Hey juniors, do you stretch.

[Bundey]

Do you stretch before you play?

[Shashwat]

Yes i do 90% of the time. I'm 15.

[rum02]

according to the yr 12 pe textbook; there has been no scientific evidence to suggest stretching before exercise will prevent injury. however, some benefits may occur from stretching after exercise (cool down). Having said that, I usually stretch before and after.

[tbini87]

according to the yr 12 pe textbook; there has been no scientific evidence to suggest stretching before exercise will prevent injury. however, some benefits may occur from stretching after exercise (cool down). Having said that, I usually stretch before and after.

i have heard this argument before. very interesting. even if it is true, stretching doesn't hurt. it gets your muscles loose and ready to go, imo. couldn't imagine just walking onto the court and swinging away with my muscles tight and cold...

[rum02]

^^^ I agree. if i jump on court without a warm-up I tend to be a bit sore after.

[adams_1]

Not really. I never seem to be too sore after I play. I sometimes stretch when i'm nervous though.

[Jonnyf]

recent research has proven stretching before or after excercise does almost nothing to prevent soreness.

[rosenstar]

I (should, sometimes I don't) do dynamic stretching before a match and static stretching after a match. Dynamic stretching is a stretch in motion, such as butt-kicks, high-knees, etc. Static stretches are what you usually think of as stretching like bending down and touching your toes, quadracept stretches, etc.

[aeroman]

Dynamic before, static after for matches. For practice I normally don't though.
Aeroman

[tbini87]

I (should, sometimes I don't) do dynamic stretching before a match and static stretching after a match. Dynamic stretching is a stretch in motion, such as butt-kicks, high-knees, etc. Static stretches are what you usually think of as stretching like bending down and touching your toes, quadracept stretches, etc.

yeah, i do both before i play. and then do a little extra static stretching when i am done.

[tenniskid3119]

i just do normal stretching before a tournament match, but not school practice.

[Gantz]

hell yes i stretch. if i don't i get serious cramps. i'm the only person stretching before games when all the other kids are warming up hitting.

[Seifersquall1]

Yup (10 characters...).

[ROFLingpanda]

I stretch before i play so my muscles dont feel funny while i play, and especially because the one day i forgot to stretch was when i played against a D1 school, away. I'd have preferred a longer warm up but there was no time and i was getting owned but i tried to play hard and i got a muscle spasm after that match
another time i played a division 1 school i forgot to stretch AGAIN and i almost got a muscle spasm.. i could feel the muscle contracting in my leg (same place as the first one)
i remember to stretch most of the time and because i think if i dont stretch it's more likely that ill get a muscle spasm

[Gmedlo]

The primary use of stretching before you play is to perform better, not prevent injury. You'd be stupid not to stretch at least a little.

[Katlion]

i agree. i have to stretch if i want full power on my shots. otherwise, i end up being tight, and i cant control the ball. i do static stretching AND dynamic stretching before matches. i go against the statistics.

[chiapants226]

i usually stretch before matches, and jog a little before to warm up a bit. if i feel a little bit tight in the muscles, i also do a quick stretch during changeovers, and sometimes really quickly in between points. i dont usually stretch after a match though.. are there any benefits to stretching once you finish a match?

[Jackie T. Stephens]

I always do!!! one time I didn't stretch and barely drunk water and my whole body cramped up! it hurts alot.

[babolatking]

Not really. I never seem to be too sore after I play. I sometimes stretch when i'm nervous though.

--excatly like me man when the nerves start rolling i never get a strollin in my matches.

[CIoud]

I try... haha

[johlhausen]

i do before clinics, sometimes before matches, and never before I run (unless it's speed work or hills, then we do dynamic).
Afterwards, never after clinics or matches, but always after running.
i'm 15 and run 25 mi a week.

[tennisfa]

it's what your mind thinks...on tennis channel, they says stretching before playing will actually decrease your power. save after the match will be a better idea...

[swimntennis]

I jog around the court a few times and jog in place between points during warm up. Just to get my heart-rate up and get warm and moving. Then I'll do wrap-arounds or other dynamic stretches right before I start playing.

I try to static stretch after playing, but usually don't. :oops:

[DY3K1D]

i sometimes strech if im not late

[Killer Kiwi]

the whole point of stretching is to force water and minerals across the cell membrane into the muscle cells. this causes the muscle cells to expand hereby increasing flexibility in the joint. without this your muscles are more prone to being pulled or strained. While many people dont simply roll out of bed onto the court(ie they have done other activities during the day to keep muscles loose) stretching before and after play is a good precaution to take

[JMS]

yes i do stretch......

[Aeropro master]

yeah, my club makes us before we have a clinic and i stretch before i play a match. It makes me much looser and i play better.

[thejackal]

dynamic warmup before, stretch after

[TennisNinja]

I used to barely stretch, but ever since I got golfer's elbow and then being out for 4 months, I stretch a lot.

[tns]

I'm amazed that there is no evidence to suggest stretching prevents delayed onset muscle soreness. Every time I play a match of tennis when I don't stretch my muscles tighten up and can feel sore when pushed in while every time I stretch I feel no pain after the game whatsoever. That is the same with when I do my weight training which can be even worse if I don't stretch.

[SystemicAnomaly]

it's what your mind thinks...on tennis channel, they says stretching before playing will actually decrease your power. save after the match will be a better idea...

It bears repeating -- static stretching should not be done prior to tennis. It will degrade performance and can cause injuries rather than prevent them. They should only be done after tennis.

Dynamic stretching should be done before tennis or other exercise. This is what the USTA has to say about stretching & dynamic warmups:


Stretching & Warm-Up Q&A (http://www.usta.com/healthandfitness/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=107103)

Dynamic Warm-Up: Stretching & Exercises (http://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/content/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=249177&itype=7418)

[BigBUBBA]

Duh!?Everyone should...

[BradBaughman]

a little thought on the matter , stretching is good to do for you juniors but when it come to the older guy and gals it a must ! depending once again on your level,

my son who plays at a competitive level hardly hits any tennis balls before a match at the most 5- 10 mins of ball striking before a match !

the time and what he does to get his muscle ready for competition is what we focus on, how we do it is part of our system , and out of 5 yrs, no injuries ,hope it stays that way ! but warming the muscles are very important!!!

[crazy8tiger]

Not really. I never seem to be too sore after I play. I sometimes stretch when i'm nervous though.

I sometimes like to stretch too when I'm nervous so I'm not just thinking about my opponent and the match. Most of the time, I'll do some light, quick stretching beforehand just because of instinct I'll usually do a little when I play sports.

[scout]

dont stretch before matches, only stretch after matches or at the end of the day for a coooooooooolllllll down