USING A PRACTICAL APPROACH FOR DETERMINING THE MOST EFFECTIVE STRETCHING STRATEGY IN FEMALE COLLEGE DIVISION I VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS

Kruse, NT, Barr, MW, Gilders, RM, Kushnick, MR, and Rana SR. Using a practical approach for determining the most effective stretching strategy in female college division I volleyball players. J Strength Cond Res 27(11): 3060-3067, 2013The purpose of this investigation was to quantify the effects that a practical bout of static stretching (SS) and dynamic stretching (DS) has on maximal countermovement jump (CMJ) height across a time spectrum of 25 minutes in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I varsity volleyball players. Eleven female varsity volleyball players (mean +/- SD; age 20.00 +/- 1.55 years; height 1.78 +/- 0.08 m; mass 74.55 +/- 12.18 kg) volunteered for this investigation. Three days of randomized experimental testing (SS, DS, control) were completed. The SS protocol consisted of stretching 7 muscle groups. The DS protocol consisted of the volleyball team's actual DS routine of equal duration (30 seconds) to SS. Poststretch performance measures of CMJ were determined at 1, 5, 15, and 25 minutes poststretch. Countermovement jump had an acute significant trial-by-time interaction, indicating that DS was found to produce significantly higher scores than the SS and control session at 1 and 5 minutes poststretch, but not at 15 and 25 minutes poststretch. Additionally, there was a timing interaction within trials where SS scores were significantly lower at 1minute poststretch compared with 5 and 25 minutes poststretch, and DS scores were significantly higher at 1 and 5 minutes poststretch compared with 15 and 25 minutes poststretch. Athletes engaging in competitive power sports should continue to utilize their DS routine but may need to do so within 5 minutes before activity.