The effect of acute stretching on agility performance

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Static stretching (SS) is associated with decreased strength and anaerobic power.
• Dynamic stretching (DS) has been linked to improved anaerobic power and reduced sprint times.
• Limited research exists on the impact of stretching modalities on agility performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of SS and DS on sport-specific agility test performance.
• To compare the efficacy of DS, SS, and no stretching (NS) on agility outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Sixty male basketball athletes (collegiate and recreational) were randomly assigned to SS, DS, or NS groups.
• Participants underwent a standardized warm-up followed by their assigned stretching intervention (or rest).
• Agility performance was assessed using the 505 agility test, with three trials recorded for each subject.

Main Results:

• The DS group exhibited significantly faster agility test times (2.22 ± 0.12 s) compared to both SS (2.33 ± 0.15 s) and NS (2.32 ± 0.12 s) groups.
• No significant difference in agility performance was found between the SS and NS groups.
• Athlete category influenced agility times, but there was no significant interaction between athlete type and stretching group.

Conclusions:

• Dynamic stretching (DS) significantly enhances performance in agility tests requiring a 180° change of direction.
• Static stretching (SS) does not appear to improve, nor hinder, agility performance compared to no stretching.
• DS is a more effective pre-exercise modality than SS for improving agility in basketball athletes.