Flexibility

Range of motion around a joint or a series of joints

• Flexibility is joint specific (may not be flexible in each area)
• Sport specific (gymnast requires more then rugby players)
• Two components .......
• Static Flexibility - The range of motion around a joint without accounting for speed (Dance and gymnastics during floor routines)
• Dynamic Flexibility - The range of movement around a joint which occurs ar a normal or rapid speed (sprinting throwing -require good hip flexion and abduction
• Stretching is used to increase flexibility
• Importance of Flexibility: flexibility is critical as you need to stretch to ensure body tissue doesnt break down which will lead to injury
• Benefits of Flexibility.........
• 1) Reduces risk of injury
• 2) Improved posture
• 3)Flexible muscles perform better than tight muscles
• 4) Improved range of motion
• 5)Improved performance

• Type of Joint - Ball and socket has a full range of movement
• Joint Shape - Shoulder has shallow cavity so greater RoM compared to hips deeper cavity
• Elasticity of tissue - Tendon ligaments, joint capsule affect RoM
• Gender - Females more flexible then males
• Age - Greater in children decreases in age due to loss of elasticity of muscle
• Elasticity - Suppleness of skin
• Temperature - Increased in temp increases elasticity of muscles
• Muscle mass - Excess muscle mass restricts RoM
• Nerves - Trigger a stretch reflex within muscles increasing their resistance to stretch
• Hypermobility - inherited or trained factors increase RoM
• Flexibility training - Stretching may maintain increase RoM

• Specific tests for specific joints are used
• Sit and reach - hip and lower back
• Geniometry - measures the degrees from starting position to position at end to see the RoM

The benefits of a warm up

• increases core temp - increasing RoM reducing risk of injury

Stretching- Maintains and improves flexibility.. Two types

• Maintenance stretching - part of warm up cool down (maintain RoM)
• Developmental Stretching - Training session (develop RoM)

Types of Flexibility Training

• Static: Either Active (voluntary static contraction) or Passive (voluntary help)
• (+) Most effective and safest 
• (-) Does not prepare joints for dynamic flexibility
• (+) More appropriate were low RoM
• Ballistic:Uses momentum (forcibly) -fast swinging movements
• (-) least effective doesn't allow tissues to adapt (injury)
• (+) More appropriate were high RoM
• Dynamic: taking muscle through full range of RoM under control so not an extreme point of resistance 
• (+)only performed if have a good range of flexibility 
• (+) Increases speed power, dynamic flexibility 
• PNF: static, contract, relax
• (+) effective were poor RoM
• (+)quicker flexibility gains
• (-) requires more time

• Increased elasticity 
• Increased resting length of muscles
• Increased RoM 
• Increased potential for static and dynamic flexibility
• Prevents injury
• Muscle spindle adapt to increased length