Rules
Wrestling result codes: what VFA, VPO1, VSU, Dec, MD and TF mean
VFA means victory by fall, a pin, in United World Wrestling results: the winner gets 5 classification points and the loser 0, even if the loser had scored. The other codes follow one pattern: V for victory, two letters for how (PO points, SU technical superiority, CA cautions, IN injury, FO forfeit), and a 1 when the loser scored.
The UWW codes: VFA, VPO1, VSU and the rest
In freestyle and Greco-Roman, a result is written as a code for how the bout was won, then two classification points: the winner's and the loser's. VFA 5:0 is a victory by fall; VPO1 3:1 is a victory on points in which the loser scored. The codes and the points come from Article 41 of the International Wrestling Rules of United World Wrestling (UWW), the December 2025 edition, which govern the Olympic Games and every event run under UWW rules.
| Code | Means | Winner : loser | When it is given |
|---|---|---|---|
| VFA | Victory by fall | 5 : 0 | The opponent's shoulders were pinned, whether or not the opponent had scored |
| VIN | Victory by injury | 5 : 0 | The opponent was injured before or during the bout, certified by the UWW doctor |
| VCA | Victory by cautions | 5 : 0 | The opponent received three cautions in the bout |
| VFO | Victory by forfeit | 5 : 0 | The opponent did not come to the mat, or missed or failed the weigh-in |
| DSQ | Disqualification | 5 : 0 | The opponent was disqualified for unfair behaviour, before or during the bout |
| VSU | Technical superiority, loser scoreless | 4 : 0 | A lead of 8 in Greco-Roman or 10 in freestyle, the loser on no points |
| VSU1 | Technical superiority, loser scored | 4 : 1 | The same lead, the loser with one or more technical points |
| VPO | Victory on points, loser scoreless | 3 : 0 | Won at the end of the two periods by 1 to 7 (Greco-Roman) or 1 to 9 (freestyle), the loser on no points |
| VPO1 | Victory on points, loser scored | 3 : 1 | Won at the end of regular time, the loser with one or more technical points |
| 2DSQ, 2VIN, 2VFO | Both disqualified, both injured, both forfeited | 0 : 0 | Neither wrestler wins the bout |
The codes read the same way every time. V is victory. The next two letters are how: FA fall, IN injury, CA cautions, FO forfeit, SU superiority, PO points. A trailing 1 means the loser scored. DSQ is the exception to the pattern, because it describes the loser rather than the win, and Article 14 has it written beside a disqualified wrestler's name in the final ranking, where that wrestler is placed last and given no rank.
Classification points are not the score. A freestyle bout won 12-2 shows 12-2 on the scoreboard, which is technical points, and VSU1 4:1 in the results, which is what the bout is worth in the ranking. The two numbers answer different questions, and results pages print both.
What the 1 in VPO1 and VSU1 means
The 1 is the loser's classification point: the loser scored at least one technical point, so they leave the bout with 1 point for the ranking instead of 0. It is not the winning margin, and it is not a bout number. Article 41 gives "4 points for the winner and 1 point for the loser" for technical superiority "with loser scoring technical points", and 3 and 1 for a points win with "the loser scoring one or several technical points". A 2018 thread on a Wisconsin wrestling forum asking what VPO1 and VSU1 meant ended with one reply unsure and pointing at the rulebook, and another guessing; the rule settles it.
A fall has no 1. Article 41 gives VFA 5:0 "with or without technical point for the loser". So the wrestler who leads 6-2 and is pinned leaves with nothing, while one who loses 6-8 on points takes 1. Three cautions work the same way: VCA is 5:0 whatever the score was.
| The bout | Code | Loser's classification points |
|---|---|---|
| Lost 6-8 on points, freestyle | VPO1 | 1 |
| Lost 2-12 by technical superiority, freestyle | VSU1 | 1 |
| Lost 0-9 on points, freestyle | VPO | 0 |
| Pinned while leading 6-2 | VFA | 0 |
| A third caution while leading 4-1 | VCA | 0 |
A bout level at the end of regular time, 2-2 for example, is still won on points. The winner is found by the criteria of Article 29: the highest-value hold, then the most holds of that value, then the fewest cautions, then the last technical point scored. Because the loser scored, the result is a victory on points with the loser scoring: VPO1, 3:1. That is why results pages carry level scores such as 2-2 or 4-4 with a winner beside them.
How classification points decide a ranking
Classification points rank the wrestlers that the bracket does not. From 7th place down, every wrestler in a weight category is ranked by the classification points collected across the whole competition (Article 8). A tie on points goes, in order, to the most victories by fall, the most wins by superiority, the most technical points scored, the fewest technical points conceded, the lowest seed number, and the lowest draw number. The medal places come from the bracket itself.
