Preactivity stretching is commonly performed by athletes as part of their warm-up routine. However, the most recent literature questions the effectiveness of preactivity stretching. One limitation of this research is that the stretching duration is not realistic for most athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a practical duration of acute static and ballistic stretching on vertical jump (VJ), lower-extremity power, and quadriceps and hamstring torque. Twenty-four subjects performed a 5-minute warm-up followed by each of the following three conditions on separate days with order counterbalanced: static stretching, ballistic stretching, or no-stretch control condition. Vertical jump was determined with the Vertec VJ system and was also calculated from the ground-reaction forces collected from a Kistler force plate, which also were used to calculate power. Torque output of the quadriceps and hamstrings was measured through knee extension and flexion on the Biodex System 3 Dynamometer at 60 degrees x s(-1). Data normalized for body weight were analyzed using five separate, 3 (stretch condition) x 2 (gender) analysis-of-variance procedures with repeated measures on the factor of stretch condition. The gender x stretch interaction was not significant for any of the four measures, suggesting that the stretching conditions did not affect men and women differently. The results of this study reveal that static and ballistic stretching did not affect VJ, or torque output for the quadriceps and hamstrings. Despite no adverse effect on VJ, stretching did cause a decrease in lower-extremity power, which was surprising. Because of the mixed results, strength coaches would be better served to use dynamic stretching before activity; this has been consistently supported by the literature.

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Context The field of athletic training promotes cultural competence education to prevent negative consequences in health care that can result from a lack of cultural awareness. While prior studies have assessed cultural competence among faculty, students, and athletic trainers, no study has specifically focused on preceptors. Objective The objective of this study was to assess cultural competence among a subsection of athletic training preceptors. Design and Setting Cross-sectional online survey. Patients or Other Participants Active preceptors from Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) accredited programs in good standing from two districts of the National Athletic Trainer's Association. Measurements The Cultural Competency Assessment (CCA) consists of 27 Likert-type response items split into the Culture Awareness and Sensitivity (CAS) subscale and the Cultural Competence Behaviors (CCB) subscale. Higher scores indicate higher cultural competence. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results Sixty-five preceptors of the estimated 260 were included in the analysis. The combined average score on the CCA was 89.72 ± 11.46 out of 135 (67.9%). A paired-samples t- test revealed that preceptors scored significantly better in the CAS compared to the CCB [t(64) = 12.47, P < .001], with averages of 37.27 ± 3.47 out of 55 (67.77%) and 52.44 ± 10.08 out of 80 (65.5%), respectively. Conclusions This study provides data on athletic training preceptor's awareness and behaviors relative to cultural competence. Results demonstrate a need to further develop cultural competence among preceptors. The role of a preceptor has been shown to have a great influence on student development and retention in the profession. Preceptors should be considered as another source of knowledge of cultural competence.

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