‘When you step onto the mat, the main thing is not to think of the kind of impression you give out. Not think about the affects you create, but about the result and how to control you opponent.’
The origins of wrestling exist in the form of paintings on cave walls 15, 000 years ago. Further, accounts of wrestling are present in the bible’s Old Testament and the ancient Indian Hindi Vedas. The cultural presence of wrestling existed in mythology also, in the biblical epic of Gilgamesh, the pagan Olympian deity Zeus after the wrestling match with his father and Rustam of the Shahnameh dominance as the greatest wrestler in Iranian phaleras. Wrestling has existed in history as a litmus test for character and character development, a trait of the sport that persists now.1
In the modern era, wrestling has developed into three types including: Freestyle, Folkstyle and Greco-Roman. All three wrestling styles include takedowns, turns, and pins with the shared goal to pin your opponent. In Freestyle and Folkstyle you can shoot for the legs or throw your opponent for the takedown points. However, in Greco-Roman you can only perform takedowns by engaging your opponent’s upper body with leg attacks (shoots/throws)prohibited. The difference in rules result in a change of stance, from the more stooped posture of the freestyle and Folkstyle athlete vs the more upright posture of the Greco-Roman wrestler. International competitions are conducted with either the Greco-Roman or Freestyle rule sets, with both competitions offering gold medals for the respective champions. Internationally, injury surveillance studies have been conducted between the two wrestling sports, with different body locations occurring between the two wrestling styles.
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An injury study in 2012 compared and identified the injury locations of Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling.2 They elicited the Greco-Roman bulk of injury (36.75%) occurred in the upper extremity (31.84%) followed by the lower extremity (19.28%).2 In freestyle wrestling the bulk of injuries occurred in the lower limb (40.22%) followed by the upper extremity (31.84%).2 As a wrestling athlete or coach, it is important to equip yourself with the knowledge of self-management exercises and injury prevention education from physical therapists (chiropractors, physiotherapists, osteopaths etc) to ensure best injury prevention strategies and/or best management exercises to help with your specific injury risk areas. If you are experiencing any injuries from wrestling, shoot (no pun intended) the CombatSportsChiro a message/email or select the book now button to inquire further in person.
1. Destani F, Hannon JC, Podlog L, Brusseau TA.Promoting character development through teaching wrestling in physicaleducation. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. 2014 Jun13;85(5):23-9.
2. Yamaner F, Imamoglu O, Atan T, Evli F,Karacabey K, Sevindi T, Gumusdag H. The injuries of Turkish national free-styleand Graeco-Roman wrestlers. Med Sport. 2012 Dec 1;65:549-61.
3.George, A., Sandars, N. K., & Pasco, R.(2003). The epic of Gilgamesh (A. George, Trans.). PenguinClassics. (VANCOUVER TRANSFER)
Based in Sydney Australia, my goal is to provide high quality information about boxing injuries, chiropractic, and academia to the boxing and wider sporting communities.
