Wrestling Coach - Ravi Rawat

Assessing Risk
Once risk is identified, there are 2 parts that must be evaluated. These are Risk Level and Cost of Risk Reduction.

Risk Level is a measure of the negative impact that could be caused by the risk.
Cost of Risk Reduction is a measure of what it will take to reduce the risk.
If the risk level is high but is easy to fix, then it could be considered Manageable Risk and okay to continue.

Using the Risk Reduction Matrix, each risk should be placed into 1 of 3 categories.

Risk Avoidance – Risk is too high, and the situation needs to be avoided.
Risk Acceptance – Risk is considered low or manageable without any steps being done.
Risk Reduction – Risk is high, but steps can be taken to reduce the risk to a manageable level.

3 Risk Management Steps

1.Risk Identification – The first step is to identify the risk in all situations. The risk must be assessed to determine the best course of action.

2.Risk Reduction – The second step is to look for ways to reduce the risk to a manageable position.

3.Risk Planning & Monitoring – The third step is to make strategic plans for how to reduce risk going forward and then monitoring it with documentation.

During the Session
Here are some things to look for during the practice session.

The spacing of the wrestlers while performing techniques and actions
Wrestler performing techniques wrong that could cause injury to their opponent
Wrestlers improperly matched together based on their developmental stage and size
Possible injuries to wrestlers or heat-related illness
The coach should be constantly monitoring their participants and the practice hall for any risks that may develop. These areas indicated above are just a few responsibilities of the coach.

After the Session
Here are some things to consider after the training session.

Checking with every athlete to see if any injuries occurred during the training session.
Disinfecting the mats so that they are ready for the next training session. The best way to prevent skin infections to maintain good cleaning practices.
Checking the practice area to see that all equipment has been properly stored.
Checking the practice area for any sharp objects or potential hazards.
Reflecting on practice and how it could be improved, and risk reduced.
These are a few suggestions for ways to reduce risk after a training session. Each individual practice area and program may have different or additional areas to consider.

Before the Session
Here are some things to consider before the session starts.

Is there any unused equipment out?
Fire escape, signs and plan in place if one would occur?
Sharp objects near the practice surface?
Enough space for the number of participants?
Wrestling mat firmly together?
Does the mat have a minimum of 40mm of padding?
Was the mat disinfected before the session?
Coach to participant ratio?
Safety concerns with technique and training during the practice session?
The areas identified above are not an exhaustive list. There may be additional items that should be included based on each individual practice hall and conditions.

When is Risk Assessed?

1.Before the Session

> It is good for a coach to walk around the practice hall and look for areas that might cause injury. Those can be identified, and a solution developed to minimize the risk.

> When a coach is planning practice, they should consider possible areas of risk.

2.During the Session

> The coach should be actively moving around the training area and looking for potential risks that may occur with the athletes.

3.After the Session

> The coach should check with each of the athletes, walk and evaluate the practice hall and reflect on the practice session.

Risk Management

What is Risk Management?

Risk Management is not about creating huge amounts of paperwork, but rather about identifying sensible measures to control the risks in your training environment.

The Coach’s Role in Risk Management
All sports involve an element of risk and wrestling is a physical and competitive sport. It is the main responsibility of the coach to ensure the safety of their athletes. They must promote the participants’ safety and health while minimizing risk as much as possible. Risk should be assessed before, during and after practice. It is the coach’s job to monitor all areas of the program and minimize any risk that is identified.

Leisure Adult: Age 18+ – Active Life

1.Characteristics
This group needs to maintain exercise to keep fit. As there is clear evidence that individuals that are more active live longer. (Carlson, Adams, Yang & Fulton, 2018)
They are developed for physical and muscular power.
They are efficient and accurate when coordinating their movements.
They have an advanced ability to focus their attention process information.
With increased age comes an increased chance of injury. This is often due to lower activity levels.
Many of the participants have professional jobs during the day.
They have different motives for participating. This may improve their general well-being, be a part of the wrestling culture or to become a member of the club.

2.Benefits
This increased the number of people that are participating in wrestling.
This leads to more future leaders, managers or referees.
This gives a way to keep former wrestlers engaged in the sport.

Pedagogical Approach
It is important to teach how technical knowledge can be implemented into the technical-tactical approach.
This group will require general physical exercise to maintain health and strength.
The coach must be conscious of the warm-up and combat times. These athletes are not normal participants who are constantly active. Increased warm-up and reduced combat times are important to consider.
The skill progression will be adapted to the level of the participants. This could be a wide range from beginner to experienced.
The coach must make this is a fun and inviting atmosphere to encourage retention.

Programming in the Sport
Training should be 1 hour and 30 minutes.±Training sessions should be 2 per week.
The best time is in the evening after 7:00 pm. Many of the participants will work professional jobs and will not attend until later.
Incorporate long and varied warm-ups into practices and end with long complete stretching.

Teen: Age 12-18 – Many Changes

1.Characteristics
11 – 15 years
With many other sports, this is most participation by any age group. (Elime, Harvey, & Charity, 2019)
The athletes are beginning to reach puberty which causes many morphological and psychological changes.
This tends to lead to significant variations in weight and increased height which can lead to clumsiness (loss of coordination).
This can also lead to rapid behavior changes because of the increase in hormones. Aggression can be channeled through sport. They will have a tendency to challenge authority.
They begin to develop logical and abstract thinking.

Much bigger differences between boys and girls develop during this time.
They are very social in this age group and will be influenced by their peers.
The coach must be more understanding and sensitive during this time.

15 – 18 years
By the end of this group, they are almost fully developed.
They have a better ability to think logically and abstractly.
This group can also communicate better and are beginning to become more independent.
This is when training begins to increase in many areas. This includes strength, detailed technical and tactical preparation.

2.Pedagogical approach
This is a good age group to give situations and then allow them to find think critically, produce solutions and then experience the consequences.
Early in this age group, the focus should be on participation and skill refinement.
Later in this age group, the techniques can begin being taught as a series or chain movements.
They can learn more complex technical-tactical over time. This will be determined by the level of the participant.
As participants progress through this age group, this is a good time to evaluate performance and give feedback on their results.
The coach must be a strong leader that can be fair and consistent. They will be developing and model the skill that may be with the athletes their entire lives.

3.Programming in the Sport
Training Sessions should be 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Training Sessions should be 2-3 per week. This is dependent on the level of the wrestlers and their goals.
The younger age groups would be better planned closer to after school. As they get older, the time can be later.

Children: Age 7-11 – Golden Age of Learning

Characteristics

1.This age group has the greatest ability to adapt and learn with minimal effort. (Levitt, 2009)
Early in this age group, the children are more impulsive and react quickly to situations. This could lead to more emotional outbursts and crying.
They also have a desire to learn more skills and will often translate into rapid progression later in this age group.
They have a need for activities to be fair for all.
This group also has a respect for the rules and follows them closely.
Early in this group, there are little differences between boys and girls. As they become older, there will start to be social and physical differences start to develop.
Important for the coach to be positive with the athletes.

2.Pedagogical Approach

Early in this age group, the children tend to focus on one aspect at a time. It is hard for them to make connections.
As the children become older in this age group, it is important for the coach to move them from spontaneous movements to more technical movements.
This group of children are also very competitive, and this is a good opportunity to use games in the training process.
This group also does well with demonstrations at the beginning to focus their attention.
This is also a good time to introduce problem-solving situations so they can discover the important points on their own.

3.Programming in the Sport

Training Sessions should be kept around 1-hour. They could be extended as they become older.
Training Sessions should be 1-2 per week.
An ideal time for sessions would be directly after school.
This would be their 1st official competition.