The Cross Over Movement Blog

I write to make people think. And, since publishing Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development, one of the greatest points of contention is static stretching. Coaches and players swear they need to stretch to prevent injury. But, and nobody wants to acknowledge this, static stretching does not prevent injury.

I practice and train players in a giant, public facility and cannot believe how much static stretching other teams do. It makes no sense to me. Now, some of my players need to stretch more after practice because we need to work on their flexibility, but stretching is not a warm-up. For further proof, here is Vern Gambetta’s take:

I mentioned that static stretching during warm-up was a waste of time. The predictable reaction was one of how I can do that we will have a explosion of injuries if we don’t static stretch in warm-up. Wrong – the 15 minutes of static stretching actually may be causing injuries. That time could be so much better spent actually warming up and for preparing for the workout or competition. I don’t understand the infatuation with pre-exercise static stretching. It has no place. Static stretching and warm-up are not the same. Static stretching in warm-up has a calming effect, the opposite of what you want in warm-up. Warm-up should be active and dynamic; it should activate and prepare the body for the subsequent workout. Static stretching used to enhance flexibility should be placed at the end of the workout. It is placed there when the body is warm so that maximum return from the stretches can be achieved. Also that is the time when you want the body to be relaxed and calm.