Version 4.0 (August 2024)

The rules described below do not cover all the details of Wrestball. They are meant for quick reference and cannot be used in official games. Referees need to know the complete rules to do their job correctly.

You might see differences between these rules and what happens in recorded games. This is because wrestball is a new sport that is constantly changing, and we want to make it exciting for both players and fans. We keep reviewing, changing, and improving the rules after every tournament or even after individual games.

01. Wrestball is played by 5 players on the court and up to 5 bench players from each team.

02. The game lasts 3 periods of 15 minutes

GAME FORMAT

03. If the score is tied at the end of regular time, there will be a 5-minute extra period. If after the extra period there is no winner, golden period is awarded until the first goal is scored

04. Each team has 1 timeout per period. There are no timeouts in extra periods

05. There are four areas on the court, and each area gives a different number of points (from 1 to 3). If players score by throwing the ball into the ring from above (dunk), they get 2 points for that.

You cannot stop the ball when it is coming down into the ring (goaltending).

In addition to making field goals, points are awarded for:

• Free throws, which can be worth 1, 2 or 3 points.

• Before the second and third periods, teams place one of the players who was on the court at the end of the previous period in the center circle for a wrestling battle. The winner earns his team 2 points.

• Once per period, the player with the role of wrestler can make an amplitude throw, and his opponents at this moment can carry out a counterattack. A successfully completed amplitude throw earns 2 points

06. Time limit for attack (to throw ball into the ring) – 20 seconds.

07. Substitutions are possible during a live ball if the ball is inside the three-point arc in the half of the court of the team making the substitution. First, the player being replaced leaves the court, and only then does the replacement player enter.

Substitutions can also be made in situations when the ball is dead.

A substitute player cannot start playing as a wrestler for 5 seconds and cannot touch the ball or a player holding the ball for 3 seconds

When the ball becomes dead, playing time does not stop. Only the head referee can stop the time in special situations.

GAME FORMAT

01. The playing area is made of a special type of wrestling mat that is at least 40 mm (1.58 inches) thick. The mat should be hard enough and elasticity enough to allow for running, jumping, and safely falling. The playing area is 28 meters (91 feet 10.36 inches) long and 14 meters (45 feet 11.18 inches) wide.

SITE AND EQUIPMENT

03. The court is surrounded by a protective board that prevents the ball and players from going beyond the court. The protective board is part of the playing court.

04. The ring is 2.7 meters (8 feet 10.29 inches) high. The basket's reach from the protective side is 2 meters (6 feet 6.74 inches).

05. Size 6 balls are used (⌀ 230.57 – 234.71 mm).

• The referee places the ball in the center. One player from the team, the ball launcher, stands anywhere inside the center circle but does not touch the ball;

01. A one-minute wrestling battle is played. The winner gets to start the game with the ball. In all other periods and extra periods, the team with the ball will change from one team to the other.

THE START OF THE GAME AND BEFORE

02. If there is no winner after 1 minute, a clash ball will be used in the center circle. The team that gets the ball first in the next period will be decided through the wrestling battle before the 2nd period.

03. Each period starts with opening play:

• The referee signals, a 5-second countdown begins, during which only the ball launcher can make the first touch of the ball;

• All other players from both teams can move anywhere on the court except for the center circle (including the line) until one of these things happens: the 5 seconds are over, which the referee signals again, or the ball launcher touches the ball;

• The game timer starts when the ball launcher first touches the ball or when the referee signals again 5 seconds after the first signal;

• You cannot enter the circle and make physical contact with the ball launcher until the game timer has started.

• The arguing players stand opposite each other on the line of the central circle, each in their own half of the court;

01. You cannot stand, sit, or lie while keeping control of the ball for more than 3 seconds

POSSESSION OF THE BALL

02. Clash ball is a way to play out ball possession during a game. It goes like this:

• The ball is in the center of the circle;

• At the sound signal, the athletes must move or carry the ball outside the central circle;

• All other players must stay outside the center circle until the ball leaves the circle and may not contact the participants of the clash ball.

03. After the ball scored into the basket, the game keeps going. The team that allowed the goal must quickly grab the ball and continue playing. They must get the ball outside their clear area within 5 seconds.

The team that scored cannot stop the other team from getting the ball right away. They cannot take, intercept, or block the other team from keeping control of the ball until it leaves the clear area.

04. Dead ball may be called when:

• Ball went out of bounds;

• Time to attack is running out;

• Ball delay

• After attempting a wrestling move;

• Blocking the ball from going into the hoop;

• Fouls of any type;

• Violations of substitution rules;

• Free throw violations;

• After timeout;

• Injury;

• Other possible reasons were noted by the referee, but not listed here.

