Wrestling singlet

A wrestling singlet (or simply singlet) is a one-piece, tight-fitting, colored uniform, usually made of spandex/lycra, or nylon, used in amateur wrestling. The uniform is tight fitting so as not to get grasped accidentally by one's opponent, and allows the referee to see each wrestler's body clearly when awarding points or a pin. Unlike judo, it is illegal to grasp an opponent's clothing in all styles of amateur wrestling.

In most high school and college wrestling matches, the competitors wear singlets in their team colors. To designate a competitor's color for scoring purposes a red or green anklet is also worn.

Outside school competition (e.g., in international wrestling: freestyle and Greco-Roman) wrestlers bring a red and a blue singlet (or reversible singlet) and are told before the match which color to wear.

Singlets are also common among professional wrestlers (such as Bret Hart, Kurt Angle, and Rob Van Dam). Many of these are much more stylized than those worn by amateurs, although the use of singlets in professional wrestling has declined in the last two decades.

The singlet did not become common in college wrestling until the late 1960s and early 1970s; in fact, it had been banned by the NCAA for years. Shirtless uniforms, including trunks and tights, were common until the NCAA banned shirtless wrestling in the mid-1960s.

A new style of singlet, known as a double or doublet, has recently emerged in college wrestling that covers more of the upper body. Made of the same Lycra material, this singlet has more of a t-shirt covering than the traditional thin-strap singlet more commonly worn. This type of singlet is usually worn with accompanying tight-fitting shorts. This style of singlet is currently only allowed on the college level, although there is report that some high school wrestlers use this singlet style in practice sessions.

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