Static vs dynamic stretching: when to use each
Physical Education · Key Stage 2 · The School
Two very different kinds of stretch
A STILL stretch means holding a stretch, with no moving — this is called a STATIC stretch. Usually for twenty seconds or more. A MOVING stretch means moving through it instead — this is called a DYNAMIC stretch. Like swinging a leg, or circling your arms. Each is used at a very different time.
Why moving suits getting ready
Before you exercise, muscles need to be warm and awake, not calm. A moving stretch lifts your heart rate a bit. It gets your joints moving through their full range too. A still stretch, held before you start, can make muscles weaker for a while.
Why holding suits winding down
After exercise, muscles are already warm. They can safely be held in a longer stretch then. This is when a still stretch helps most. It eases tightness. It slowly brings the body back to rest. Doing it cold, before you start, loses most of this good effect.
Before a football match, a player swings each leg forward and back, ten times each side. That is a moving stretch — getting warm, getting ready. After the match, the same player sits and holds one stretch still for thirty seconds. That is a still stretch — cooling down, easing tightness. Doing it the other way round, holding a cold stretch before kick-off, would leave the muscles less ready to sprint. Not more.