Crossing the Line?

James Fleming's opponents know it's coming. But unlike John Smith's low single, or Steve Mocco's foot sweep, there's no spark in the eye to belie a man about to strike. Instead Fleming, a 157-pounder for Clarion, strikes like a Boa in wait, dawdling atop his prey until the right moment. And like the Boa, Fleming's move isn't as painful at the moment of impact as it is when squeezed.

"I've been wrestling a pretty long time and that's the first move that's made me turn over," said Clarion coach Teague Moore. "It's like the worst thing (former Oklahoma State teammate) Eric Guerrero would do with his one-on-one, but worse. It just compels you to turn over."

James Fleming (Photo/Clarion Sports Information)

The move is a modified side-headlock from the top position -- at least in official Clarion-talk. Fleming, a sophomore and returning NCAA qualifier, gained some notoriety for the move last season, but it wasn't until Oklahoma's Matt Lester met Fleming at this year's Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic on Nov. 13 that the notoriety exploded into full-on dramatic television when Oklahoma coach Jack Spates ran onto the mat when Lester screamed in pain from the move. For his part Spates said he was doing what he thought was necessary to protect his athlete, an impulse Moore said he understands. However, because the official only deducted one team point and didn't award "scream points" essentially a penalty for clearing out of a legal move or tilt, Moore is concerned that a precedent has been set and opponents will choose to scream instead of fighting.

"Our guy has come up with a new move from top that hurts, but that is legal and effective," said Moore. "I think it sends a bad signal if a coach can stop the action and there's no penalty."

Spates said he was never concerned about match points or team points, only that he would protect his wrestler. "I told the referee to give the back points," said Spates. "I just wanted to protect my guy out there choking."

James Fleming (Photo/Clarion Sports Information)

And there's the problem: choking versus legal pain. Everyone wants to know what makes the move work and what makes it legal versus illegal. According to Pat McCormick, the head of officiating for the NCAA, the move is completely legal in application. However, McCormick said that the move can become potentially dangerous if the lock is slipped across the throat and into a blood or air choke.

What if guys slide the lock across their throat intentionally?

"I know guys are trying to put my lock across their throat," said Fleming, whose creativity is at the center of the controversy. "I understand they don't want to get turned, but I see kids all the time acting like they're getting choked or tapping out and alls I'm doing is putting my lock across the jaw."

"You can't enforce pain for the sake of enforcing pain," said Spates, who consulted with his wrestler and said that the lock was across the throat. "My kid is turning purple and I'm out there to make sure doesn't pass out. He might mean to apply the choke but you can't just enforce pain."

To a degree Spates is right but what is legal pain and what is not legal pain is a very subjective minefield of interpretation made by the hundreds of NCAA eligible referees. What works in one match could easily result in a disqualification in another. Add-in the confusion over the location of the arm to the referee's difficulty in distinguishing a legal versus illegal lock and you have an atmosphere primed for disagreement.

"We've already made this sport a little too sissy," said Moore. "I don't think we should legislate out the pain. What is the other option?"

Teague Moore (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)

Of course mean words won't get an NCAA Division I wrestler to conform to your desire to see them in the supine position, but college wrestling should always look to protect itself from a move, that if applied improperly, could result in wrestlers rendered unconscious on the mat (something that has never happened in one of Fleming's matches -- for "Choke" See: Nick Simmons).

The ultimate goal is to make the referees aware that the wrestler applying the hold is LEGAL if he puts it across the jaw and drives them to their back. The move is ILLEGAL only if the referee has already stopped the misapplication of the hold and warned the offending wrestler and they repeat the offense. This is good news for Fleming, who claims he gets the arm across the jaw every time.

Referee education will take place in the offseason, according to McCormick. In the meantime coaches and athletes will work on a counter to Fleming's half-headlock, boa constrictor legal manipulation of the jawbone. And that's the real lesson, wrestlers: for every move there's a counter.

Time to get creative.

Sign In

Crossing the Line?

User Feedback

Recommended Comments

Create an account or sign in to comment

Create an account

Sign in

Categories

Rankings

Browse

Activity

Support