Page 16 - Safe Wrestling

Matej Plevnik and Matej Ipavec

ing that injury prevention should be embedded within the architecture
of everyday training practice rather than positioned as an external limi-
tation or constraint (Finch, 2006; O’Brien et al., 2019).

The Biopsychosocial Context of Injury-Preventive Behaviour
Contemporary injury-prevention research increasingly supports a bio-
psychosocial understanding of injury risk and preventive behaviour. Be-
yond mechanical exposure, injuries are shaped by psychological states
(e.g., stress and fatigue perception), social dynamics (e.g., coach-athlete
communication), and organisational environments (e.g., norms sur-
rounding pain and injury reporting) (Donaldson & Finch, 2013; Meeu-
wisse et al., 2007). This perspective is especially relevant in youth sport
because adolescents are simultaneously developing cognitive-emotional
regulation, identity, and risk perception while navigating performance
expectations and peer comparison (Lloyd et al., 2015).
Implementation-focused research further demonstrates that preven-
tive practices are more likely to be sustained when athletes experience
psychological safety – namely, environments in which communicating
pain, fatigue, or concern is supported rather than discouraged – and
when prevention is framed as performance-enhancing rather than as
a sign of weakness (Donaldson & Finch, 2013; Soligard et al., 2016).
In combat sports, culturally embedded norms surrounding ‘toughness’
may inadvertently undermine preventive behaviour if coaches do not
actively shape the meanings athletes attach to pain and fatigue. Conse-
quently, framing preventive action as a characteristic of professionalism
and long-term performance development may represent a critical be-
havioural mechanism linking prevention to adherence (Emery & Pasa-
nen, 2019; Donaldson & Finch, 2013).
This biopsychosocial perspective is consistent with international ap-
proaches to safe sport and youth athlete welfare. Policy documents and
consensus statements emphasise that safeguarding athlete health re-
quires not only physical preparation, but also supportive environments,
ethical leadership, and educational processes that promote informed
decision-making and long-term athlete development (Crossley et al.,
2025; World Health Organization, 2020). Within educational frameworks,
physical literacy similarly positions safe and competent movement with-
in the interaction of competence, confidence, motivation, and under-
standing – dimensions cultivated through pedagogy rather than instruc-
tion alone. (UNESCO, 2026).

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