Legs, throws, scrambles
Freestyle
The international style that uses the whole body: shots to the leg, throws from the clinch, and a clock that punishes hiding.
Freestyle is the form of wrestling most viewers meet first on an international broadcast. Athletes may attack the legs, finish on the mat, or throw from a clinch if the hands get there first. A bout is two periods of three minutes. A fall ends it sooner.
The style rewards a complete wrestler and exposes a specialist. A pure shot-artist can be thrown if they stand up in the wrong tie. A pure thrower can be taken down if they never change levels. The best finals are arguments between those economies.
Men's freestyle at the Olympic Games is contested at 57, 65, 74, 86, 97 and 125 kilograms. World championships add weights between them. Women's international wrestling uses the freestyle ruleset and its own weights, which is why this site gives it a section of its own rather than filing it as a footnote.
Folkstyle, the collegiate and high-school style common in the United States, is a relative rather than a synonym. It pays for control and riding. Freestyle pays for exposure and the throw. Athletes cross from one to the other every year. The translation is the story, not a given.