A bouncy motion during stretching is known as ballistic stretching. It could be passive or dynamic in nature. But the motion involved is bouncy. Movements can be fast and jerky for a double bounce, but it involves a heightened level of skill. Usually, top elite athletes under the guidance of M2 Fitness Pros trainers undergo this sort of bouncy stretching as it can pose hazards for the uninitiated. To the novice who hasn’t tried it before and is not up to it can seriously injure nerves and tissues resulting in muscle sprains.

stretching

It is high intensity training

Among workouts and athlete training activities, ballistic stretching is high intensity and requires nerves to go through the process. Only top athletes under the watchful eyes of their trainers can perform this sort of activity and vary the intensity and speed of the bounce. Theoretically, some skeptics view it as an intensely hazardous activity. But research on sports training and exercises suggest otherwise. Ballistic stretching can risk muscle pulls like any other exercise that is vigorous. You need to warm up the muscles before venturing into any intense training that involves rapid movements.

It has been shown and revealed through various studies conducted by sports teams and researchers that the gentle bounce in ballistic stretching can increase flexibility of the muscles. The gains are no less than those achieved by practicing static stretching and this form of gentle bouncing motion can also be very effective in making rapid and speedy movements requiring agility are easier to perform. But that is the stuff that is required by elite athletes. And studies by sports scientists have proved that there are no side-effects and are best performed under the guidance of experienced trainers.

Light Aerobics

Begin with light aerobics to warm up

But there is a process for performing the bouncing movements. Mild exercises like light cardio lead to warming up of the body as the body needs to tune itself to the vigorous movements required. The motions required to perform ballistic stretching can only be done when the body is flexible enough. But then again, the motion cannot be vigorous as soon as you are done with the gentle aerobics session. It has to begin with gentle movements and bounces.

Like static stretching, the gentle bouncing motions are best performed for half a minute with three to five repetitions. Studies in ballistic stretching have also revealed that patients who have arthritis may not respond favorably. It was seen that naturally stiff muscles are not ideal for this form of stretching.

Other than top elite athletes, the vigorous stretching with bouncing movements is not meant for ordinary people. The looser the muscles are, the easier it would be to put them through the bouncing movements. It was only recently that it is not much favored among all coaches and trainers of athletes as it has proven to lead in some cases to muscle tears. But it is not meant for the ordinary athlete. Only the more prepared and physically equipped ones in the business can perform the arduous movements. Rapid bouncing of the muscle leads to stretching of the muscle spindle. Sensory impulses carry the information throughout the body and better prepare an athlete for the pending event or athletic activity.

Tags:,,

Related posts

Tagged with: • •

Filed under: Sport Yoga

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!