Page 24 - Safe Wrestling

Saša Jovanovi´ c and Matej Plevnik

From a public health and sport science perspective, injury preven-
tion and safe participation have therefore become central priorities
within youth sport. International organisations such as the Internation-
al Olympic Committee, the World Health Organization, and the Euro-
pean Commission consistently emphasise the importance of balancing
performance development with health protection, particularly during
childhood and adolescence. Contemporary frameworks stress that youth
sport should promote not only physical fitness and competitive success,
but also sustainable engagement, motor competence, and lifelong par-
ticipation in physical activity (World Health Organization, 2020).
Within this context, combat sports represent a unique developmen-
tal environment. On the one hand, they offer significant opportunities
for the development of strength, coordination, balance, discipline, and
self-regulation. On the other hand, their specific technical and physio-
logical characteristics place considerable demands on the musculoskele-
tal and neuromuscular systems of young athletes. The interaction be-
tween growth-related biological changes and sport-specific loading pat-
terns further increases the complexity of training design and injury pre-
vention in youth combat sports.
Scientific literature commonly classifies combat sports into striking,
grappling, and hybrid disciplines according to their dominant techni-
cal characteristics (Sterkowicz-Przybycie´n & Franchini, 2013). Striking
sports primarily involve percussive techniques executed at distance,
whereas grappling sports emphasise close-contact control, throws, and
ground-based interactions. Hybrid sports combine elements of both
systems. These distinctions are not merely descriptive; rather, they re-
flect meaningful differences in biomechanical loading, energy-system
demands, and characteristic injury profiles. Understanding such dif-
ferences is essential for the development of discipline-specific training
strategies and preventive approaches.
Among grappling sports, wrestling occupies a particularly prominent
position due to its Olympic status, global reach, and highly structured
youth development pathways. Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling are
characterised by repeated high-intensity efforts, substantial isometric
and dynamic strength requirements, and complex motor coordination
performed under conditions of physical contact and fatigue. Epidemio-
logical studies consistently identify wrestling as a sport associated with
relatively high injury incidence among youth populations, particularly
involving the shoulder girdle, cervical spine, knees, and fingers (Pocecco

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