In most styles of

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

, opponents are matched based on

weight class Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports, especially combat sports (such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and wrestling). Altern ...

Olympic and international weight classes

In international competition, men's

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestling ...

, men's

Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling (Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mod ...

, and female

utilize following weight classes as of 2018:

Men's freestyle wrestling

* 53 kg (115 lbs) (non-Olympic class) * 57 kg (125 lbs) * 61 kg (134 lbs) (non-Olympic class) * 65 kg (143 lbs) * 70 kg (154 lbs) (non-Olympic class) * 74 kg (163 lbs) * 79 kg (174 lbs) (non-Olympic class) * 86 kg (190 lbs) * 92 kg (203 lbs) (non-Olympic class) * 97 kg (214 lbs) * 125 kg (276 lbs)

Men's Greco-Roman wrestling

* 55 kg (121 lbs) (non-Olympic class) * 60 kg (132 lbs) * 63 kg (139 lbs) (non-Olympic class) * 67 kg (148 lbs) * 72 kg (159 lbs) (non-Olympic class) * 77 kg (170 lbs) * 82 kg (181 lbs) (non-Olympic class) * 87 kg (192 lbs) * 97 kg (214 lbs) * 130 kg (287 lbs)

Women's wrestling

* 50 kg (110 lbs) * 53 kg (117 lbs) * 55 kg (121 lbs) (non-Olympic class) * 57 kg (126 lbs) * 59 kg (130 lbs) (non-Olympic class) * 62 kg (137 lbs) * 65 kg (143. lbs) (non-Olympic class) * 68 kg (150 lbs) * 72 kg (159 lbs) (non-Olympic class) * 76 kg (168 lbs)

International youth weight classes

For men's freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling

As of 2019, international freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling for male youths are divided into three age categories: U15, cadets, and juniors. U15 (male youths aged 14–15, as well as male youths at age 13 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) compete in freestyle and/or Greco-Roman wrestling in the following 10 weight classes: * 34–38 kg (75-84 lbs) * 41 kg (90 lbs) * 44 kg (97 lbs) * 48 kg (106 lbs) * 52 kg (115 lbs) * 57 kg (126 lbs) * 62 kg (137 lbs) * 68 kg (150 lbs) * 75 kg (165 lbs) * 85 kg (187 lbs) Cadets (male youths aged 16–17, as well as male youths at age 15 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) compete in freestyle wrestling and/or Greco-Roman wrestling in the following 10 weight classes: * 41 to 45 kg (90 to 99 lbs) * 48 kg (106 lbs) * 51 kg (112 lbs) * 55 kg (121 lbs) * 60 kg (132 lbs) * 65 kg (143 lbs) * 71 kg (157 lbs) * 80 kg (176 lbs) * 92 kg (203 lbs) * 110 kg (243 lbs) Juniors (men aged 18 to 20, as well as male youths at age 17 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) compete in freestyle wrestling and/or Greco-Roman wrestling in the following weight classes: * 57 kg (126 lbs) * 61 kg (134 lbs) * 65 kg (143 lbs) * 70 kg (154 lbs) * 74 kg (163 lbs) * 79 kg (174 lbs) * 86 kg (190 lbs) *92 kg (203 lbs) *97 kg (214 lbs) *125 kg (276 lbs) Juniors over the age of 18 are allowed to participate in senior competitions with a medical certificate.

For women's freestyle wrestling

As of 2019, female youth compete in freestyle wrestling on an international level in one of four age categories: U15, cadets, and juniors. U15 (female youths aged 14–15, and female youths at age 13 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) compete in freestyle wrestling in the following 10 weight classes: * 29 to 33 kg (64 to 73 lbs) * 36 kg (79 lbs) * 39 kg (86 lbs) * 42 kg (93 lbs) * 46 kg (101 lbs) * 50 kg (110 lbs) * 54 kg (119 lbs) * 58 kg (128 lbs) * 62 kg (137 lbs) * 66 kg (146 lbs) Cadets (female youths aged 16–17, and female youths at age 15 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) compete in freestyle wrestling in the following 10 weight classes: * 36 to 40 kg (79 to 88 lbs) * 43 kg (95 lbs) * 46 kg (101 lbs) * 49 kg (108 lbs) * 53 kg (117 lbs) * 57 kg (126 lbs) * 61 kg (134 lbs) * 65 kg (143 lbs) * 69 kg (152 lbs) * 73 kg (161 lbs) Juniors (female youths aged 18 to 20, and female youths at age 17 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) compete in freestyle wrestling in the following eight weight classes: * 50 kg (110 lbs) * 53 kg (117 lbs) * 55 kg (121 lbs) * 57 kg (126 lbs) * 59 kg (130 lbs) * 62 kg (137 lbs) * 65 kg (143. lbs) * 68 kg (150 lbs) * 72 kg (159 lbs) * 76 kg (168 lbs)

