Wrestling+ and New Structures for Youth Wrestling

ABSTRACT.

Wrestling is one of the most physically demanding sports among high school and college athletics. As expected in a physical contact sport, the athletes are prone to occasional injury. The common injuries sustained in wrestling relate to musculoskeletal strength, flexibility, and skill level. It is really important to find ways to prevent many of those injuries. To properly design an injury prevention program, one should take into account parameters such as injury characteristics, the mechanism of injury, and information about the sport's physical demands. Taking these parameters into account, an injury prevention program called Wrestling + was designed. The key elements of Wrestling + are core strength, shoulder and leg strength, and balance. Wrestling + has 3 parts and 14 exercises. A key point in the program is to use proper technique during all of the exercises. Part 1 includes running exercises at a slow speed combined with active shoulder stretching, grips, and bridge positions; Part 2 includes 5 sets of exercises focusing on core, shoulder and leg strength, and balance, each with three levels of increasing difficulty; and Part 3 includes wrestling simulation exercises.

Keywords::

• wrestling injuries
• injury prevention
• core
• strength
• balance