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Examines the influence of coach experience on young athletes' preferences for, and perceptions of, coaches' leadership behaviors (autocratic, democratic, social support, positive feedback, and training and instruction) across an athletic season. Indicates that negative control strategies can be quite satisfactory at times, particularly if a positive instructional climate was constructed early on. (SG)

Notes that when girls face off against boys on the wrestling mat, they must also deal with critics who say that are not serious and not welcome. The paper highlights the experiences of one California high school girl involved in wrestling, looking at the physical, emotional, and social obstacles she has encountered during her participation in high school wrestling. (SM)

Examined the impact of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Wrestling Weight Certification Program on weight cutting. Results indicated that during one season, team members attempted to lose significant amounts of weight. However, after the first week of competition, many regained weight. The next season, weight loss was not as dramatic, suggesting that rule changes helped break the cycle of weight cutting. (SM)

Educators are discovering the importance of understanding individual student learning styles to promote effective teaching. The article discusses the learning style approach in coaching, where learning preferences are matched to coaching methods. It describes how that approach helped one high school wrestling coach develop a winning team. (SM)

Discusses four books that can capture the interest and touch the lives of teenage wrestlers. Asserts that, if teachers understand the wrestler's predicament, they can become part of a supportive network actively showing support for a student-athlete's goals, desires, and interests. (PRA)

Muscular and aerobic capacity changes resulting from three months of wrestling training were examined in a group of normally active seven- to nine-year-old boys. Wrestling training was found to improve strength in young boys, but it did not seem to improve aerobic capacity. (Author/DF)

Case examples are presented of typical pressures felt by aerobic dance instructors, cheerleaders and majorettes, and wrestlers to illustrate how they may become susceptible to eating disorders. Suggestions are presented for coaches, parents, and administrators in preventing or intervening in eating disorders among athletes. (CB)

Changes in body composition as well as absolute and relative isokinetic forearm flexion and extension strength of high school wrestlers were studied. Increase in weight and improved wrestling performance were found to be, in part, a function of yearly changes in body composition and muscular strength. (JD)

Describes a quick, simple tie-through suture technique (in which a collodion packing is secured to the auricle with two buttons) for preventing cauliflower ear following external ear trauma in wrestlers and boxers. The technique ensures constant compression; multiple treatments for fluid reaccumulation are rarely necessary. (SM)

Most weight loss among wrestlers is accomplished by a combination of fasting, induced sweating, and reduced fluid intake resulting in dehydration in the final days prior to competition. The effects of acute thermal dehydration on cardiovascular dynamics are related to a reduction in plasma volume. (JN)

A teacher describes the values of wrestling as part of a physical education program for learning disabled students. Benefits include improved self-confidence, use of aggression in a positive way, and increased touch and contact. (CL)

Reported is the use of a wrestling photograph in a noncalculus introductory physics course. The photograph presents a maneuver that could serve as an example for a discussion on equilibrium, forces, torque, and angular motion. Provided are some qualitative thoughts as well as quantitative calculations. (YP)

Item analyses of the responses of 54 high school wrestlers and 193 high school basketball players to the Leadership Scale for Sports support the instrument's applicability in high school sports. The scale taps highly similar response dimensions in varsity and high school athletes. (Author)

This symposium is comprised of an introduction and four papers on aspects of amateur wrestling. Discussed are medical problems of wrestlers, basic conditioning principles for high school wrestlers, the role of the physician in advising wrestlers about nutrition, and safe weight-loss practices for wrestlers. (MT)

Diet recall, a food record, a written test, interviews, questionnaires, and anthropometric measurements were used to examine the nutrition and weight control practices and knowledge of 42 wrestlers from two college teams. Results are analyzed. (Author/MT)

