The rulebook as technique
Some athletes lose matches they had already won. Not to strength: to the rulebook.
The start
Everything begins with the referee's grip: elbows on the pads, hands palm to palm, thumb knuckles visible, shoulders square to the table. The referee adjusts until neither competitor holds an advantage. Nothing begins until they say "Go".
False start
Starting before the signal. The first is a warning. The second and third are fouls.
The elbow
The elbow must stay on the pad. Lifting it is a foul, no argument.
Running foul
This is the one that costs matches. If your own elbow slips off the pad but returns instantly, the match continues. But if you win that round, you are not given it: the round restarts and you begin with a foul against you. If you lose it, the loss stands and there is no restart.
Put another way: with your elbow off the pad, you can only lose.
Slips and straps
When hands come apart on their own before a pin is recorded, it is nobody's foul. It is a slip, and the round restarts with straps wrapped around each competitor's wrist and hand.
But a slip the referee judges to be intentional is a foul.
Two fouls
Two fouls typically mean disqualification. Knowing the rules is not bureaucracy: it is part of training.