Stretching

Coach,
For 3 years now we have done dynamic stretching for warm-ups. That is high knee, butt kicks and a bunch of others that take us about 15 minutes. For 3 years we have had NO muscle pulls. People do not believe me but it is true. We do static stretch after our workouts. We pay great attention to our warm-up in wt-room and practice.
I have also found that since we have been dynamic stretching our kids are more focused after. When we static strecthed it took a lot for the coaches to keep them focused. We use to even stretch as positons and talk about practice etc... with the dynamic stretch we are all together working hard.

Coach Golla, could you be more exact when you discuss the dynamic stretching? I'd like to know exactly how this is done. This sounds like a great concept.

Lou Cella

Coach, I understand perfectly. Thank you, as always, for your input.

Lou Cella

for years we did not static stretch prior to working out. When I coached at cornell univ (long time ago) we got some professional studies and help (don't have them anymore) which stated the best way to warm up a muscle is with a smaller / slower movement of the muscle from what you are going to do. (what you're talking about - forms runs, etc.) I believe (and don't quote me on this) they said it had something to do with a process called a "synapse response" In continued reading I found some experts who said static stretching prior to an activity is actually dangerous.
(For the brainwashed student - athlete we gave them a stretching program they could do on their own prior to us starting. )

For 12 years I was a head coach I never stretched prior to practice. We had minimal pulls - maybe one or 2 in that time. (Warmup took about 7 min. in addition we always started with a stance and start segment and built on practice.)

Problem when I came to two bad programs that the parents had their hands in and had an old AD. Their family doctors told them this was a bad practice - as I result I stretched (Coaches I inherited didn't believe me either.) So we stretched and we got pulls. That's the problem - all these people think they are experts - (The original study I saw was from the USOC research center.) Just last week - I saw a column in a local paper - entitled the "SPORTS DOCTOR" - yes he's a real doctor and yes he caters to high school and youth athletes tell a parent that not stretching prior to practice was a bad thing and she should bring it to the attention of the administration if the coach didn't do anything.

lots of myths out there.

all the studies show that you should stretch after the activity to return the elomgation to the muscle that has constently been shortened. this will also increase flexibility. we also do it this way in the off season. we have done a complexed styretching method called PNF stretching after workouts. I believe it stands or Proprioceptive Neuralmuscular Facilitation. (spelling) It is a stretch contration method that enables a reflex in the muscle to make it relax - which in turn allows a greater stretch. Hard thing was getting kids to do it after their ind. workout. so we really didn't push it. But if you have a football fitness class in a long block I would go back to it for 10 - 15 min at the end.

Haven't done that in a while but that's what i think the best use of stretching is - after practice.

Hope it helps

Do you think the "old" static stretching routing still has some merit? We use a combination of active (dynamic) warmup and static stretching (the classic line 'em up stuff). I'm not a big static stretch guy, but I still like how it transitions you from pre-practice to regular practice periods. Plus, I don't know how to stretch out the upper body any other way.

I believe CoachK is on target. We combine some static stretching within a dynamic stretch routine, but we will not static stretch exclusively or before any other warm-up. I think the best place for static stretching is after a workout to improve flexibility while the body is still heated.

Coaches,
If you would like a copy of our dynamic stretch send me a tape with self adressed envelope and I will copy it and mail it off to you.

Shelly Golla
4435 Sunrise Blvd
Phelan, CA 92371