BLUF:
This article reviewed injury rates, mechanisms of injuries, and recommended warm-up solutions for grappling-specific sports such as Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, and Judo. Grappling sports involve close contact and intense physical engagement, making athletes susceptible to various injuries, especially in the knees, shoulders, and lower back. Flexibility and interlimb asymmetries were found to be the most common traits associated with a higher risk of injury. The author of the study review has created a sport-specific warm-up based on the data, sport-specific movements pulled from best practices across sports.
Key Discussion Points
Injury Rates & Types in Grappling Sports
- Injury Rate: Overall injury rates for grappling sports can be up to 19.6 per 1000 hours of mat training, increasing dramatically during competition, reaching 109 per 1000 hours.
- Injury Area: The most commonly injured areas in grappling sports are the knees, ranging between 20.8-81.1% of all injuries recorded in 8 separate studies for grappling sports. Other common injury sites are head/face, shoulders, and lumbar region spinal injuries. The injury type leading to the most significant amount of time away from training/competition were Anterior Crucial Ligament (ACL) tears.
- Mechanism of Injury (MOI): The most common MOI across grappling sports is standing takedown techniques. In freestyle wrestling, this resulted in 39-54% of all injuries. In jiu-jitsu, similar trends are observed but takedowns are overtaken by submission attempts, specifically armbars for the defender and triangle attempts by the attacker. Judo’s primary MOI is also takedown attempts, focused on throws (50-85%).
Risk Factors
- Flexibility: A review of the national youth Iranian team found a correlation between low levels of flexibility (upper and lower body) and higher probability of injury rate. The data found that wrestlers with low flexibility are 133% more likely to experience muscular injuries and a vastly greater probability of joint injuries.
- Interlimb Asymmetries: In a study conducted with a group of professional Jiu-Jitsu athletes, Injury rates increased with athletes who had a 15%+ difference in lower body single limb strength, as well as 10%+ flexibility asymmetries in the shoulder and hip. Additionally, the athletes with asymmetries of 20%+ in lower body power generation were more likely to experience repetitive stress injuries during training.
Preventive Measures
The author generated a grappling-specific Injury Prevention Warm Up (IPW) based on protocols used across varying sports which have had a statistical impact on reducing injury rates. This IPW is based on the following objectives:
- Raise body temperature, heart, respiration rate
- Activate major muscle groups with sport-specific movements
- Increase Range of Motion associated grappling specific movements as well as neck mobilization
- Increase maximal power and intensity in preparation for sparring or matches
The author recommends the following 15-20 minute IPW at a minimum of 2x/week, although the protocol can be effectively utilized before every training session or match. This IPW has become the program of record for the British Wrestling Association. Note that this protocol was created to be used as a team in the mat room, so it requires no equipment but some movements require a partner.
| Evidence-based Injury Prevention Warm-up for Grappling Sports | ||
| Exercise | Rationale | Description and coaching points |
| Raise | ||
| Head circumduction (Walking) | Pulse-raising exercises – Research has recorded an average heart rate of 180 to 182 bpm in grappling matches and can reach a maximum of 190 – 200. High knees and heels-to-glutes exercises have been shown to increase dynamic mobility of the spine and peripheral joints | The pulse-raising exercises can be performed in a line format down the wrestling mat (12 m) and back. The length and, therefore, duration of each exercise can be altered depending on the group’s ability levels. Grapplers should aim for full ROM in each exercise. |
| High knees (Jogging) | ||
| Heel to glutes (Jogging) | ||
| Stance side shuffles (Both directions) | ||
| Head rotations (Jogging) | ||
| Shoulder rolls (Jogging) | ||
| Forwards rolls (commando roll) | Rolling has been shown to increase proprioception and postural control | Grapplers will forward roll down the length of the mat. Then backwards roll back to the starting position. Forward rolls can be progressed into dive rolls, and backwards rolls can be progressed into backwards rolls to handstands, depending on athletic ability. |
| Backwards rolls | ||
| Shuffle sprints | Grapplers need the ability to produce a rate of force development and acceleration for movements such as takedowns | Grapplers will shuffle sprint on the spot until a signal comes from the coach to sprint to the opposite end of the mat. This will be performed twice. |
| Activate | ||
| Walking Lunge with thoracic rotation. | Electromyography (EMG) research has demonstrated that forward lunges increased activation in the Vastus Mediali and gluteus Medius and have been used in peer-reviewed injury prevention and performance warm-ups | Slow, full ROM lunges with a trunk rotation. Along the length of the mat. |
| Bear Crawl | Bear crawls have been used in wrestling and functional training settings to activate the wrists, pelvis and lower limbs | Grapplers should maintain a degree of flexion in the elbow and knee joints. This can be progressed to chimp walks. |
| Wheelbarrow walks (partner drill) | The wheelbarrow position mimics wrestling positions that requires the grappler to support their body weight with their upper extremities. Research using EMG has shown that press-up variations such as the wheelbarrow exercise activated the lower trapezius and the serratus anterior | |
