Flexibility

Exercises for the development and maintenance of flexibility are often included in comprehensive strength and conditioning (S&C) programmes at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. The modern S&C coach must expand their understanding of the role of flexibility training beyond classic roles of injury prevention and the attainment of sport-specific positions. They must move beyond the idea of flexibility as a static quality and embrace its contribution as a dynamic quality, contributing to effective movement that incorporates elements of strength, coordination, power, endurance and other trainable abilities. Passive flexibility is exhibited when a maximal position is achieved through the application of an external force, such as gravity, a partner or inertia. The role of flexibility in effective movement can be seen in a variety of sporting contexts. In the context of effective movement generation, flexibility is not a maximisation problem, but an optimisation problem, bounded by the specific motions required for the sport.