Flexibility – Part 1 The pre-game stretch by Mike Dixon
 
The pre game stretch is very important for injury prevention. As stated in our previous article longer more elastic muscles will be less likely to tear decreasing your likelihood for injury.

 

There are many misconceptions when it comes to a pre game stretch, and flexibility training in general. The following is designed to be a complete stretch for any team before a game. All of these stretches should be done only once for 30 seconds each.   Remember ONLY stretch after a proper warm-up.

 

Please note that in order for a muscle to stretch it must relax. (This is why it is better to do most of your stretching after a game.) We discussed the Golgi Tendon Organ in the last article, to review in order for a muscle to relax the GTO must fire and this usually takes around 25 seconds to happen. For lacrosse players this may be a negative. When the GTO fires it inhibits the muscle from flexing maximally for a short time thereafter. Think about it, it’s like when you wake up from a nap, one probably would not be able to run their fastest 40 time ever right out of bed, you would need to wake up. When you stretch you are putting your muscles to sleep. You need to wake them up again before a game. So how can we prevent injury by stretching and still get our muscles to fire? MOVE!!! Right after you go through these stretches go right into line drills or run a few sprints. Your muscles will be long and elastic and by moving you will be “waking them up” so they are ready for practice or the game. Remember you need to move right after you stretch. During line drills players have time usually to stand around while you wait for your turn. DON’T STAND STILL, hop or jog in place, move side to side, but do not just stand. Not only will it wake up your muscles but help your cardiovascular system prepare for the game. (We will discuss that in a later article) If you watch college players during warm-ups they are always moving… now you know why.

 

The following comprise a complete stretch for any player. There are 10 stretches at 30 seconds each so this should take at least 10 minutes to do, because you need to stretch both legs. Make sure you show up early for the game!