Small weight categories wrestle a pool instead. With five or fewer wrestlers, one group is formed and every wrestler meets every other; six or seven make two groups that feed semi-finals. Inside a group the wrestler with the most victories is first. If two wrestlers have the same number, their own bout decides. Every other tie goes to classification points first, then falls, superiority wins, technical points scored and conceded, seed and draw (Article 8, "Ranking criteria for the Nordic tournament").
| Bout | Result | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A beats B 5-3 | VPO1 3:1 | 3 | 1 | – |
| B pins C | VFA 5:0 | – | 5 | 0 |
| C beats A 11-0 | VSU 4:0 | 0 | – | 4 |
| Classification points | 3 | 6 | 4 |
All three have one win, and head-to-head goes round in a circle, so classification points decide: B first with 6, C second with 4, A third with 3. B lost a bout and won the group, because the 1 from losing a VPO1 and the 5 from a fall add up to more than either rival collected. A won its bout against B and finished last, because the win was only on points and the loss was by superiority.
Team events use the same points one level up. The winning team takes 1 team point and the loser 0; if a team match ends level on bouts, 5-5 for example, the total of classification points decides it, then falls, superiority wins, technical points scored and conceded, and finally the result of the last bout (Article 33).
The US codes: Dec, MD, TF, F and the rest
American folkstyle results are written as an abbreviation for the kind of win plus the score or the time: Dec 8-3, MD 15-6, TF 18-2; 5:19, F 1:36. College lists them in Rule 4.11 of the NCAA wrestling rulebook, which calls them "the only official terms for recording a result" and requires them in every tournament and dual meet. The high school NFHS scorers and timers instructions list the same words for a fall, technical fall, forfeit, default, disqualification, decision and major decision.
| Written | Means | Dual meet team points | Tournament bonus points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 8-3 | Decision: won on points by fewer than 8 | 3 | None |
| MD 15-6 | Major decision: won by 8 to 14 points | 4 | 1 |
| TF 18-2; 5:19 | Technical fall: a 15-point lead, at 5:19 of the match | 5 | 1½ |
| F 1:36 | Fall at 1:36 of the match | 6 | 2 |
| For | Forfeit | 6 | 2 |
| M For | Medical forfeit; no time, because the match did not happen | Not listed | 2 |
| M For-L | Medical forfeit loss; no time either | Not listed | 2 |
| Def 3:47 | Default at 3:47: the opponent could not continue | 6 | 2 |
| DQ, DQW, DQM | Disqualification; for a weight-management violation; for breaking medical protocol | 6 | 2 |
| FMC | Flagrant misconduct | 6 | 2 |
| NC | No contest | None | None |
The time in a result is elapsed match time, not what the clock showed. TF 18-2; 5:19 is five minutes 19 seconds into a match of a three-minute first period and two-minute second and third, so 19 seconds into the third. The rulebook requires a time with a fall, a technical fall and a default. The scorekeeping guide shows how the table converts a clock reading into it.
A dual meet's NC is a weight class at which neither team entered a wrestler, and it scores nothing for either side (Rule 4.7). In a tournament, a wrestler who advances because the opponent reached the daily match limit, a no contest, gets neither advancement nor bonus points (Rule 4.8).
Overtime: SV-1, TB-1 and UTB
When a folkstyle match is level after regulation, the result names the overtime round it was won in, in brackets after the score. Rule 4.11 uses SV for sudden victory, where the first points win, and TB for the tiebreaker periods, numbered by round.
| Written | Means |
|---|---|
| 5-3 (SV-1) | Won in the first sudden victory |
| 3-1 (SV-2) | Won in the second sudden victory |
| 7-6 (TB-1) | Won on points after the first tiebreakers |
| 6-6 (TB-2) | Won on riding time after the tiebreakers: the score stays level |
| Fall 7:26 (SV-1) | Fall during the first sudden victory, 26 seconds after seven minutes of regulation |
High school has no riding time, so it ends its overtime differently: after sudden victory and two 30-second tiebreakers comes a final 30-second ultimate tiebreaker, which the NFHS sheet writes as UTB. A result written with UTB was decided in that last period.
The other letters on a results page
Scoring codes turn up beside results, especially on bout sheets that are published whole. In college RT is riding time, the 1 point earned for a net minute or more on top (Rule 4.5.13), and the rulebook's example for recording a first injury time-out is Inj(1) 1:45 (Rule 4.10). The full list of scoring codes, T3, E1, R2 and N2 to N5 among them, is in the scorekeeping guide, with the places where the high school sheet still prints the old values.
What each result is worth to the team
In a college dual meet each bout is worth 3 to 6 team points by how it was won; in a tournament each win earns advancement points, and a big win adds bonus points on top. The two scales are different, and a result such as MD 15-6 means 4 team points in a dual meet but 1 bonus point in a tournament.
Tournament scoring adds three things together (NCAA Rule 4.8):
- Advancement points: 1 for each win in the championship bracket and ½ for each win in the wrestle-backs. A bye counts the same, if the wrestler wins the next bout.
