Exercise Prescription for a Competitive Female Wrestler

Exercise Prescription For A Competitive Female Wrestler

Pre-Season Training

·  Is the time to work on physical fitness

·  Focus is on aerobic and anaerobic training as well. Aerobic and anaerobic training 3 days per week

·  Focus is on strength, agility, and flexibility training at least 3 days a week

There are 4 Factors that must be included in a training program designed for a female wrestler:

·  Physical

·  Technical

·  Tactical

·  Psychological

Physical Preparation

·  Physical preparation is a major objective during the preseason

·  2 goals of physical preparation:

o  Increase the athletes capability to perform wrestling movements

o  Develop good motor abilities. General fitness that would prepare them for any sport. General aerobic/anaerobic endurance, flexibility, strength/power, etc…

Tactical Preparation

·  Tactics can be discussed at the in-season when it starts to get competitive. It is advisable to discuss these and practice them before a tournament to refresh the athletes’ minds. Things to consider when making your tactics:

o  Study the general principles of the sport strategy

o  Study the rules of the sport

o  Study the tactics used by the best athletes in the sport

o  Develop individual tactics for the up-coming competition, based on personal strengths and weaknesses of your opponent and yourself

Technical Preparation

·  During the pre-competitive and competitive phases technical, tactical, and psychological training should be stressed

·  Maintaining wrestling fitness is essential during this time:

o  Good technique means high efficiency. When the technique of a movement is perfected less energy is required to achieve the same result

o  The techniques practiced should be mechanically sound and physiologically efficient

o  It is important to realize that every individual will create individual details to a basic technique, thus developing their own style

o  It is important to have good physical preparation before starting technique. As fatigue can cause technique to alter or diminish.

o  Technique should be taught in a logical progression. Teaching and mastering fundamental technique first then additional techniques that will add to the tactics and success of the team

Psychological Preparation

·  Psychological preparation is often neglected or under worked

·  This should be worked on during the in-season

·  Athletes must be psychologically prepared to perform their best in competitions. Dealing with the stresses of competition is a skill that must be worked on for maximum results

·  Physical, technical, and tactical preparation will give the athlete more confidence

·  Exercises to lower stress or arousal at competitions should be worked on throughout the competitive phase and emphasized near the end of the competitive phase

·  Arousal to a certain point can actually increase performance, it creates a response by the body’s nervous system that prepares them for physical activity

·  Too much arousal however can lower performance

Contraindications

At this level of competition, athletes are often required to loose weight to make a lower weight class. This may be problematic for females especially because extreme weight loss for individuals with low body fat often leads to eating disorders. Eating disorders can cause unhealthy lows in weight and body fat causing amennorhea. The development of osteoporosis commonly proceeds this combination of disorders.