Flexibility and Athletic Performance
Learning Log
 What is flexibility?
 What are the benefits of flexibility?
 What types of flexibility are there?
General flexibility guidelines
 Range of Motion (ROM)
 Range that a joint can be
moved (flexion &
extension)
 Form can be altered with
decreased ROM,
reducing biomechanical
efficiency and creating a
climate for athletic
injuries
General flexibility guidelines
 Benefits of flexibility
 Decreased risk of injury
 Reduced muscle soreness
 Improved muscular balance and
postural awareness
General flexibility guidelines
 Proper timing
 Before activity – dynamic stretching
is best
 After activity – use static stretching,
greatest gains can be achieved
Flexibility methods
 Static Stretching
 Stretching to a comfortable position and holding for a
period of time.
 No motion should be forced
 Hold stretch for 10-30 seconds (longer time, less
intensity)
 Should be used at the end of a training session
Flexibility methods
 Ballistic stretching
 Use of body momentum to bounce at the end range of a
stretch
 Has been found to increase flexibility; however there is
the potential to cause musculoskeletal injuries
 Not generally recommended.
Flexibility methods
 Dynamic stretching
 Active muscular effort are
used to propel the muscle
into an extended range of
motion
 Functional based exercises,
use sport specific
movements to prepare the
body for training
 Beneficial way to warm up
prior to training
Flexibility methods
 Dynamic stretching
 Benefits




Increases core temperature & peripheral blood flow
Elongates muscles and tendons
Enhances coordination, motor learning, & proprioception
Incorporates balance
 Ex: high knees, butt kicks, straight leg kicks, leg swings,
lunge walks (can add trunk rotations, inverted
hamstring, inchworm
Learning Log
 Name 3 or 4 stretches that you have done.
 What muscles did it stretch?
 Did you enjoy the stretch?
Flexibility methods
 Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)
 Muscles to be stretched is first contracted maximally
 The muscle is then relaxed and is either actively
stretched by contraction of the opposing muscle or is
passively stretched
 Two types
 Rapid beneficial increases, but best done with someone
who is trained.
Flexibility methods
 Contract/Relax
 Stretch until resistance is felt
 Contract the muscles against a partner
 Move through a range of motion
 Moved to a new stretch position beyond the original
stretch
Flexibility methods
 Hold/Relax
 Athlete stretches to a comfortable position
 Apply force against a partner
 Holds the contraction for 10-15 seconds
 Move to a new stretch position beyond the original
starting point