Jon Bell

Sambo is a Russian combat sport that blends techniques from martial arts such as judo, jiu-jitsu, and various wrestling styles. Despite the sport’s physical demands, there is currently limited research on injury prevalence in Combat and No-Gi Sambo. Existing evidence from grappling sports has identified high rates of injury to the knee, shoulder, and head (Bell et al., 2026); however, epidemiological data specific to Sambo remain limited. Understanding injury incidence, anatomical injury locations, and mechanisms of injury may help coaches and practitioners develop targeted injury-prevention and strength-and-conditioning strategies. This study prospectively investigated injury patterns during UK Combat and No-Gi Sambo competition.

Female participation in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) has increased, yet little research has examined how the menstrual cycle influences weight-making. This study investigated whether female athletes experience differences in weight-making across the menstrual cycle. An online questionnaire was completed by 456 athletes aged ≥18 years with regular menstrual cycles. Overall, 75% reported weight-making difficulties, most commonly during the late luteal (days 21–28) and early follicular (days 1–7) phases. Significant differences were found between contraceptive users and non-users (p = .008), athletes competing 3–6 times per year and less frequent competitors (p = 0.020), and among those with previous menstrual disruption (p = .024). These findings highlight the importance of menstrual cycle tracking, education, and individualised support for female BJJ athletes. They also invite us to reframe menstrual cycle awareness as a means of enhancing, rather than compromising, resilience, performance, and embodied expertise within martial arts practice.

Background: Female participation in grappling sports, including freestyle wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), Judo, and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), is increasing in the UK. However, injury surveillance has primarily focused on male athletes, leaving a critical gap in understanding the injury risks faced by female grapplers and wrestlers. Aims: This research aimed to: 1) determine the injury incidence, type, mechanism, and severity among female grappling and wrestling athletes in the UK; and 2) inform the development of a targeted injury prevention warm-up (IPW) program addressing their specific injury patterns. Methods: Two retrospective, selfreported studies collected 12-month injury data from female grappling (n = 97) and wrestling athletes (n = 23). Participants detailed injury site, type, mechanism, severity, training exposure, and competition bouts. Injury incidence was calculated per 1000 athletic exposures (AE). A third review study analysed common injury mechanisms and guided IPW development. Discussion: Female wrestlers sustained 20 injuries, with a competition injury rate of 42.01/1000 AE and a training injury rate of 2.92/ 1000 AE. The knee was the most commonly injured site (26.1%), with sprains the most frequent diagnosis. Most injuries occurred during practice sparring (65.1%). Female grapplers reported 119 injuries, with the knee again the leading injury site (24.5%), followed by the shoulder/clavicle (14.1%). Ligament sprains were the most frequent diagnosis (24.3%). Practice sparring was also the leading injury environment (65.8%), and submission attempts and takedowns were the primary mechanisms. Nearly half (49.5%) of all grappling injuries resulted in >28 days of time loss. Conclusions: Female grappling and wrestling athletes face a high injury risk, particularly to the knee and shoulder during sparring. These findings support the development of a targeted IPW program addressing these key risk areas, which should now be evaluated through intervention trials.

Background: Adolescent female athletes undergo biomechanical changes during maturation that may increase their risk of injury. Identifying kinematic dysfunctions across different maturation stages and evaluating effective intervention strategies is essential for targeted injury prevention. Aims: This thesis aimed to 1) investigate kinematic dysfunctions in adolescent female athletes using chronological and pubertal age comparisons, and 2) assess the effectiveness of neuromuscular injury prevention programmes (NIPPs) in reducing biomechanical risk factors related to injury. Methods: Study one employed a cross-sectional design involving adolescent female footballers aged 10–17 years (n = 45, mean age = 15.6 ± 1.5 years). The Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) and Cutting Movement Assessment Score (CMAS) were used to assess landing and cutting mechanics. MANOVA examined group differences, and Pearson correlations assessed associations between knee flexion and valgus angles. Study two was a systematic review and meta-analysis of 16 studies from Scopus, PubMed, and Cochrane Central. Studies were evaluated using the PEDro scale, and Hedges’ g was calculated from preand post-intervention data to assess the impact of NIPPs on frontal and sagittal plane mechanics. Discussion: The U14 and mid-pubertal groups showed significantly higher LESS scores, with the mid- to pre-pubertal comparison yielding a large effect size. No significant CMAS mean differences were found between groups, although 10 individual variables (8 LESS, 2 CMAS) showed significantly greater means with large effect sizes. NIPPs improved sagittal plane mechanics in 68.42% of studies (d range = -0.84 to 3.92) and reduced frontal plane dysfunctions in 58.62% (d range = 1.96 to -3.75). Programmes were most effective in athletes over 15 years (frontal mean d = -1.12 ± 1; sagittal mean d = 1.61 ± 1.40). No added benefits were observed after 12 weeks. Conclusions: U14 and midpubertal athletes appear most vulnerable to kinematic injury risk. NIPPs, especially those incorporating plyometrics, resistance, postural, and proprioceptive training, are effective, primarily in athletes over 15. Further research is needed to optimise interventions for younger, mid-pubertal athletes.

