Effects of Wrestling Training on Psychological Well-Being, Anxiety, and Resilience in Adolescent Boys

Detailed Description of the Study Purpose and Rationale The study explores how short-term wrestling training affects psychological well-being, anxiety, and resilience in adolescent boys. While the physical benefits of wrestling are well known, its psychological impacts-especially in non-competitive, beginner contexts-have been insufficiently studied. Adolescence is a critical developmental period marked by heightened emotional sensitivity and vulnerability to stress and anxiety. Given the known mental health benefits of structured physical activity, the authors aimed to determine whether wrestling could serve as a mental health-supportive intervention for youth.

Study Design and Participants

The research employed a randomized controlled pretest-posttest design involving 30 sedentary male adolescents aged 12-15 years. Participants were divided into:

Wrestling Group (n = 15) Control Group (n = 15) Inclusion criteria ensured no prior experience with wrestling or other combat sports and minimal physical activity in the preceding six months. The study was ethically approved and conducted following the Declaration of Helsinki.

Intervention The wrestling group completed a six-week structured wrestling program with sessions three times per week, each lasting 60 minutes. The program progressed through foundational stances, entries, defensive techniques, agility, strength drills, and integrated combined training sessions. Warm-ups, dynamic stretching, and wrestling-specific drills formed each session's core. All sessions were supervised by certified coaches, with 100% adherence and no injuries.