COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF COMPETITIVE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS OF MEN AND WOMEN IN FREESTYLE WRESTLING

Abstract

Freestyle wrestling is one of the oldest and most popular combat sports, included in the Olympic Games and other prestigious international competitions. This sport requires athletes to have a high level of physical fitness, excellent coordination, endurance, strength, and reaction speed. The analysis of competitive performance in men’s and women’s freestyle wrestling allows for identifying key features of match execution, assessing the effectiveness of technical and tactical actions, and developing more precise and effective training programs for athletes. Research in this area is crucial for coaches striving to improve their athletes’ performance and for sports analysts studying trends in the development of freestyle wrestling as a sport. The purpose of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of competitive performance indicators of male and female freestyle wrestlers. The analysis was based on protocols and video recordings of the 2024 Ukrainian Freestyle Wrestling Cup among adults. A total of 151 matches were analyzed: 97 male matches and 54 female matches. The conducted research highlights some similarities and differences in competitive performance indicators between male and female freestyle wrestlers.It was determined that the most commonly executed techniques were gut wrenches in the parterre position and leg attacks and throws in the standing position. More points were scored in the standing position than in the parterre, and technical points exceeded non-technical points for both male and female wrestlers. The highest number of points was scored in the first minute of the match (23,18% of total points for men and 39,28% for women). Notably, the number of points scored decreased with each subsequent minute for both male and female wrestlers. This may be explained by the importance of the initial minutes in achieving victory in a match. The average number of points scored per match was significantly higher (p<0,05) for male wrestlers (9,34 points) compared to female wrestlers (8,20 points). However, the success index was higher for female wrestlers (2,48) than for male wrestlers (2,19), though this difference was not statistically significant (p>0,05). The obtained results will help coaches optimize the training process for male and female freestyle wrestlers.