Page 104 - Safe Wrestling

Marina Dobnik, Rok Vatovec, and Matej Plevnik

that skilled combat performance emerges from continuous athlete-op-
ponent co-adaptation, suggesting that practice design should preserve
interaction-relevant information rather than isolate technique within
overly decontextualised drills. From an injury-prevention standpoint,
this implies that task design (e.g., rules, space, constraints, and represen-
tative scenarios) can be used to shape safer and more functional move-
ment solutions without relying solely on verbal correction (Krabben et
al., 2019). At the same time, the broader combat-sports prevention liter-
ature indicates that many prevention efforts have focused on protective
measures and rule modifications, whereas evidence regarding the sys-
tematic integration of learning-based approaches into injury-prevention
models is still developing (Štyriak et al., 2023).
Movement screening is often proposed as a practical tool for iden-
tifying limitations, asymmetries, and compensatory patterns that may
inform targeted training priorities (Cook, 2010). However, recent evi-
dence suggests that conventional movement screens typically demon-
strate limited precision for injury prediction and are most valuable when
interpreted within multifactorial frameworks that also consider expo-
sure and workload (Eckart et al., 2025). Accordingly, the current chal-
lenge is not the absence of screening tools or motor-learning theory, but
rather the need for clearer integration: specifically, how screening find-
ings can be translated into practice design and feedback strategies that
improve movement robustness under the specific demands of combat
sports (Krabben et al., 2019). Therefore, this contribution integrates ev-
idence from motor learning on attentional focus, ecological dynamics-
informed perspectives on practice design in combat sports, and con-
temporary approaches to movement screening in order to propose an
applied framework for injury prevention in combat sports.

Methods
Design and Conceptual Approach
This contribution was developed as a targeted narrative review com-
bined with a conceptual synthesis aimed at integrating evidence from
motor learning, ecological dynamics-informed practice design, and move-
ment screening within the applied context of combat sports.

Literature Search Strategy
Relevant literature was identified through structured searches in major
scientific databases and search engines commonly used in sport science

104