The Acute Effects of Static Stretching on Speed and Agility Performance Depend on Stretch Duration and Conditioning Level

Abstract

Avloniti, A, Chatzinikolaou, A, Fatouros, IG, Avloniti, C, Protopapa, M, Draganidis, D, Stampoulis, T, Leontsini, D, Mavropalias, G, Gounelas, G, and Kambas, A. The acute effects of static stretching on speed and agility performance depend on stretch duration and conditioning level. J Strength Cond Res 30(10): 2767-2773, 2016-Although static stretching (SS) is an integral part of physical preparation before training and competition, its usefulness in regards to power performance improvement has been questioned. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 6 SS durations on speed and agility performance. According to a cross-over design, 34 trained men (age, 20.5 ± 1.4 years; height, 1.81 ± 0.2 m; weight, 77.2 ± 2.6 kg; body fat, 8.2 ± 2.6%) participated in a control session (no stretch) and 6 experimental conditions (10, 15, 20, 30, 40, and 60 seconds) performed in a randomized order. Performance in speed (10 and 20 m) and agility (T-test) was measured after the control and experimental conditions. Static stretching, consisting of stretches for hip extensors, hip adductors, knee extensors, knee flexors, and ankle sole flexors, was performed after light cardiovascular exercise (8 minutes). A 1-way repeated-measures analysis of variance showed that speed was improved only by SS of short duration (15/20 seconds), whereas agility remained unaffected by all SS trials. When participants' speed and agility level was taken into account, it was revealed that only those of moderate performance demonstrated an improved speed (in 15- and 20-second trials) and agility (in 10- and 15-second trials) performance. These results suggest that short-duration SS protocols induce an acute improvement of speed and agility performance, whereas longer-duration SS protocols have neither positive nor negative effect. Furthermore, it seems that individuals of lower speed and agility performance level are more likely to benefit by a short-duration SS protocol.

Intermittent but Not Continuous Static Stretching Improves Subsequent Vertical Jump Performance in Flexibility-Trained Athletes

“…Therefore, the effect of static stretching on performance may depend on the training background of the subjects (22,30). More importantly, there are studies that either failed to detect impairments in muscle performance after static stretching (10,23), or even reported enhancement of muscle power during sprint or jumping tests, provided that the duration of the stretching bouts were brief (<30 s) (2,3). Such brief stretching durations are more realistic in the sporting environment, since a typical warmup routine in most sports includes 1-3 sets of shorter duration stretches (10-30 s) interspersed with rest intervals of equal duration while the contra-lateral limb is being stretched (33).…”

Could the deleterious effect of stretching only influence soccer players with better performance in the vertical jump?

“…the maximum muscle contraction decreased by 12% after stretching. Stretching may have reduced the maximal contraction owing to muscle inhibition rather than turning muscle units more complacent [20,21].…”

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“…Moreover, studies were carried out with subjects of different profiles ranging from experienced jumping activities athletes to non-athlete subjects. This profile difference can present different responses in activities requiring rapid force (Avloniti et al, 2016).…”