Season jump performance and wellness variables in Turkish national youth wrestlers

Purpose. The aim of this study was 2-fold: (1) to analyse the variations of countermovement jump (CMJ) performance over the different periods of the season (early-, mid-, and end-season) and (2) to analyse the correlations between CMJ performance and wellness variables over season periods. Methods. Overall, 10 elite young male freestyle wrestlers (aged 16.0 ± 0.7 years) participated in this study during the 32 weeks of the season. Neuromuscular performance was analysed via a CMJ protocol and well-being variables were monitored by using the Hooper index questionnaire. Repeated measures analysis of variance with eventual Bonferroni post-hoc test was applied to investigate the differences between season periods within weeks. Results. There were no significant changes of neuromuscular performance throughout the season, which suggests the absence of neuromuscular fatigue. No relationships were found between CMJ performance and any single well-being variable. In turn, a small association was observed between weekly Hooper index and neuromuscular status early in the season (correlation coefficient: 0.20, p = 0.044). Conclusions. Using the sum of all well-being variables instead of the single variables may be better to track possible neuromuscular status variations in wrestling athletes, particularly early in the season.