Scholastic weight classes in the United States

Elementary school

Elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

students competing in wrestling have multiple ways weight classes are determined. #"Madison system" - This is a popular tournament format where there are no weight classes and the tournament director pairs wrestlers into brackets (usually 8 or 16 man) based on weight at weigh-ins. This is a popular method because it discourages "weight cutting" in young athletes. #Division-based system - In this system, the tournament director separates athletes by age (ex: Grade 2 and under, Grade 4 and under, and Grade 6 and under), and by weight class. Weight class and division is at the tournament director's discretion. #Pure-weight based system - In this system, the athletes are not divided by age but rather just by weight class. This is rarely used because it pairs younger, less experienced athletes with older, more experienced athletes.

Middle school

Wrestling weight classes for middle (junior high) school in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

vary from state to state and are not regulated by the NFHS. The weight classes regulated by the

OHSAA The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of compe ...

are the following: * 80 lbs * 86 lbs * 92 lbs * 98 lbs * 104 lbs * 110 lbs * 116 lbs * 122 lbs * 128 lbs * 134 lbs * 142 lbs * 150 lbs * 160 lbs *172 lbs *205 lbs *245 lbs

High school

High school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

students in the

competing in

scholastic wrestling Scholastic wrestling, also known in the United States as folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practiced at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially collegiate wrestling wit ...

do so in the following 14 weight classes set by the

National Federation of State High School Associations The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the body that writes the rules of competition for most high school sports and activities in the United States. NFHS's headquarters are located in White River State Park in Indi ...

(NFHS): * 106 lbs * 113 lbs * 120 lbs * 126 lbs * 132 lbs * 138 lbs * 145 lbs * 152 lbs * 160 lbs * 170 lbs * 182 lbs * 195 lbs *220 lbs * 285 lbs ** Heavyweight class was unlimited before 1988–89; capped at 275 lb (~125 kg) from 1988 to 1989 through 2005–06. Other

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

s have additional or modified weight classes, such as: * 99 lbs (in the state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

;) * 98 lbs (in the state of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

; ) * 105 lbs (in place of the 103 lbs weight class) in Montana. *144, 150, 157, 165, 175, 190, and 215 lbs (in place of 145, 152, 160, 170, 195, and 220 lbs weight classes) in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. *172, 189 and 215 lbs (in place of the 170, 182, 195 and 220 lbs weight classes) in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. * 103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 215 and 285 are the weight classes used in Michigan.

Collegiate weight classes in the United States

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

and

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

students in the

competing in

collegiate wrestling Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and mi ...

do so in the following 10 weight classes set by the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA): * 125 lb * 133 lb * 141 lb * 149 lb * 157 lb * 165 lb * 174 lb * 184 lb * 197 lb * Heavyweight (183 lb to 285 lb) Also: * 235 lb (Only the

National Collegiate Wrestling Association The National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) is a nonprofit association of 162 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organize the wrestling programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canad ...

(NCWA), which governs institutions outside of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

, NAIA, and

NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

, currently allows this weight class, which ranges from 174 lb to 235 lb.) The NCWA has also approved the following eight weight classes for its women's division, which uses collegiate rules instead of the freestyle ruleset used in NCAA-recognized women's wrestling: * 105 lb * 112 lb * 121 lb * 130 lb * 139 lb * 148 lb * 159 lb * 200 lb Women's college wrestling is also governed by the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA), an arm of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The WCWA uses freestyle rules instead of collegiate rules. Freestyle wrestling became an NCAA-recognized sport as part of the Emerging Sports for Women program in 2020–21. The WCWA currently has 10 weight classes: * 101 lb * 109 lb * 116 lb * 123 lb * 130 lb * 136 lb * 143 lb * 155 lb * 170 lb * 191 lb

References

External links

www.fila-wrestling.comwww.nfhs.org wrestling rules changes 2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wrestling Weight Classes Amateur wrestling