Page 134 - Safe Wrestling

Rok Vatovec, Marina Dobnik, and Matej Plevnik

Example exercises: head circumduction while walking, high knees
while jogging, heels-to-glutes jogging, stance side shuffles, head
rotations while jogging, shoulder rolls while jogging, forward and
backward rolls, and shuffle sprints.
2. Activate phase. This phase directly targets the anatomical regions
most commonly injured in grappling sports (knee, shoulder, neck/
head) and adapts foundational exercises to the demands of combat-
specific movement.
Example exercises: walking lunges with thoracic rotation, bear crawls,
wheelbarrow walks performed with a partner, Hindu press-ups,
Hindu squats, and breakfall drills.
3. Mobilise phase. This phase addresses the fact that grapplers fre-
quently generate force at extreme joint positions during bridging,
deep attacking positions, and rotational throwing actions, where
inadequate mobility may increase injury susceptibility.
Example exercises: inchworm walks, Romanian deadlift walks, lying
scorpions, and neck rolls.
4. Potentiate phase. The authors emphasise that inclusion of perfor-
mance-enhancing elements such as speed, power, and agility is im-
portant not only physiologically but also behaviourally, as athletes
and coaches are more likely to adhere to a programme perceived as
performance-enhancing rather than exclusively preventive.
Example exercises: 360-degree bunny hops, broad jumps, hurdle
jumps, double-leg takedown shoots, and plyometric press-ups.
5. Partner-drill phase (Potentiate extension). To increase specificity
and transferability to grappling performance, the programme ad-
ditionally incorporates partner-based drills that reproduce key in-
teraction demands of combat sports.
Example exercises: pummelling, arm drags, partner pushes, double-
leg takedown shoots with partner resistance, and partner reaction
drills (Sudron drill).
At present, IPW should be regarded as an evidence-informed and the-
oretically grounded proposal that aligns with current epidemiological
findings, biomechanical analyses, and implementation principles de-
rived from successful prevention models in other sports (e.g., FIFA 11+).
However, prospective intervention studies are still required to determine
quantitatively whether the programme effectively reduces injury inci-
dence in grappling sports populations (Bell et al., 2024).

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