The effects of static and dynamic stretching on flexibility and vertical jump /

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 4-week static stretching and a 4-week dynamic stretching program on dynamic-delay hamstring flexibility, dynamic-movement hamstring flexibility, and vertical jump performance in high school volleyball players. Participants included 25 females (13 years to 19 years of age) from two local high schools. Dynamic-delay and dynamic-movement flexibility were measured before and after the stretching programs on a Biodex System 3 isokinetic dynamometer. Pre-test and post-test vertical jump height were measured using a Vertec. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) showed that there was a significant difference between the 4-week static stretching program and the 4-week dynamic stretching program on the combination of dominant leg hamstring dynamic-delay flexibility, non-dominant leg hamstring dynamic-delay flexibility, dominant leg hamstring dynamic-movement flexibility, non-dominant leg hamstring dynamic-movement flexibility, and vertical jump, F (10, 38) = 3.89, p less than .001, Wilk's Lambda = .24. Increases in non-dominant leg dynamic-delay hamstring flexibility were significantly higher in the static stretching group than in the dynamic stretching group, F (2, 23) = 3.68, p = .041. Gains in dominant leg dynamic-delay hamstring flexibility were significantly higher in the dynamic stretching group than in the static stretching group, F (2, 23) = 5.48, p = .011. Increases in non-dominant leg dynamic-movement hamstring flexibility were significantly higher in the static stretching group than in the dynamic stretching group, F (2, 23) = 5.81, p = .009. Gains in dominant leg dynamic-movement hamstring flexibility were not significantly different between the static stretching group and the dynamic stretching group, F (2 23) = 3.12, p = .06. Gains in vertical jump were significantly higher in the static stretching group than in the dynamic stretching group, F (2, 23) = 9.16, p less than .001. The different findings between dominant and non-dominant legs indicate leg dominance could be a factor when comparing static and dynamic stretching for increasing flexibility. Also, the results indicate that static stretching produces greater changes in vertical jump height than dynamic stretching.