That was enjoyable. Great to see high action heavy's going at it.
With current rules, Carlton would have had a stall call against him in the first 30 seconds.
The mat is so much "smaller" under the old rules for OB based on supporting points. Super happy they changed to current OB rule.
Watching this, reflecting, and thinking about how the current OB rules are debated (should push-outs be incorporated into Folkstyle)...the dotted line generated a thought. Here's the idea:
To promote scoring and ACTION in the center of the mat:
* Wrestling mats must have an inner hashed line (or different colored area) 5 feet inside out of bounds line (OB apron)
* Beneath the dashed line and embedded into the mat will be RFD sensors every 6 inches
* Anklets worn by wrestlers will have embedded RFD sensors and must be worn on both ankles
* Clock systems will be integrated with the RFD sensor system
* In neutral (as indicated & tracked by clock system), the opponent of the first wrestler to enter the 5' edge area will accumulate ACTION TIMEas long as the first wrestler remains beyond the 5' perimeter line.
* ACTION TIME point is awarded to wrestler who accumulates 90 seconds or more over the course of the match
* Existing "Riding Time" criteria will also contribute to ACTION TIME to promote point scoring from advantage position and reward for ability to maintain control of opponent.
NOTE: consideration should be given to applying same type of thinking to riding that happens in apron where riding time currently accumulates "hanging onto" opponent. The broad principle is to devalue or even penalize activity at that edge and making more of the wrestling happen in the center of the mat without needing to rely on the official.
Benefits:
Mechanical/electronic recording - no interpretation/judgement by the officials in Neutral position
Uses well-established, reliable technology (think air tags, invisible fence, IOT package tracking, etc)
Promotes staying in the center of the mat in Neutral or even mat position.
Real consequences of outcomes in 1-point matches (think about the championship finals or even semifinals and how they would unfold very differently)
Reduces likelihood of "playing the edge" (retreating there) or fleeing mat to avoid TDs
Eliminates the impactful/judgement stall calls of 'push outs' under current rules
Risk/Detriment:
Requires new mats or retrofitting of existing mats
Requires software/hardware upgrades to clock/timing systems to interface with RFD system
Potential 2nd order unintended consequences so should be beta tested in at least 10 wrestling rooms/exhibitions/simulated matches
Could result in "pushing" opponent into 5' ring (not unlike what happens currently at OB line to earn stall call but would minimize impact)
Feel free to comment. Best ideas result from challenging the underlying premises and thinking about the 2nd and 3rd order ramifications.
