He didn't make very many offensive attempts either. Both guys took some "half shots", but neither did a whole lot. This a good example of why I don't like the edge of the mat type wrestling. Man do they need to start enforcing stalling. What does anyone else think?

Churella/Palmer.... I love the fact that Churella kept attacking and getting the takedown in the 3rd even though he was up by one. He didn't sit and stall on his lead. I thought this was good match, with some very good wrestling by both guys.


http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=4

[freight-train]

Regarding the Gillespie/Schlatter match...I understand now that Schlatter was hurt, but at the time I was dying over the lack of shooting. Also, someone needs to teach Gillespie how to circle in to the middle and not just back out. Based on what i saw, which was the finals and semifinals, the lack of circling and just backing out of the circle seemed to be the common theme of the tournament. I'm not saying they should change the rules, but it would be interesting if they added the step-out rule now used in international wrestling.

[BARR]

Yeah when I was watching that match, Schlatter/Gillespie, at the NCAA's (I was watching more of the Churella match) I couldn't believe how little action there was. In Schlatter's defense.... as you pointed out he was hurt and these guys are taught from when they are little, not to force anything. Take good shots. Well when a guy is constantly backing up and the ref's won't call stalling, it sure does make it hard to take good shots. So what do you do... force something and put yourself in a bad position?

I am in favor of the step-out rule. It would need to be tweaked some. I think a good way to help curb that "style" of wrestling would be for the ref's to start enforcing stalling. If the ref would have hit Gillespie with a stall call or 2 he wouldn't have been able to keep backing straight out of bounds.

[mack]

In GG defense though, if Dustin S. wasnt even attempting any shots, why should he? The whole year last year, Dustin s.'s offense was other peoples offense. I did'nt see DS take any shots the whole match. In my opinion, DS did alot more stalling then did GG. He might have been moving forward, but he was not making any attempts to score. He was treating the match like a sumo match. The latter half of last year DS "offense" was drawing stall calls. He gets down very low in a 3-point stance and just keeps position and doesnt attempt anything. He was a treat to watch in high school, but now its like watching paint dry.

[freight-train]

Mack,
I kinda agree that it would have been difficult to call stalling on GG since Dustin wasnt really wrestling. Going forward isnt necessarily being aggressive. Maybe it would call for a double stalling call? Either way, I dont think it woulda helped very much. A stalling call wouldnt be enough for Dustin to all of suddent trust his knee and shoot or change the fact that Gillespie was physically weaker than Dustin and had a set gameplan for that.
I hope Schlatters knee is healed up and he can regain the style he had in high school and his freshman year. He was def not exciting this year.

[BARR]

In GG defense though, if Dustin S. wasnt even attempting any shots, why should he? The whole year last year, Dustin s.'s offense was other peoples offense. I did'nt see DS take any shots the whole match. In my opinion, DS did alot more stalling then did GG. He might have been moving forward, but he was not making any attempts to score. He was treating the match like a sumo match. The latter half of last year DS "offense" was drawing stall calls. He gets down very low in a 3-point stance and just keeps position and doesnt attempt anything. He was a treat to watch in high school, but now its like watching paint dry.

Mack, I agree Dustin didn't do much at all but push. This was my quote in the first post...

Schlatter didn't do a whole lot other than push and push. He didn't make very many offensive attempts either.

Dustin was close to 2 takedowns. He hit a nice "slide-by" and a nice duck-under. Both in the 3rd period and both times GG was able to get out of bounds because he was on the edge. GG hit one good shot. IMO both guys should have been rung up for stalling. Like I said if Gillespie would have been warned he wouldn't have been able to keep backing out of bounds. If Schlatter would have been warned he would have been forced to do more than just push.

A case could be made for both guys to have gotten hit for stalling and I could make a case saying that one guy shouldn't have had to do much because the other guy wasn't doing much either. IMO that match was a stall fest and I would like to see stalling enforced and get matches like the GG/Schlatter turned back into a wrestling match.

I don't know maybe I am in the minority when it comes to the way stalling is enforced and my dislike for the "do just enough to win" style of wresltling. It may not have changed the match to call stalling, but good grief I can't hardly stand to watch a match like that.

[Conquistadors]

I pretty much agree with what all of you've said.

I've always thought that when a match starts that the guys should have about 30 seconds to feel each other out and then it is INCUMBENT (i.e., obligatory) on both wrestlers to try to score. Half-shots, hand-fighting, head-control, reacting to shots with front-headlocks (and not trying to score), etc. are not attemps to score, IMHO. After 30 seconds if a guy isn't trying to score, he's stalling. Call it!

Since the powers that be don't buy into what I said above, about seven years ago on themat.com (before it became the cesspool.com) I posted and argued quite a few times for an Aggression Pt. Since then Real Pro Wrestling (does it still exist?) and international wrestling have adopted a step out rule is that simpler than my Aggression Point. I would LOVE to see the step-out rule adopted-- it would force both guys to stay close to the center and should make for more action. The question is: In international wrestling, has it generated more action?

Finally, watching Dustin last year he seemed to have two speeds: Normal-Dustin (e.g., last winter I watched him beat someone--I think from Arizona State--by a tech fall in the first period) and Slow, which he used against decent-to-top tier opposition (Churella, Mizzou's Josh Wagner, Gillespie). In those matches Dustin did basically nothing. It was apparent to me and most wrestling fans that he wasn't the same wrestler that he was his freshman year. However, the obnoxious Minnesota fans got defensive and claimed that Dustin was indeed the same. Then when the season was over, it turned out that indeed Dustin was wrestling with a serious knee injury. Then the Minnesota fans said "see, that's why he wasn't as offensive." Sorry Gopher fans, you can't have it both ways.

[Huskie184]

I agree with all of you as well. Stalling should be called more, but other times needs to be called way less. Sometimes the "pusher" gets the "shooter" called for stalling way too much. Also, if you watch Gillespie, thats pretty much how he always wrestles. He likes to set up his shots by dancing around outside and then shooting low when his opponent walks into him. he is amazingly quick

[freight-train]

The question is: In international wrestling, has it generated more action?

I believe the rule has generated more action. When guys are near the out of bounds theyre forced to take action. They have many options...circle into the center, take a shot on an overly aggressive wrestler, or push back giving an opportunity for the aggressive wrestler to shoot. Some might be worried that the rule turns the match into sumo wrestling. However, if you're a good wrestler straight pushing alone shouldnt send you off the mat

[BARR]

I agree with all of you as well. Stalling should be called more, but other times needs to be called way less. Sometimes the "pusher" gets the "shooter" called for stalling way too much. Also, if you watch Gillespie, thats pretty much how he always wrestles. He likes to set up his shots by dancing around outside and then shooting low when his opponent walks into him. he is amazingly quick

Not to stray off topic, but Gillespie wrestles alot like Poeta IMO. They wrestle a VERY similar style and since Gillespie is moving up to 157, that could be an interesting match-up.