The Effect of Consistent and Specialized Freestyle Wrestling Training on Muscle Synergy during the Double-Leg Attack Technique: A Comparison between Elite and Sub-Elite Wrestlers

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original research papers

Authors

1 Department of Motor Behavior and Sports Biomechanics, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Mazandaran, Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

2 Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology University of Mazandaran, Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

10.22098/jast.2025.4078

Abstract

Introduction: Freestyle wrestling requires precise and coordinated movement execution, with the Double-Leg Attack technique playing a crucial role in gaining advantage. Understanding the underlying mechanisms and effects of specialized wrestling training is essential for optimizing performance. Muscle synergy or modular control of movement involve coordinated patterns of muscle activation and the organization of muscles into functional units or modules. Exploring these concepts in freestyle wrestling can provide insights into optimizing movement coordination and performance outcomes by studying the synergistic interaction of different muscles.
Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of consistent and specialized Freestyle wrestling training on upper limb muscle synergy during the Double-Leg Attack technique, specifically comparing elite and sub-Elite wrestlers.
Methods: Thirty-eight junior Iranian male freestyle wrestlers were categorized based on their skill level: Elite group (n = 19) who participated in national or international-level competitions and achieved notable success. Sub-elite group (n = 19) who are actively engaged in training but have not yet reached the same competitive level. EMG activity was recorded from Five unilateral upper limb muscles and non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm was used to extract the muscle synergy composition and temporal activation patterns during Double-Leg Attack maneuver.
Results: Three distinct muscle synergies, namely Syn1, Syn2, and Syn3, were identified and extracted from both the elite and sub-elite groups. Both elite and sub-elite wrestlers demonstrated remarkable intragroup coherence in terms of spatial structures and temporal activation patterns of muscle synergies during the Double-Leg Attack technique. However, it was observed that elite wrestlers exhibited significantly higher values in temporal activation patterns compared to their sub-elite counterparts (P=0.000).
Discussion: The findings of this study highlight the importance of consistent and specialized Freestyle wrestling training in optimizing muscle synergy during the Double-Leg Attack technique. Significant differences observed in the temporal activation patterns suggest that elite wrestlers possess a higher level of temporal precision and coordination, which may contribute to their competitive advantage.
Conclusion: These findings provide valuable insights for wrestlers and coaches to guide training strategies focused on enhancing muscle synergy and temporal coordination for improved performance in Freestyle wrestling.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Journal of Advanced Sport Technology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 25 September 2025

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 08 January 2024
  • Revise Date: 03 March 2024
  • Accept Date: 09 January 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics