Page 137 - Safe Wrestling

Combat-Sport-Specific Preventive Warm-Up Programmes

tematic injury surveillance and formal evaluation of programme effec-
tiveness in applied settings. Consequently, MASS-12 can be classified
alongside IPW as a programme with a strong theoretical and biomechan-
ical rationale, but with limited direct evidence regarding injury reduc-
tion.
For practical implementation, MASS-12 is modular and adaptable.
Coaches may incorporate the 12 exercises into dynamic warm-ups or
into a separate prehabilitation block. Key practical considerations in-
clude:
1. Frequency: exercises should be performed regularly, ideally 2–3
times per week as part of the warm-up.
2. Progression and adaptation: exercise variations should be adjust-
ed according to the athlete’s age, experience, and physical capacity,
with simpler variations for beginners and progressive challenges for
more advanced participants.
3. Execution quality: emphasis should be placed on appropriate knee
alignment, trunk stability, soft landings, and technically precise ex-
ecution, supported by clear and consistent coaching feedback to fa-
cilitate effective biomechanical retraining and injury prevention.

Overall, MASS-12 provides a practical, evidence-informed framework
for integrating injury-preventive exercises into standing and striking
combat sports, with particular emphasis on neuromuscular control,
biomechanical alignment, and training feasibility.
Taken together, the three protocols differ in both scope and develop-
mental maturity. IPPON is the most highly structured programme with-
in a single combat discipline and has undergone evaluation in coach-
led training environments, whereas IPW and MASS-12 provide broad-
er, modular approaches grounded primarily in injury-mechanism anal-
ysis and practical implementation considerations. Across all three pro-
grammes, simplicity of delivery, progression options, and compatibility
with group-based training sessions emerge as central design priorities.

Conclusion
Combat-sport-specific preventive warm-up programmes represent an
important progression from general injury-prevention concepts towards
applied routines that reflect the practical realities of combat-sport train-
ing environments. The three protocols reviewed in this contribution
demonstrate how preventive warm-ups can be adapted to the demands

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