Does a Season of Wrestling Practice Change the Fitness of Middle School Boys?

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to see if a season of wrestling practice and competition resulted in improvements in the physical fitness of the participants on a middle school (7th & 8th grade boys) wrestling team. METHODS: During the first week and a half of the wrestling season and again during the last week (10 weeks later) of the season, a middle school wrestling team (50 7th & 8th grade boys) was tested. Testing occurred on two days. On day one, the wrestlers were weighed and performed three trials of the sit-and-reach test, total number of sit-ups completed in one minute, total number of pushups performed, and a 1.5-mile run. On day two, subjects completed three trials for both a standing broad jump and medicine ball throw and a modified “beep” test (multistage shuttle run). Sum of three skinfold sites was also taken during the two days. Practice (1.5–2 hours long) and competitions occurred during the school week. Practices consisted of a period of conditioning, drills and live wrestling. A one-tailed dependent t-test was performed with alpha set at 0.01 level of significance. RESULTS: Due to injuries, resigning from the team, and academic problems not all 50 wrestlers were tested for each dependent variable pre and post. Mean height, measured at the end of the season, was 162.3±10.2 cm. There was no significant change in mean body weight between pre (58.0 ± 16.6 kg) and post (57.6±15.9 kg) tests. The table shows mean and standard deviation.TableCONCLUSION: This study indicates that 10 weeks of exposure to wrestling practice and competition resulted in the improved fitness of the subjects as measured by several variables. It suggests that after school activities or sports such as wrestling can have a positive influence on the health and fitness levels of middle school boys.