Page 100 - Safe Wrestling

Rok Vatovec, Marina Dobnik, and Matej Plevnik

Table 6.5 Examples of Movement Patterns with Example Exercises for Prevention
Movement pattern Example exercises Common errors
for prevention
Squat with controlled • Wall squat Knees collapsing in-
knee alignment (align- • Lunge with resistance band wards (valgus collapse),
ment learning) • Squat with resistance band heels lifting off the floor
Lift from the floor (hip •Hip thrust Flexioninthe lower
hinge) • Romanian deadlift with back instead of at the
resistance band hips
Trunk activation (brac- •Dead bug Excessive lumbar lordo-
ing) • Plank and its variations sis
Shoulder girdle stabil- • Scapular push-up Elevating the shoulders
isation (scapular con- • Y-T-W raises towards the ears, scapu-
trol) lae moving forwards

associated with an elevated risk of lower-extremity injury (Zazulak
et al., 2007).
4. Compensatory movement patterns in the shoulder girdle resulting
from limited thoracic-spine mobility, which may overload the ro-
tator cuff musculature and increase the likelihood of tendinopathy
and shoulder dysfunction (Kibler et al., 2013).
5. Inappropriate cervical posture during throws (e.g., excessive cervi-
cal flexion or extension), contributing to acute sprains and chron-
ic loading of the cervical spine. A recent narrative review highlights
the frequent occurrence of such injuries in contact combat sports
(Bakirtzis et al., 2024).
Given the frequency of these recurring movement errors, brief assess-
ment of movement quality may help prioritise corrective interventions
before progression to more demanding sport-specific tasks (Cook, 2010).
Through this process, coaches and therapists can identify movement
limitations or asymmetries that may increase injury risk and address
them prior to the introduction of advanced sport-specific training. Ta-
ble 6.5 summarises key movement patterns, common movement errors,
and example exercises that may be integrated into preventive training
programmes in combat sports.

Conclusion
Injury prevention in combat sports depends not only on training volume
and sport-specific conditioning, but also on the quality of fundamental

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