Stretching for football
Dynamic or static? Before or after? All the time or not at all? It's not surprising that players might be a bit confused about when and how to stretch.
The first thing to confirm is that stretching does have it’s place in sport. What isn’t so clear is what sort of stretching we should do, when and how. This is affected by:
- The type of activity you’re involved in and;
- Whether you’re just about to do the activity or have just done it.
Either way, your muscles need to be warm first. When it comes to enhancing performance, it is likely to be the warming-up of muscles prior to activity that is more beneficial to performance than stretching.
What’s your sport?
The controversy surrounding stretching exists partly because in some sports, certain forms of stretching may not be beneficial, not because the stretches are ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’, but because they are inappropriate for that sport. Sporting activities can be classified in to two groups:
1. Stretch Shortening Cycle sports (SSC)
These sports involve ‘explosive’ type skills such as bouncing and jumping, e.g. football, netball and basketball.
2. Low - Stretch Shortening Cycle sports (Low-SSC)
These sports involve the rapid generation of force but are generally less explosive, e.g. jogging, cycling and swimming.
In SSC sports, it is important that muscles are ‘compliant’ or not 'stiff’. ‘Stiff’ muscles reduce range of motion (ROM) while ‘compliant’ muscles increase ROM. Stretching makes muscles more compliant and so helps prevent injuries in SSC sports like Football.
In Low-SSC sports, where compliance is less important, stretching may not be advantageous in terms of injury prevention.
Football
Range of motion (ROM) is important for all players, regardless of playing position. If you can move your limbs in to unusual positions, on demand, without hitting the limits of your normal ROM, performance may be enhanced and risk of injury lowered.
A more flexible player has a larger 'safe' ROM to work within. Greater ROM also increases what’s called your 'acceleration path'. This is the distance your limb travels before it contacts the ball. When pace of a pass or shot is important, the limb is able to transfer greater power to the ball and the result is a more effective pass or shot.
So does this mean that in sports such as Football we should stretch in the same way, all the time? The answer is no.
What, when and how?
Stretching as part of a warm-up and stretching to increase long-term ROM should be different. Stretches within a football warm-up should be dynamic and should mimic the movements that could be required later. This helps the brain and muscles prepare. To increase long-term ROM, Static stretching is required.
Dynamic stretches
These involve moving a joint through it’s entire ROM and have been shown to decrease muscle stiffness, which is a risk factor for injury. Static stretches have no effect on muscle stiffness.
Static stretches
Static stretches will improve ROM, but only when held for at last 20 seconds, as part of a long-term program. One 15-30s stretch per muscle group is thought to be sufficient for most people and there is no evidence that holding a stretch for any longer is beneficial. However, two to three repetitions of 10s stretches has also been recommended, so you’ve got a choice!
Static stretching before play may limit performance of explosive movements, such as sprinting and jumping, for up to one hour. This is obviously not good for football. The only advantage of using static stretches before play is that they may ease sore muscles and/or have psychological benefits for certain players.
So when should you do static stretches?
After play is the ideal time to stretch muscles, while they’re still warm. Static stretches will both increase flexibility and aid recovery. You might also like to include a specific stretching session in your weekly programme – this can be relaxing, as well as good for flexibility, but make sure you’re warm first.
For examples of static and dynamic stretches, visit the Stretching page of Play Smarter.
