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Keywords: wrestling; injury prevention; sport-specific training; interval training; anaerobic
summary
Wrestling, both a contact and collision sport, places extreme demands on the entire body. These demands all too often result in injury. With injury rates second only to football (41), strength and conditioning professionals must understand not only injuries common to wrestling but also how a properly designed, well-planned strength training and conditioning program may help to decrease this high injury rate. The sections that follow provide a brief overview of wrestling, including its muscular and physiological demands, and suggestions for exercises intended to reduce the risk of common injuries while improving performance.
Background
Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in the world, with its roots embedded in the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C. Three common styles of wrestling exist in the United States: collegiate, freestyle, and Greco-Roman, all with a common goal of pinning the opponent (holding both shoulders of an opponent to the mat to determine control). All wrestling matches begin in the standing or neutral position with the wrestlers facing each other. From the neutral position, the wrestler attempts to take the opponent to the mat and gain control. Collegiate matches run 7 minutes, whereas freestyle and Greco-Roman, which are the international and Olympic styles, last 6 minutes.
Besides time allotments, collegiate wrestling differs from freestyle and Greco-Roman in that the latter 2 styles place more emphasis on wrestling in the neutral position and award additional points for taking the opponent from the standing position to the mat (i.e., throwing) with the back and posterior shoulders exposed to the mat. Differentiating further between the styles, Greco-Roman only allows holds above the waist and forbids the use of the legs to gain advantage over an opponent, whereas freestyle more closely resembles collegiate wrestling and the use of legs is permitted.
Physiology
Regardless of the style, wrestling is a highly anaerobic sport (32), requiring maximal power and strength for explosive attacks during each match. If overtime is required, the match may last up to 10 minutes. Further, because practices may require up to 2 hours of anaerobic efforts, wrestling has a significant aerobic component as well. Obviously, the development of these metabolic systems plays a key role in the wrestler's success...