Dynamic and static stretching tips

Stretching your players' muscles is vital for pre-match preparation and for your rugby coaching sessions. There are different methods of stretching to coach.

Dynamic stretching

Dynamic stretching is always used before training or playing.
It uses movements through the full range of motion expected in the game.
It may well include high stepping skills, or rapid jumping from a crouched position to prepare the muscles for explosive action.
This type of stretching should be used after the slower more sustained active stretching in the warm-up rugby drill that always includes game-type movements

Stretching after your rugby coaching session or a game helps remove some of the lactic acid in the muscles, and release some of the muscle and tendon tightness. The best type of stretches then, or for rehabilitation following an injury, are static stretches.
These are slow stretches held at maximum stretch for 20–30 seconds.

There has been some research to suggest that stretching prior to activity reduces performance, but this was after static stretching rather than dynamic stretching.

Static stretching

Static stretches can be active (muscle action is required to carry them out) or passive (there is no muscle activity involved).
Active stretching is typically carried out solely by the player themselves, while passive stretching usually requires the player to be totally relaxed with someone else, such as a therapist, stretching limbs and muscles for the player.
Both active and passive static stretching should be applied to warm muscles following a rugby coaching session or a match.

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