Stretching

I want to make sure that people do not get the impression that stretching is not important. Stretching as a means to improve functional flexibility is very important. It is a separate training unit. Stretching is not warm-up! I think at various times in my career I have tended to ignore this vital component. My exposure to Kelvin Giles and his ideas and his subsequent influence on Dean Benton have convinced of its importance. The key is to evaluate each athlete to determine their individual flexibility needs and then address them individually. I saw this done very efficiently last year with the Brisbane Broncos. The players bought into and did a very good job because they were working toward specific goals of improving their flexibility competencies. It was interesting to see their flexibility scores in relation to performance measures and see the improvement in both. Generally with today’s athletes in the populations I am working with the emphasis needs to be on the hip, psoas and calves. I am trying to do a better job of doing this post workout with my volleyball players and to give homework stretching to do on their own. I do think it is important that flexibility be put in context. It is important to not get carried away and attack joint integrity. It is important to have different flexibility tools in your tool box and know how to use them and when to apply them. It is also important to remember that strength and flexibility are closely related. I have seen good range of motion increases as the athletes got stronger and were better able to control their movements.