OBJECTIVES FOR THIS UNIT:
Students will:
1) Understand what flexibility is and why it is important.
2) Understand which muscles are most important to stretch and why.
3) Understand specificity and the difference between different types of stretching.
4) Understand how the FITT principle applies to flexibility.
5) Understand safety concerns involved with stretching.
6) Learn how to test their own flexibility.

Flexibility is:
• The elasticity or compliance of muscles when stretching.
• The ability to move joints through a full range of motion.
A joint is a place in the body where bones come together.
• Examples of joints:
Ankles, knees, hips, wrist, elbows, shoulders

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Range of motion means the degree of movement you have.
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Gymnasts have a large range of motion around the shoulder joint.
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Hurdlers have a large range of motion around the hip joint.

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Ligaments – Attach bones to bones.
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Tendons – Attach muscle to bone.
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Muscle – Surrounds, protects, and moves bones.

What primary joints in the body benefit from a greater range of motion, particularly when it comes to sports participation?

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The ankle, hip, and shoulder joints
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Note that these are known as ball-and-socket joints
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They permit movement in many directions
(rotation, flexion, extension)

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The knee and elbow are known as hinge joints.
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They allow only an opening and closing of a joint.

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For sports performance, it is important for major muscle groups to be flexible:
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The hamstrings
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The calf muscles
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The muscles of the lower back
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The hip flexors
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The muscles of the shoulder
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Flexibility in these areas enhances performance and reduces risk of injury.

Health benefits of stretching:
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Improved Function / Improved Health
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Flexibility helps reduce risk of injury.
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Stretching short muscles helps improve posture and helps to prevent post exercise pain and soreness.
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Good posture helps prevent or relieve back pain and helps to reduces fatigue and emotional tension .

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For elderly people, flexibility helps prevent joint aches and pains.
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Stretching exercises can often alleviate menstrual cramps in women.
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Gives athletes greater range of motion for faster forward movement and more power.

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You will lose range of motion and flexibility as you become inactive and as you age.

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Static stretching (also called active stretching), involves stretching and holding a position for 10-30 seconds.
It is very safe, and is commonly recommended because it is less likely to cause injury. It is especially beneficial for people who have arthritis, muscle or joint pain, or bad backs.

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Dynamic stretching involves movement or swinging motions of joints and/or limbs through a full range of motion to reach a stretching point.
Examples:
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Trunk Twists
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Arm circles
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Leg swings
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Neck rolls.

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Ballistic stretching is a technique that uses "bouncing" to the desired position to increase flexibility. It can result in muscle pulls and strains because it activates the stretch reflex, rather than lessens it. This stretch is not recommended for most individuals, and especially not for individuals with chronic injuries. It is best used with athletes who use this movement in their particular sport such as gymnasts or jumpers.

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Passive stretching involves holding a stretch for 15 seconds or more as someone pushes or pulls the part of your body that you want stretched. With assisted stretching, you relax the muscle you’re trying to stretch and rely on the external force to hold you in place. You don’t usually have to work very hard to do an assisted stretch, but there’s always the risk that the external force will be stronger than you are flexible, which could cause an injury.

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
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PNF allows the muscle to be stretched to a greater degree by increasing the proprioceptor signals through a 5- to 10second voluntary muscle contraction followed by a 5- to 10second voluntary muscle relaxation. With the hold-relax
PNF method, the muscle is placed into a static stretch. The athlete is instructed to "hold" and contract the muscle against resistance from a partner for 10 seconds. The athlete is then instructed to "relax," and the partner slowly moves the muscle to a new static position. The technique is repeated two to three times.

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(F) Frequency Stretch each muscle group daily or at least
3 times a week.
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(I) Intensity You must stretch the muscle beyond its normal length.
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(T) Time Hold each stretch for 10-30 seconds, rest for 10 seconds and repeat 3 to 4 times.
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(T) Type Static Stretching for various muscles

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Always Warm-up prior to stretching.
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Do not stretch swollen joints or joints that are hyper-mobile.
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Stop if you are feeling pain.
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Avoid dangerous exercises
(especially with the back and neck.)

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Gradually Increase the intensity –stretch farther and hold longer as you progress.

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Flexibility exercises improve only the specific muscles at the specific joints that you stretch. To develop overall flexibility, you must stretch all the muscles that need stretching.

Remember:
What you do, determines what your flexibility is like.
Poor posture and lack of flexibility can become permanent.

Stretch daily and test yourself often for improved function and improved health and wellness.

Ballistic stretching uses "bouncing" to the desired position to increase flexibility.
Dynamic stretching involves holding a stretch for long periods. This type of stretching should be done once your body is warmed up.
Flexibility is the ability to move your muscles and joints through a full range of motion.
Ligaments are what attach bones to bones.
Muscle is what surrounds and moves bone.
Overload is when you stretch your muscles farther than normal.

Passive stretching involves holding a stretch for 15 seconds or more. With this type of stretching someone pushes or pulls a part of your body which you want stretched.
PNF or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation is a method of stretching based on the principle that paired muscle groups (agonists and antagonists such as quadriceps and hamstrings) should be worked together so the stretch reflex is lessened and flexibility is more easily improved.
Static stretching involves stretching and holding a position.
Tendons attach muscle to bone.