Page 173 - Safe Wrestling

Extended Abstract (English)

Safe Wrestling: Evidence-Based Strategies for Injury Prevention,
Pedagogical Competence and Equal Opportunities in Youth Wrestling

Wrestling is one of the oldest combat sports and remains a globally prac-
ticed Olympic discipline with a well-structured youth development sys-
tem. Its technical complexity, high-intensity physical contact, repeated
force production, and rapid positional transitions make it highly effec-
tive for developing motor competence, discipline, and tactical intelli-
gence. At the same time, these characteristics expose young athletes to
an elevated risk of musculoskeletal injuries, particularly during periods
of growth and maturation. Epidemiological evidence consistently iden-
tifies wrestling as a youth sport with a relatively high incidence of in-
juries affecting the shoulder girdle, cervical spine, lumbar spine, knees,
and ankles. These risks are further amplified by neuromuscular immatu-
rity, technical inconsistency, early specialisation, and psychosocial pres-
sures characteristic of adolescence.
The scientific monograph Safe Wrestling responds to these challenges
by providing a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for injury pre-
vention and safe long-term athlete development in youth wrestling. The
monograph integrates contemporary sport science, biomechanics, ped-
agogy, and public health perspectives to support the systematic devel-
opment of injury-preventive behaviour among young wrestlers and their
coaches. Injury prevention is conceptualised not as an isolated set of ex-
ercises, but as a multidimensional educational and training process em-
bedded within everyday practice. A central contribution of the mono-
graph is the synthesis of modern injury prevention models, including
epidemiological and implementation-oriented frameworks such as the
van Mechelen sequence, Haddon’s matrix, the TRIPP model (Translat-
ing Research into Injury Prevention Practice), and the TIP cycle (Team-
Sport Injury Prevention). These models are used to explain injury mech-
anisms, identify modifiable risk factors, and guide the translation of sci-

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