The Effect of Mace Training on Strength, Mobility, and Stability in Elite Wrestlers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The Effect of Mace Training on Strength, Mobility, and Stability in Elite Wrestlers: A Randomized Controlled Trial | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The Effect of Mace Training on Strength, Mobility, and Stability in Elite Wrestlers: A Randomized Controlled Trial Esedullah AKARAS, Bilgehan ÖZTOP, Cebrail GENÇOĞLU, Süleyman ULUPINAR, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6168100/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 22 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation → Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Objectives This study examined the impact of mace training on strength, mobility, stabilization, and endurance in elite wrestlers, exploring its potential advantages over traditional resistance training. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 27 elite male wrestlers assigned to either a mace training group (n = 13) or a control group (n = 14). The experimental group performed mace exercises three times per week for 12 weeks alongside regular training. Pre- and post-training assessments included grip strength, shoulder mobility, closed kinetic chain upper extremity stability (CKCUEST), push-up endurance, and proprioception. Results Mace training significantly improved grip strength (Dominant [D]: F = 28.009, p < 0.001, \(\:{\eta\:}_{P}^{2}\)=0.49; Non-dominant [ND]: F=12.864, p=0.001, \(\:{\eta\:}_{P}^{2}\)=0.31), shoulder mobility (D:F =17.079, p<0.001, \(\:{\eta\:}_{P}^{2}\)=0.39), upper extremity stability closed kinetic chain upper extremity stability (CKCUEST) (F=48.495, p < 0.001, \(\:{\eta\:}_{P}^{2}\)=0.66), and push-up performance (F=16.290, p0.05). Conclusion Mace exercises effectively enhance grip strength, mobility, and stabilization in elite wrestlers, making them a valuable functional training tool. Future research should explore long-term effects and applications in other combat sports. Clinical trial number: not applicable. Wrestling mace exercises performance stabilization proprioception Figures Figure 1 Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Tables 1 to 4 are available in the Supplementary Files section. Supplementary Files Tables.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 22 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 13 Mar, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 11 Mar, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 11 Mar, 2025 First submitted to journal 06 Mar, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6168100","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":427106966,"identity":"aeb4a3b4-7f5a-4c15-aef5-bec80cb4bb94","order_by":0,"name":"Esedullah AKARAS","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Erzurum Technical University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Esedullah","middleName":"","lastName":"AKARAS","suffix":""},{"id":427106968,"identity":"78a9a393-970d-451b-9d02-9ad704292ff7","order_by":1,"name":"Bilgehan ÖZTOP","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Atatürk University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bilgehan","middleName":"","lastName":"ÖZTOP","suffix":""},{"id":427106969,"identity":"c35e0119-09f0-4644-9f8a-80d1068fd445","order_by":2,"name":"Cebrail GENÇOĞLU","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Erzurum Technical University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Cebrail","middleName":"","lastName":"GENÇOĞLU","suffix":""},{"id":427106970,"identity":"17bcd273-d04c-4e5e-b94a-635a68a3b8de","order_by":3,"name":"Süleyman ULUPINAR","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Erzurum Technical University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Süleyman","middleName":"","lastName":"ULUPINAR","suffix":""},{"id":427106971,"identity":"33097ac9-9f64-4c06-88a0-24267b1e0f31","order_by":4,"name":"Serhat ÖZBAY","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Erzurum Technical University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Serhat","middleName":"","lastName":"ÖZBAY","suffix":""},{"id":427106972,"identity":"7c821b20-112a-4771-a0da-ef63d51be736","order_by":5,"name":"Mustafa Gökhan KÜT","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ankara University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mustafa","middleName":"Gökhan","lastName":"KÜT","suffix":""},{"id":427106973,"identity":"8ea674db-3329-42fe-8077-94447e616ff7","order_by":6,"name":"Murat TURAN","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Erzurum Technical University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Murat","middleName":"","lastName":"TURAN","suffix":""},{"id":427106974,"identity":"7af78f6f-23b3-49d4-8f47-ad15b193bd51","order_by":7,"name":"Gökhan YAĞIZ","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Amasya University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gökhan","middleName":"","lastName":"YAĞIZ","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-03-06 07:38:21","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6168100/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6168100/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-01545-8","type":"published","date":"2026-01-22T15:57:33+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":78435284,"identity":"0a2a08a6-03ca-4805-a6f9-289d22d76e93","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-13 08:00:27","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":277069,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eStudy desing of the whole protocol\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6168100/v1/60047334344dc7d32de461f2.png"},{"id":101152066,"identity":"f2acffda-2901-4be1-87ce-a16178573e92","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-26 16:09:44","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":398782,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"wrestlingmacetraining09032025.