| Hindu press ups | Press-ups have been demonstrated to increase upper body and core activation and have been used effectively in injury prevention warm-ups. Hindu press-ups involve a large degree of trunk and hip flexion that mimics the 110 degrees of trunk/hip flexion seen in the biomechanical analysis of a sprawl. | This exercise can be regressed to being performed on the knees. Grapplers should aim for full hip/trunk flexion. 30 seconds, 2 sets (84) |
| Hindu Squats | The squat has been successfully used to lower injury prevention and increase performance in the FIFA 11 + protocol The Hindu squat also allows grapplers to move into greater degrees of knee flexion needed to perform movements such as the double leg takedown (147 degrees). | Grapplers are to ensure that their fingertips sweep the floor for every repetition. 30 seconds, 2 sets (84) |
| Breakfalls | Research has shown that many head, neck and trunk injuries in BJJ are a result of landing. It has been recommended that increased training in landing techniques will aid in preventing landing and fall injuries as demonstrated in Judo | |
| Mobilise | ||
| Inchworm walks | It has been shown that grappling requires athletes to exert force in large degrees of ROM. This can be seen in suplexes in Greco-roman wrestling, throws in Judo bridges in Swiss wrestling and shooting for takedowns in BJJ and freestyle wrestling | These exercises will be executed in the line format used in the Raise section. Athletes will perform the exercises whilst advancing forward down the mat. The inchworm walks can be regressed to flexed knees for grapplers with reduced mobility. |
| RDL Walks | ||
| Laying Scorpions | Biomechanical analysis of Greco-roman wrestling has shown that many trajectories from throws, takedowns and presses follow Circular and Helicoidal paths, resulting in spinal rotation. | 10 repetitions on each side. (Clockwise and anti-clockwise). |
| Neck rolls | Neck strengthening has been shown to reduce cervical injuries in MMA (62) as well as sports-related concussions. | The Grapplers will place their hands and heads on the floor in a tripod shape. The grapplers will be knelt, leaning their weight into their heads. The grapplers will move their heads into flexion and extension, creating a rolling motion of their heads on the mat. This can be progressed by removing the support of the hands or by moving off the knees onto the feet. 20 repetitions for flexion into extension and 20 repetitions for lateral flexion. |
| Potentiate | ||
| 360-degree bunny hops | Plyometric training in adolescents has also been evidenced to increase neural drive to the agonist’s muscles, reactive strength stretches, shorting cycle efficiency, fascicle length, and Vastus Lateralis pennation angle and aid in the development of muscle activation strategies. | Grapplers will advance down the length of the mat while performing bunny hops in a circular clockwise motion. Grapplers can perform as many bunny hops as necessary to complete a 360-degree rotation. |
| Broad Jumps | Grapplers will perform broad jumps towards the other side of the mat. Grapplers will perform as many horizontal jumps as necessary to reach the end of the mat (12m). | |
| Hurdle jumps | Grapplers will advance in a line towards the other side of the mat. Roughly every 3 metres, the grapplers will perform a knees-to-chest jump as in mimicking jumping over a hurdle. | |
| Double-leg takedown shoots | Grapplers will perform a double-leg takedown shoot. Alternating the lead leg for each shot. | |
| PLYO press-ups | ~ 4.9 % increases in PPO post-PLYO after 8 min | The plyometric press-up can be performed in a standard press-up position or from the knee. 1 × 10 |
| Partner drills (Potentiate) | ||
| Pummelling | Partner contact drills – Strength-based Wrestling and contact drills have also been recommended as an injury prevention strategy for contact injuries in Rugby League and Union. Partner-based contact drills have also been successful in the FIFA 11+ injury prevention programme aimed at footballers. | 60 secs of pummelling |
| Arm drags | 5 arm drags on each side | |
| Partner pushes | Two grapplers will stand facing each other with their arms on each other’s shoulders at arm’s length (so flexion in the elbow joint is allowed). The first grappler will then push the other down the length of the mat, and the grappler being pushed will give slight resistance and dictate circular angles to mimic a grappling bout. Once at the end of the mat (12 m), the grapplers will change roles. | |
| Double-leg takedown shoot with partner resistance. | Grapplers will start in the same position as the partner push. However, this time, grapplers will shoot a double-leg takedown, moving their partner backwards a few paces. The grappler will then stand back up rather than completing the takedown. This will be repeated until the end of the mat is reached. | |
| Partner reaction drill (Sudron drill) | Visual processing, visual fields, and visual reaction times are essential to the performance of numerous sports and play a role in athletic injuries. The partnered drills also allow grapplers to raise their heart rate after a possible drop in the mobilise section. | Reaction game: The grappler will start facing their partner, waiting for their signals. Both head in the air: The grappler will shoot a double leg takedown but not complete the takedown as practised in the partner shooting drill previously. Both hands down, pointing at the feet: The grappler will perform a spawl. One arm pointing at a leg: The grappler will move the leg back in a defensive motion. The time limit is 60 seconds for each grappler. |
Source:
For the full article and detailed recommendations, refer to Science for Sport: Injury Prevention in Grappling Sports.