The purpose of the study was to observe the acute effect of static stretching of lower limbs muscles on the range of motion (ROM) and on the countermovement jump performance. Twelve adult males were randomly subjected to a stretching and a non-stretching condition on separate occasions. Jump height was determined using an electronic contact mat after jumps performed immediately post and 3, 6 and 9 min after either stretching or control conditions. The ROM was determined by digital photogrammetry method at pre, immediately post and 9 min after different conditions. A two-way ANOVA with repeated measures evidenced no significant differences in jump height for all time measurements. Nevertheless, Bonferroni post-hoc test showed a significant increase in ROM only immediately after the stretching routine. It was concluded that a short volume of static stretching does not impair the jump performance, although it has a sufficient magnitude to significantly improve the ROM in an acute form.
Flexibility; Muscle power; Pliability