- Bonus points: 2 for a fall, default, forfeit, medical forfeit or disqualification, 1½ for a technical fall and 1 for a major decision. A decision earns none.
- Placement points for where the wrestler finishes: 16, 12, 10, 9, 7, 6, 4 and 3 for 1st to 8th in a tournament scoring eight places.
| Result | Advancement | Bonus | Total before placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 5-2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| MD 12-4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| TF 17-2 | 1 | 1½ | 2½ |
| F 2:14 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
So a pin is worth three times a decision to the team before anyone has placed, and in a close team race the kind of win can matter as much as the win. The same table explains the ranking under UWW rules: there, the result codes above decide places from 7th down; here, they decide the team title.
Reading a result line, whichever rules it uses
Find the code, then read the numbers after it by the rules the code belongs to. A V at the start means UWW rules and classification points; Dec, MD, TF, F and the rest mean folkstyle and team points.
- VFA 5:0, VIN 5:0, VCA 5:0, VFO 5:0, DSQ: the bout ended without a full result on points, and the loser takes nothing for the ranking.
- VSU or VSU1 with a score such as 10-0 or 12-2: a technical superiority, 10 in freestyle and 8 in Greco-Roman; 4:0 or 4:1.
- VPO or VPO1 with a score, even a level one: the full time was wrestled; 3:0 or 3:1.
- Dec, MD, TF with a score: a folkstyle win on points, by under 8, by 8 to 14, or by 15.
- F, Def or TF with a time: the elapsed time when the match ended.
- SV-1, TB-1, UTB in brackets: the overtime round in which the match was won.
Simple Online Counter is a free browser-based counting site, and its wrestling score counter names the result as a bout ends: the kind of win and the team points in folkstyle, the classification code under the UWW rules. It reads results; it does not replace them. The official bout sheet and the referee's decision are the record.
Frequently asked questions
What does VFA mean in wrestling?
Victory by fall: the winner pinned the opponent's shoulders to the mat. In United World Wrestling results it earns 5 classification points for the winner and 0 for the loser, and Article 41 of the UWW rules says that holds with or without technical points for the loser, so a wrestler pinned while leading 6-2 still takes nothing from the bout.
What does VPO1 mean in wrestling?
Victory by points, with the loser scoring. The bout went the full two periods, the winner had more technical points or won on criteria, and the loser scored at least one point, so the classification points are 3 for the winner and 1 for the loser. The 1 is that point for the loser, not the winning margin. VPO, with no 1, is 3 to 0.
What does VSU mean in wrestling?
Victory by technical superiority, the UWW's version of a technical fall: a lead of 10 points in freestyle or 8 in Greco-Roman ends the bout early. VSU is 4 classification points to 0 when the loser scored nothing; VSU1 is 4 to 1 when the loser scored at least one technical point (UWW Article 41).
What does Dec mean in wrestling?
Decision: a folkstyle win on points by fewer than 8, written with the final score, as in Dec 8-3. In college it is worth 3 team points in a dual meet and no bonus points in a tournament. A win by 8 to 14 points is a major decision, MD, and a 15-point lead ends the match as a technical fall, TF.
What does SV mean in wrestling?
Sudden victory, the first overtime period in folkstyle, where the first points win. Results add the round: 5-3 (SV-1) is a match won in the first sudden victory, SV-2 the second. TB-1 and TB-2 are the tiebreaker periods, and high school ends with an ultimate tiebreaker, written UTB on the NFHS scorers' sheet.
What does RT mean in wrestling?
Riding time: the time a college wrestler spends in control on top. Each wrestler's is recorded, and a net advantage of a minute or more at the end of the third period earns 1 point (NCAA Rule 4.5.13). A result such as 6-6 (TB-2) means the match was won on riding time after the tiebreakers. High school wrestling keeps no riding time.
What does MD mean in wrestling?
Major decision: a folkstyle win by 8 to 14 points at the end of the match, written with the score, as in MD 15-6. In college it is worth 4 team points in a dual meet, against 3 for a decision, and 1 bonus point in a tournament on top of the advancement point (NCAA Rules 4.7 and 4.8).
What does TF mean in wrestling results?
Technical fall: a folkstyle match ended by a 15-point lead. The result gives the score and the elapsed match time, as in TF 18-2; 5:19, which is five minutes 19 seconds into the match, not a clock reading. In college a technical fall is worth 5 team points in a dual meet and 1½ bonus points in a tournament.
What are classification points in wrestling?
The points a UWW bout's result gives each wrestler for the final ranking, separate from the score on the mat: 5 to 0 for a fall, injury, three cautions, forfeit or disqualification, 4 to 0 or 4 to 1 for technical superiority, 3 to 0 or 3 to 1 for a win on points. They rank wrestlers from 7th place down and break ties in pools and team events.