The many aberrations of Donald Trump's political career are important to analyze not only with regard to the state of the union but also for how they challenge existing theories of rhetoric, power, and performance. Among the studies conducted during and after Trump's presidential term to explain his persistent appeal to millions of Americans, scholars have constructively focused on his particular style of authoritarian populism, his revival of a premodern form of charisma, and his entanglements with professional wrestling. Taken together, these theoretical foci inform my approach to an underexamined subset of Trumpian utterances: those that simultaneously evoke entirely incompatible meanings, from the frivolous to the aggressive. Examining a series of such perplexing verbal and visual rhetorical moments through the lenses of the carnivalesque, the berserk charismatic, and the fractal fictions of kayfabe, I develop a theory of the delegation of intellectual labor through ludic layering that accounts for some of the power of Trump's rhetorical performances and is potentially applicable to understanding polyvocality in other populists' rhetoric. I further show how this concept suggests improvements on existing recommendations for listening to and reporting on an authoritarian figure like Trump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Concussions are a common condition in athletes leading to symptoms including headache, dizziness, and sometimes vestibular deficits. Concussion management typically involves rest and a gradual return to activity among other interventions. This case series includes three patients who were evaluated using Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) after sport-related injuries involving concussion-like symptoms. MDT is a system of evaluating patients using repeated movements and sustained positions to assess symptomatic and mechanical changes. Results: Patients in this case series demonstrated rapid reduction of symptoms using variations of repeated cervical movements and sustained positions, which enabled them to return to play with a lasting resolution of symptoms. Discussion/Conclusion: This highlights the importance of a classification system for the appropriate treatment of these cases who did not require management using concussion protocol, as they were classified as cervical derangement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the gender performances of Mexican lucha libre wrestlers, focusing on the impact of wrestlers who play stereotypically gay characters called 'exóticos.' Exóticos often use words like 'glamor,' 'elegance,' 'toughness,' and 'homosexuality,' to describe themselves, while also rejecting the labels of 'weak,' 'submissive,' and 'passive.' One of the most recognizable traits of the exótico, however, is a move called 'el beso del exótico,' ('the exótico's kiss'), during which exóticos use the beso as a strategy for distracting (or even attacking) their opponent. Exóticos therefore position themselves in a way that contests their opponents' performances of a heterosexual, hegemonic masculinity, while also refusing to reinscribe themselves within the traditional bounds of femininity. Exóticos thus blur the boundaries between heterosexuality and homosexuality, as well as the hierarchical relationship between femininity and masculinity, illustrating the potentials of their modes of performance to undermine hegemonic gender relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culture consists of material and spiritual values and tools that a nation has accumulated in the historical process. In addition to the most basic contexts such as language and religion, contexts such as sporting activities, art, public medicine, and the public calendar are also important environments that reveal their own cultural elements. Among these contexts, religion is very effective in shaping the daily life of the individual and, thus, society through the rules it enjoins. Religion does not dominate only the world of belief of the individual. Through the world of belief, it also directs their relations with the social institutions they are involved in. Sport is one of the most important activities and social institutions that stand out with various functions in daily life, with wrestling being one of the branches of sports that have emerged as a result of the imitation of the struggle of human beings with nature and other creatures with which they share nature. In particular, those involved in the nomadic way of life had to hunt in order not to starve and fight in order to survive. Wrestling, which emerged as a result of these obligations, held an important place among all Turks in the world for a period of time, especially in the transition periods of life, such as birth, marriage, and death. One of the conditions set forth by women as a condition of marriage was that their suitor defeated them in wrestling. Examples of this condition are also observed in literary texts belonging to different periods when Turks were not yet acquainted with Islam and the concepts of halal and haram, which entered their lives together with Islam. According to the provisions of the Holy Qur'an, right/unprohibited thoughts and actions are associated with the words good and halal, while wrong/prohibited thoughts and actions are associated with the words sin and haram. In this study, the social and cultural phases of wrestling as a sports branch among Turks in the historical process will be evaluated on the basis of the history of religions and religious references, in addition to the literary texts belonging to historical periods when Turks were members of different religions, in the context of two events that have been experienced and reported in the news. The study was carried out using the method of document analysis, a method of qualitative research, and the data obtained by this method were evaluated using content analysis. The narratives of Alıp Manaş, Alpamış, Alpamıs, Alıpmenşen, and Bamsı Beyrek, which are evaluated in this context, belong to the periods when the Turks had not been introduced to Islam or had only recently been introduced to it. Alıp Manaş was collated from different Turkic tribes such as the Altais, Alpamış from the Uzbeks, Alpamıs the Kazakhs/Karakalpaks, Alıpmenşen the Bashkirs/Tatars, and Bamsı Beyrek the Oghuz Turks. The narratives of Kirmanshah, Köse Kenan-Dânâ Hanım, Bey Böyrek, Shah Ismail, and Yaralı Mahmut, which are evaluated in the study, belong to the periods when the Turks became Muslim en masse, and are related only among the Oghuz Turks. These narratives are included in the study because they are similar to Alıp Manaş, Alpamış, Alpamıs, Alıpmenşen, and Bamsı Beyrek and they belong to the period when Islam was largely established among the Turkish masses in Anatolia. The effect of the new religion on wrestling, which is a branch of sport, will be revealed through these narratives belonging to different tribes and religious periods. Once more, an event that occurred in recent history, and was the subject of the news, was subjected to document analysis, and content analysis was carried out through the text of the news and evaluated in the context of the study. This study aims to explain the effect of religious rules on sports branches with theological, folkloric, and sociological references based on ancient literary texts belonging to the Turks and two incidents which were experienced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The best practice