THE ROLE OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AND PLYOMETRIC TRAINING IN ENHANCING WRESTLING PERFORMANCE (PHYSICAL FITNESS, PLYOMETRIC TRAINING)

Abstract

The current research explores the effects of plyometric training on physical fitness aspects and wrestling performance among young men wrestlers. Twenty male wrestlers aged 18-25 were put through plyometric training program in a period of eight weeks. Muscular strength, body composition, agility, endurance, and wrestling performance were measured using pre- and post-test measurements. The one-repetition maximum (1RM) bench press, squat, and deadlift assessments were used to measure muscular strength. Body fat percentage and lean body mass were used to measure body composition using skinfold calipers and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). The T-test was used to measure agility and the 300-meter sprint was used to measure endurance. Wrestling performance was evaluated using a match simulation, which measured the success rate of performing the major wrestling techniques. The findings showed that all measured variables had a considerable improvement after the intervention. All 1RM tests showed an increase in muscular strength, a decrease in body fat percentage and an increase in lean body mass. Agility increased, demonstrated by decreased T-test times, and endurance increased with decreased sprint times. The greatest positive change was in the performance in wrestling, and the rate of success in the match simulation was raised by 5.4%. The correlation analysis revealed that muscular strength and lean body mass had a positive correlation with wrestling performance whereas body fat percentage had a negative correlation. The results of multiple regression analysis also revealed that muscular strength and lean body mass were also important predictors of wrestling success. This paper proposes that plyometric training can be effectively used as a means of enhancing important physical fitness parameters and general wrestling performance. The results also emphasize the importance of using plyometric exercises in the training of young wrestlers to improve their strength, agility and endurance.