Page 86 - Safe Wrestling

Rok Vatovec

work, and a variety of gripping actions, collectively creating a distinctive
profile of mechanical loading on the musculoskeletal system. Prospec-
tive epidemiological studies in Olympic combat sports consistently iden-
tify the knee, shoulder, and spine among the most frequently injured
anatomical regions, although injury patterns differ somewhat across dis-
ciplines (Bromley et al., 2018; Lystad et al., 2021).
In grappling combat sports (e.g., judo, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu),
situations involving high compressive and shear forces acting on the
knee and hip (Lockhart et al., 2022), as well as the lumbar spine (Oka-
da et al., 2007; Zemková et al., 2024), are particularly common. These
forces arise during throws, lifting and rotating the opponent, and uncon-
trolled falls (Bartoli & Gotlin, 2008). In both judo and wrestling, the knee
and shoulder are among the most frequently injured joints, often due
to contact-related mechanisms (e.g., blocked foot contact or rotational
loading of the knee under the opponent’s body mass) (Bromley et al.,
2018; Lystad et al., 2021).
Biomechanical analyses of judo techniques confirm that throws are
characterised by large impulses and rapid changes in joint moments,
particularly during the phases of breaking balance (kuzushi)and enter-
ing the throw (tsukuri). In harai-goshi, for example, pronounced changes
in the velocity and position of the falling athlete’s (uke’s)centreof mass,
together with high impulse values, have been demonstrated, indicating
substantial loading of the knee and lumbar spine in both athletes (Ima-
mura et al., 2006, 2007). Analyses of centre-of-mass motion during differ-
ent judo throws (e.g., harai-goshi, osoto-gari, seoi-nage) further show that
techniques involving greater centre-of-mass displacement and larger im-
pulse values frequently generate higher impact forces during landing or
falling. From a performance perspective,thisisadvantageous; however,
it simultaneously imposes greater mechanical stress on the joints of the
lower extremities and the spine (Imamura et al., 2006, 2007; Liu et al.,
2021).
For coaching practice, these findings indicate that when teaching and
repeatedly performing throws, particularly with young athletes, special
emphasis should be placed on knee alignment (especially the avoidance
of dynamic valgus), trunk stabilisation, and correct falling technique.
These factors are critical in determining whether mechanical loading re-
sults in adaptive responses or injury development.
In striking combat sports (e.g., boxing, kickboxing, taekwondo, karate),
biomechanical loads are particularly pronounced in the shoulder girdle,

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