for cleaning wrestling mats is using a residual disinfectant with continued antibacterial action. Recently available wash-in silver additives claim to confer a residual effect to fabric. To test the efficacy of laundering with a wash-in silver additive in reducing athletes' exposure to potentially infectious microbes on apparel. A 4-part controlled laboratory study/parallel group comparison study. (1) To test whether fabrics in athletic clothing would be affected differently, we applied bacteria to control fabrics washed in detergent alone and test counterparts washed in detergent plus wash-in silver additive. Bacteria were applied to fabrics, extracted, plated, incubated, and counted. (2) To see if wash-in silver affected various bacteria differently, we washed cotton t-shirts with detergent alone or with detergent plus wash-in silver. We applied 4 bacterial species commonly found in the wrestling environment. Bacteria were extracted, plated, incubated, and counted. (3) To see if wash-in silver was effective in reducing bacterial contamination during practice, 32 collegiate wrestlers paired off with one wearing a test silver-treated t-shirt and their partner wearing a control shirt. Wrestler rotations exposed shirts to 2, 4, or 8 wrestlers. Identical swatches of fabric were cut from the t-shirts. Bacteria were extracted, plated, incubated, and counted. (4) We simulated prolonged/repeated bacterial exposure as occurs during tournaments by applying bacteria directly to silver-treated and untreated singlet material repeatedly over time. Test samples were taken at regular intervals to see if bacterial growth was inhibited by the presence of the silver nanoparticles. Bacteria were extracted, plated, incubated, and counted. Laboratory and practice. Collegiate Division III wrestling team. Wash-in silver would be considered effective if a statistically significant reduction in bacterial count was observed at 95% confidence. Wash-in silver reduced bacterial growth at low levels of contamination but did not significantly reduce bacterial growth at levels seen during contact sport competitions. This was true for all bacterial species and all fabrics tested. The environmental and potential health risks in using a wash-in silver nanoparticle laundry additive in the wash cycle for clothing worn by wrestlers outweigh any potential infection control benefits to these athletes. We do not currently recommend adopting wash-in silver treatment as part of the laundering regimen for wrestling programs until further testing of alternate methods of silver impregnation into sports fabrics has been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study was conducted to investigate the attitudes and behaviours of kickboxing, Muay Thai and wrestling athletes towards martial arts. A total of 162 athletes (43 females and 119 males) voluntarily participated in the study. Participants' attitudes were assessed on the basis of age, gender, duration of participation, licensing status and sport discipline. Data were collected using the Attitudes Towards Combat Sports Scale and normality was checked using the Shapiro-Wilk test, followed by Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests for analysis. The results indicate that female athletes are more upset about losing a match than male athletes (p < 0.05). In terms of age groups, younger athletes expressed higher levels of satisfaction and happiness during sport participation (p < 0.01). Regarding the duration of sport participation, athletes with more experience were found to be more proficient in controlling excitement and managing emotions (p < 0.05). Analysis of licence status revealed that national and professional athletes had a wider social network compared to amateur athletes (p < 0.01). Kickboxing athletes reported higher emotional and social satisfaction compared to other disciplines (p < 0.01). This study highlights the positive impact of martial arts on the psychological and social development of individuals and makes a significant contribution to the literature in this area. In addition, by comparing the effects of different martial arts on athletes, it sheds light on the psychological and social benefits of these sports. In this context, the key factors influencing athletes' attitudes and behaviours have also been analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore predictors of performance ascertaining the optimal body composition for worldlevel arm wrestlers in a competitive environment. Athletes underwent body composition assessments and their final competition classifications were noted. Athletes had a pairwise comparison percentile groups for relative fat mass (FM%), scattered by country, fat-free mass (FFM%) clustered by final classification, and comparison of the final classifications, grouped by country. A total of 220 elite, male competitors from 33 countries showed a mixed classification by country for FM% percentiles (p = .089) with values ranging from the 10th percentile (FM = 7.1%) to above the 90th percentile (FM = 16.1%). Extreme values (FM = 4.5%) and country of origin did not predict the classification of the athletes, although the athletes´ ranking <75th did suggest a tendency towards classification (FFM% = 27.3%). Thus, world-level arm wrestlers revealed nutritional issues concerning values for body composition components in a competition environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the potential detrimental effects of static stretching exercises on subsequent muscle power performance, athletes and trainers have started to replace static stretching with dynamic stretching exercises in their training routines. However, there are no well-accepted guidelines regarding dynamic stretching variables, including tempo/velocity, volume (reps and sets), etc. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the acute effects of slow, moderate, and fast tempo dynamic stretching exercises on jump height, relative power, the reactive strength index, and leg stiffness in well-trained male wrestlers. Seventeen wrestlers (aged 20.00 ± 4.06 years, wrestling experience 6.00 ± 3.09 years, and training volume per week 10.00 ± 5.69 hours) took part in the experiment under four conditions (control session, slow tempo dynamic stretching, moderate tempo dynamic stretching, and fast tempo dynamic stretching) on separate days with a 72-h interval in between, following a randomized, crossover study design. The control session consisted of a 10-min jog on a motordriven treadmill at 6 km/h and a 0% slope. Dynamic stretching sessions consisted of seven dynamic stretching exercises performed at 50 bpm, 100 bpm, and 120 bpm, following a 5-min warm-up on a treadmill at 6 km/h and a 0% slope. After each condition, wrestlers performed a 2 x 30-s repeated vertical jump test with 5-min rest intervals in between. The best results for jump height, relative power, the reactive strength index, and leg stiffness were registered for statistical analysis. One-way repeated ANOVA results demonstrated that there were no significant differences in pairwise comparisons of all variables obtained after the four different conditions (p > 0.05). Overall, none of the slow, moderate, and fast tempo dynamic stretching exercises led to a change in repeated jump performance of well-trained male athletes. Further studies are needed to clarify the acute effects of different tempo dynamic stretching on muscular performance in well-trained wrestlers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]