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COMPARISON OF STRETCHING PROTOCOLS ON MAXIMUM SPEED OUTPUT

Abstract

Josh Jaramillo2, Ali Boolani1, Bert Jacobson2 , Enoch Hill1, 1Tennesse State University, 2Oklahoma State University


Stretching is a common activity prior to sport performance. However, the efficacy of stretching as it relates to activity, in addition to the type of stretching remains questionable. Furthermore, while lack of range of movement may hinder some activities, it is also questionable if flexibility is associated with speed. PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was two-fold: to compare types of pre-activity stretching and to correlate the degree of flexibility with short distance (40 yd.) speed. METHODS: Following IRB approval 50 subjects volunteered for the study. Pre-tests included a warm-up and a timed 40yd sprint followed by randomly assigning the subjects to either 10-min static or dynamic stretching, after which a post-test 40yd sprint was timed. The second day began with an initial warm-up, a pre- 40yd sprint, and counterbalanced stretching bouts followed by a post-40yd sprint. To assess the relationship between flexibility and sprint speed, the sit-and-reach test was administered and the results were correlated with subjects’ speed. RESULTS: ANOVA with repeated measures yielded significantly better (F=3.89; P<0.01) in forty yard dash times by the dynamic stretching group over the static stretching group. Additionally, there was not any significant association found between flexibility and speed in the 40yd sprint. CONCLUSION: The data supports previous research suggesting that dynamic stretch is superior to static stretch and that dynamic stretch positively affects sprint performance. Degree of flexibility, as measured by the sit-and-reach is not a predictor of speed, but rather muscle type ratio may be more accurately a determinant of speed. It is suggested that for speed performance, dynamic stretching be included in the warm-up protocol.

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