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6168100/v1_covered_90c6c47c-beb9-4455-80d5-9efa8592d984.pdf"},{"id":78435286,"identity":"734d6f4c-991d-4a84-bf99-95d95b77d4ab","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-13 08:00:27","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":16539,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Tables.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6168100/v1/47413f608c98e358cc0f4055.docx"}],"financialInterests":"\u003cp\u003eNo competing interests reported.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTables 1 to 4 are available in the Supplementary Files section.\u003c/p\u003e","formattedTitle":"The Effect of Mace Training on Strength, Mobility, and Stability in Elite Wrestlers: A Randomized Controlled Trial","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-sports-science-medicine-and-rehabilitation","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ssmr","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation](http://bmcsportsscimedrehabil.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/ssmr/default.aspx","title":"BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Wrestling, mace exercises, performance, stabilization, proprioception","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6168100/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6168100/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eObjectives\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study examined the impact of mace training on strength, mobility, stabilization, and endurance in elite wrestlers, exploring its potential advantages over traditional resistance training.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA randomized controlled trial was conducted with 27 elite male wrestlers assigned to either a mace training group (n = 13) or a control group (n = 14). The experimental group performed mace exercises three times per week for 12 weeks alongside regular training. Pre- and post-training assessments included grip strength, shoulder mobility, closed kinetic chain upper extremity stability (CKCUEST), push-up endurance, and proprioception.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMace training significantly improved grip strength (Dominant [D]: F = 28.009, p \u0026lt; 0.001, \\(\\:{\\eta\\:}_{P}^{2}\\)=0.49; Non-dominant [ND]: F=12.864, p=0.001, \\(\\:{\\eta\\:}_{P}^{2}\\)=0.31), shoulder mobility (D:F =17.079, p\u0026lt;0.001, \\(\\:{\\eta\\:}_{P}^{2}\\)=0.39), upper extremity stability closed kinetic chain upper extremity stability (CKCUEST) (F=48.495, p \u0026lt; 0.001, \\(\\:{\\eta\\:}_{P}^{2}\\)=0.66), and push-up performance (F=16.290, p\u0026lt;0.001, \\(\\:{\\eta\\:}_{P}^{2}\\)=0.40). However, proprioception at 60° and 120° showed no significant differences (p\u0026gt;0.05).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMace exercises effectively enhance grip strength, mobility, and stabilization in elite wrestlers, making them a valuable functional training tool. Future research should explore long-term effects and applications in other combat sports.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClinical trial number: \u003c/strong\u003enot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"The Effect of Mace Training on Strength, Mobility, and Stability in Elite Wrestlers: A Randomized Controlled Trial","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-03-13 08:00:23","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6168100/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-03-13T09:51:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-03-11T08:34:03+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-03-11T08:29:06+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation","date":"2025-03-06T07:32:09+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-sports-science-medicine-and-rehabilitation","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ssmr","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation](http://bmcsportsscimedrehabil.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/ssmr/default.aspx","title":"BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"119b3a20-27f9-45db-a7f0-62cf599b8e1e","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 13th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-26T16:06:30+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6168100","link":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-01545-8","journal":{"identity":"bmc-sports-science-medicine-and-rehabilitation","isVorOnly":false,"title":"BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation"},"publishedOn":"2026-01-22 15:57:33","publishedOnDateReadable":"January 22nd, 2026"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-03-13 08:00:23","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1186/s13102-026-01545-8","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-01545-8","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6168100","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6168100","identity":"rs-6168100","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}