from here
http://www.elitefts.com/documents/swinging_at_bad_pitches_dbham.htm
Strike Three: Hey coach, do you think I am flexible enough?
If you are sitting out there reading this and you immediately replied no to the third strike question without even knowing who I was referring to then you need to pay real close attention. I am trying to think of a way to sum up all of my thoughts about flexibility in one quick, easy to remember sentence.
Flexibility is a waste of time just didn’t have the ring to it that I was looking for. The fastest way to a multitude of injuries and/or precursors to injuries, such as joint instability, not to mention force production deterioration would be to get in a habit of stretching out often just seemed to drag out a bit too long, and it might have been a bit too indirect. So, I give up hope. I will just cut into the nitty-gritty and see what remains.
Next time you come across one of those flexibility freaks ask them this; Why is it that if flexibility is so important that the first thing a surgeon does to a baseball player with arm problems is tighten everything up? And you can always one-two punch this one with the example of Billy Koch coming off of arm surgery. Even though there was a loss (atrophy) of virtually everything else that he had structurally developed over time during his lapse after surgery, he immediately came out of rehab and threw by far his best fastball ever- 104 mph. This is what a baseball insider, the greatest hitting coach around, told me not too long ago. I guess they just see it as the eighth wonder of the world. And the ninth wonder of the world? That would be the explanation to why no one ever seems to incur a muscle strain until after they start doing the trendy-typical training protocol. What is it today? - Benches, cleans, and squats or some spin-off of a bodybuilding type protocol? Well, I also bet they have some air filled apparatus to stand on and some medicine balls to throw around- does that about cover it? The only thing I think I am missing is that when the workout is actually in progress it is mandatory that some coach says the word explosive eight times a minute or else he loses his job.
The harp that I take on flexibility is directed solely at the odd balls that lie down on some special stretching-mat and do an assortment of static holds, intended to reduce recovery and increase joint range of motion. This is because there is some bogus theory floating around about range of movement and power production, especially in speed training circles. Let’s examine that one, for fun.
The theory is that stride rate and stride frequency are necessary to improve speed. A drastic and inadequate simplification, but okay, let’s assume it to be true. The reason to add in a flexibility protocol is to improve stride length. Interesting, really, since runners of various stride lengths keep ground contact proximal the vertical line to their center of mass (straight down from the hip). The length part of the equation is reliant upon the force displaced against the ground; which will, in effect, project the body forward. It is then that the length between ground-contacts is increased. The argument could also be that more flexibility equals greater range of leg swing during the recovery phase, which will manifest itself in a longer duration of hang time and corresponding stride length. The problem with this equation is that linear velocity will be decreased, majority speaking, because of the dampening effect on the myotatic stretch reflex elements caused by this flexibility enhancement. This conversation is altered when talking about steroid users, but I will not assume anyone is breaking international policy, and thus, I will focus in on otherwise natural conditions. It is all much like the baseball player. The more and more you stretch (disrupt natural range of motion), the more and more the elastic elements of the contraction process are weakened. This leads to poor speed and power expressions via the body, and stride length can, practically speaking, not reach optimum levels if force projection is killed. It is best to stick to training via motor actions that will couple improvements in performance with injury prevention. Remember, workout efficiency and athletes health is reliant on such.
This rise in flexibility may also lead to a greater risk of muscle pulls. The simplistic minds will think; the muscle stretched beyond limit so I should increase flexibility to avoid this from happening again. This contradicts all research to date. Science will tell you that the contractile units themselves (what I term frictional elements for practical purposes- the cross bridge formation elements) will ‘lock-up’ during many sporting movements in an effort to stabilize the joint and increase movement efficiency. The system, simply put, moves easier and with more proficiency this way in speed and power movements; that is, the stability from the frictional elements and the spring from the elastic elements. Since muscle length may change after stretching and the bone length obviously stays the same, there is a loss in joint stability. This perpetuates and may also lead to increase force expressed on the frictional elements of a muscle; effectively producing a muscle that is “pulled” into traumatic destruction. This is not to say that the elastic elements, fascia included, are not subject to possible damage. In fact, all components of the muscle run a greater risk of damage when flexibility is increased at a rate exceeding the adaptability rate of the mechanism or beyond the scope of what I will simply refer to as natural biomechanical movement. This last statement refutes the notion to develop biceps flexibility to the point that the forearm can touch the triceps musculature (bad image, I know). Which raises the question; what is the extent to which they will stop this insanity? Do they even have a desired window of attainment or is it a matter of pressing it until something pops?
For those that are still too afraid to abandon popular practice, let me ask you this: Do you even understand where the hype began? That is; do you know why flexibility protocols became so popular; and if so, why do you still use them? In 1963, there was a released study from Germany that was in favor of enhanced flexibility to develop what they termed extensibility. In this light, current strides have been made which have used this old notion as means to finding a better solution- the real cure. What is now known is exactly what was misunderstood then; and actually, still misunderstood by far too many today. The evolution process has lead to an understanding of Neuro-Dynamic Efficiency (NDE) development; including Rapid Fire Phenomenon (RFP) and Tension Release Phenomenon (TRP). Just as some people still opt to get around by horse and buggy, some also look just as ridiculous when they engage in poor Neuro-Dynamic system programming, much of which can be traced back to an out-dated flexibility protocol.
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