Static Stretching Reduces Power Production in Gymnasts

Static stretching, consisting of holding muscles at lengthened positions for typically 15-45 seconds, has been recommended before participating in physical activity. Gymnasts historically have performed static stretches, such as splits, during the warmup portion of training. Recently however, data has been presented from studies on adults which have shown that static stretching immediately prior to performing powerful activities reduces performance (for example, Kokkonen, Nelson, " Cornwell, 1998; Nelson, Cornwell, " Heise, 1996). The reported reductions in performance have persisted over an hour following static stretching! Athletes in some sports such as track and field no longer stretch in this manner because of the detrimental effects on movement speed. This effect of static stretching on power has not been studied in children, and in particular on gymnasts who often use static stretching as part of their training. Therefore, we conducted a study to investigate the effects of stretching the calf muscles on the ability to perform a drop jump (punch jump).