The dead ball is put back into play from the ball-in point where the ball was at the time the dead ball was called or from the closest possible location on the court for restarting the game.

The referee gives the ball to a player who is standing at the ball-in point. At this moment, all other players must be at least 2 meters away from that player. As soon as a player receives control of the ball, the game immediately resumes. However, the player is not allowed to shoot until he loses control of the ball or 3 seconds have passed since control began.

If the ball-in point must be inside the 1st scoring area, it is moved to the closest point outside this area.

An example of how the players are positioned during a clash ball

POSSESSION OF THE BALL

01. Amplitude throw (suplex) – a move in which a player lifts an opponent completely off the ground, above the waist, and then arcs them through the air onto the mat. The throw is successful if the opponent lands on their torso or shoulder.

WRESTLER

02. Once per period, a player in the role of a Wrestler can attempt a wrestling move with suplex towards an opponent. To do this, the player must remove their shirt at the moment when the ball is in play. This action serves to identify the player as a wrestler and allows them to attempt a wrestling move. If the amplitude throw is successful, the Wrestler's team earns 2 points and regains possession of the ball. However, if the move is unsuccessful, the opposing team takes possession of the ball.

03. When a wrestler is in the active phase, players from the opposing team can also attack them (counterattack). If a player successfully stops the wrestler using an amplitude throw, their team earns 2 points. If a wrestler makes an unsuccessful attempt, it is considered used.

04. Each period may have a different wrestler. One player can be a wrestler no more than 2 times per game. There are no wrestlers in extra periods.

05. The role of the wrestler for each period is assigned before the start of the game and cannot be changed during the game.

06. Wrestling moves are not allowed in the clear area.

07. If a player who is not a wrestler tries to make a wrestling move during the current period, the team gets a technical foul and loses the chance to perform a wrestling move in that period. The offender receives a red card.

WRESTLER

01. There are yellow and red cards in the game. For every second yellow during one period, the player automatically receives a red. When receiving a red card, the player is sent to the penalty bench for 1 minute, and his team remains in the minority for this time

FOULS

02. If a player receives a red card with less than 30 seconds left until the end of the current period, the player is ejected for the rest of the current period and 30 seconds of the next period (this does not apply to the start of extra periods).

03. After a recorded red card, the player against whom the violation was committed takes a free throw.

04. If a foul is committed against the player at the final phase of throwing the ball into the basket, the player gets a free throw. The ball thrown into the basket is counted.

05. Each new period begins with 0 yellow cards.

06. If a player receives two red cards during a game, he is sent off for the rest of that game.

07. If any team takes a timeout during the penalty time, then the teams can replace the penalized players and return to the game with 5 players. Regardless of timeouts, the penalized player must spend the required time on the penalty bench.

08. Fouls may be punished by a warning, or a yellow or red card depending on the specific situation and the referee's decision:

• Grabbing clothes – a warning or yellow card.

• Holding the player who has lost the ball for more than 2 seconds – a warning or a yellow card.

• Hitting or blocking hands – a warning or yellow card.

• Directed strong body impact against a player without the ball, able to knock an opponent down – a warning or a yellow card.

• Putting a leg or arm in the path of a moving player, resulting in contact and a significant loss of the achieved advantageous – a warning or yellow card.

• Holding, grabbing and using wrestling techniques against a player without the ball – a warning, a yellow card or a red card.

• A directed push with one or two hands – a warning, yellow or red card.

• Slide-tackle – a yellow or red card.

09. An unsportsmanlike foul is a contact of a player that is recorded when committing particularly serious intentional violations that have an increased risk to life and health.

A player who commits an unsportsmanlike foul receives a red card and may be sent off for the rest of the game.

10. Clear areas are semi-circular areas near the rings where physical contact should be limited, and fouls are penalized more strictly.

In a clear area, only the following types of physical contact are allowed:

• Not rough body play;

• Not strong pushing;

• Light hand holding.

FOULS

The game point value for a free throw is determined as follows:

FREE THROWS

A free throw is taken from the free throw point located between the clear area and the two-point line.

• A foul was committed while shooting and the ball was not scored – the value of the free throw is equal to the area from which the shot was taken (1, 2, or 3 points).

• A foul is committed on a player who is jumping towards the hoop and carrying the ball into the basket from above (the ball and the hand carrying it must be above the level of the hoop), and the ball was not scored – a free throw is valued at 2 points

• A foul is committed on a throwing player from any area, while the ball is scored - a free throw is valued at 1 point.

• If any other foul is punished with a free throw, the value of that free throw will be 1 point.

During a free throw, all players except the shooter are in the area behind the two-point arc (shaded dark in the picture).