Purpose: This study aimed to estimate the incidence, prevalence, type, and mechanism of injuries among grappling athletes in the United Kingdom (UK) across the following disciplines: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), Judo, Catch Wrestling, Sambo, and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Methods: A retrospective, self-reported survey, delivered via JISC online survey software, was used to record the following information for all injuries sustained over the previous 12-month period: mechanism of injury, environment, severity, recurrence and body region. Additionally, injury diagnosis was reported where possible. Injury incidence for training exposure was calculated based on hours trained per week, while competition exposure was based on the number of bouts participated in during the year. One variable chi-square tests (X2) were used to calculate if observed values were significantly different from expected values. Results: A total of 341 grappling athletes, 243 males and 97 females, with one participant preferring not to state gender  (32 ± 9.3 years), completed the study over a 3-month period. The competition incident rates (IR) (24.16/1000 AE) were significantly higher than training (2.97/1000 AE). The knee was the most frequently injured site (24.5%). Ligament sprains were the most commonly diagnosed injury (24.3%). Most injuries occurred during practice sparring (65.8%), with the leading mechanisms being submission attempts and takedowns. Major injuries (>28 days recovery) accounted for 49.5% of all cases. BJJ exhibited the highest injury rate (3.49/1000 AE); patterns varied by discipline and gender. Conclusion: Grappling sports pose a substantial risk of injury, particularly to the knee. Structured training, medical support, and tailored injury risk reduction programs should now be explored to enhance athlete safety.

Grappling sports, such as freestyle, catch, and greco-roman wrestling, have featured in the Olympic Games for over 100 years. However, no published injury-prevention warm-up (IPW) has been shown to lower injury incident rates within the three sports. Other grappling sports, such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), sambo, and traditional jiu-jitsu, also currently have no established IPW available. The aim of this review is to appraise the injury prevention practices and injury trends in grappling sports and use the findings to design an IPW that could be implemented across grappling sports. The Team-Sport Injury Prevention (TIP) cycle was used as a guideline to establish epidemiology, aetiology, and risk factors within each grappling sport. We found that the knee is the most injured site in freestyle wrestling, BJJ, sambo and traditional jiu-jitsu and the leading time loss injury in judo. Ligament strains were reported as the leading injury type in freestyle wrestling, BJJ and judo and second in traditional jiu-jitsu. In greco-roman wrestling and Judo competitions, the grappling sports that do not allow leg attacks, such as the head, neck, and trunk, are the leading injury sites. Assessing the barriers and facilitators of previous IPW, a deficiency of coach knowledge, lack of time, costs, scheduling, and equipment are the main obstacles to coach and athlete compliance. A knowledge group consisting of the authorship team, external medical practitioners, and coaches used the results of the TIP cycle to design an evidence-based IPW. Exercises with research confirming their effectiveness in lowering knee, shoulder and head injuries were selected. Where possible, the exercises selected were currently used in grappling warm-ups or strength and conditioning programmes. Future intervention studies are now needed to evaluate the efficacy of the IPW amongst grappling athletes.

Background and Aim Britain has competed in Freestyle Wrestling since it first featured in the Olympic Games in 1904 and the Commonwealth Games in 1930. Despite Britain’s long history with the sport, there are currently no studies that have aimed to quantify injury incidence and prevalence. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the injury incidence and prevalence in a sample of wrestlers based in Britain. Methods A self-reported, cross-sectional study design was used. All participants were registered British Wrestling Association Club members and had at least 12 months of prior wrestling experience. Data was collected via a questionnaire offered to participants in both online and paper format at the English Wrestling Championships 2022 and via coaches from each British wrestling club. Injury incidence was calculated by estimating injuries /1000 athletic exposures (AE). Injury site, type, mechanism and severity were measured. One variable chi-square tests (X2) were used to calculate if observed values were significantly different from expected values. Results One hundred and forty-six (n=146) wrestlers (30.1 ± 8.6 years, 85.4 ± 15.6 kg, 176.6 ±10.37cm) completed the injury survey. Over 12 months, the participants sustained one hundred and ninety-five (n= 195) injuries, equating to an average of 1.3 ± 1.2 per participant. The overall incidence rate was 3.40/1000 AE (95% CI 3.16 to 3.6). The competition injury incidence of 42.01/1000 AE (95% CI 26.97 to 57.05) and 2.92/1000 AE (95% CI 2.69 to 3.14) for wrestling training activities. The knee was the most common injury site, accounting for 26.1% of all injuries, whilst strains or sprains occurred most often (36.3%). Takedowns were the leading mechanism of injury (36.4%), and most injuries were categorised as slight (28.7%). Conclusions This is the first study to estimate the prevalence, severity, and mechanism of injury in Wrestlers based in Britain. Data is comparable to previous studies in American high school and college wrestlers. Future studies should consider a medically reported method to confirm these results further. Practical Implications The reported data from this study allows for the development of injury risk reduction strategies by region and injury type.