Introduction: Freestyle wrestling demands precise movement coordination and rapid execution, with the Double-Leg Attack Technique being a crucial maneuver for gaining advantage. Coordinated muscle activation and training adaptations play key roles in optimizing performance, making it essential to explore the underlying mechanisms and effects of specialized wrestling training. Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of consistent and specialized Freestyle wrestling training on muscle synergy during the Double-Leg Attack maneuver, specifically comparing elite and sub-Elite wrestlers. Material and methods: Thirty-eight junior Iranian male freestyle wrestlers were categorized based on their skill level: Elite group (n = 19) who participated in national or international-level competitions and achieved notable success. Sub-elite group (n = 19) who are actively engaged in training but have not yet reached the same competitive level. EMG activity was recorded from Five unilateral upper limb muscles and non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm was used to extract the muscle synergy composition and temporal activation patterns during Double-Leg Attack maneuver. Results: Three distinct muscle synergies, namely Syn1, Syn2, and Syn3, were identified and extracted from both the elite and sub-elite groups. Both elite and sub-elite wrestlers demonstrated remarkable intragroup coherence in terms of spatial structures and temporal activation patterns of muscle synergies during the Double-Leg Attack technique. However, it was observed that elite wrestlers exhibited significantly higher values in temporal activation patterns compared to their sub-elite counterparts (P=0.000). Discussion: The findings of this study highlight the importance of consistent and specialized Freestyle wrestling training in optimizing muscle synergy during the Double-Leg Attack technique. Significant differences observed in the temporal activation patterns suggest that elite wrestlers possess a higher level of temporal precision and coordination, which may contribute to their competitive advantage. Conclusion: These findings provide valuable insights for wrestlers and coaches to guide training strategies focused on enhancing muscle synergy and temporal coordination for improved performance in Freestyle wrestling.
