To be successful in any sport, an athlete must have a healthy, protected body that will provide them with the required power they need. One way a healthy body can be achieved is through stretching, before and even after exercise as a cooldown. Even though some sports put strain on the body in only certain areas, it is extremely important that the whole body is stretched for an extensive period of time as in any sport the entire body is being used.
Stretching has many benefits for the body that you don’t even know about or feel. These benefits include releasing muscle tension, which has an effect on soreness and injury prevention; increasing the body’s range of motion and flexibility; and, lastly, calming the mind, bringing you to a placid mindset. Without a healthy body fueled by strong muscles, and a good diet that is able to replenish the muscle after exercise, how are you going to be able to compete at the higher level if you can not stay on the field, court, etc., due to injury that is caused from poor diet and faulty stretching? This is why stretching is a key component in keeping the body healthy.
Athletes who genuinely care about their bodies know to stretch properly and know the limits that their body can go to. Then there are athletes who say they are stretching when they are doing it so poorly. It is extremely important to have proper form when stretching and to be doing the right exercises that target multiple muscle groups all over the body. With improper technique it is pointless to stretch, as you are just wasting time out of a practice session. There is also a high risk for injury if an athlete is lazily stretching, or bending their bodies in ways they shouldn’t. Although it is not hard by any means to properly stretch, athletes still tend to hurt themselves by stretching poorly or not stretching out enough. Simply take the time out of practice to warm up properly.
Lastly, it is crucial for anybody at any age to stretch their body out. Whether a young child in elementary school, a young adult who plays a sport, or even a senior citizen who sits all day must find time to move their body and get the muscle groups going. Some coaches run through warmups and stretching so quickly since they believe that it is a waste of practice time to teach their athletes. This is a fair argument, but when broken down, how can a team be successful if the coach, no matter the sport, can’t keep their team on the field due to not enough time being taken to warmup and stretch?
Overall, it is important to properly stretch out your body before exercise. More specifically, athletes and their coaches should devote more time to stretching if an athlete wants to be successful at their sport, and shall be rewarded with a healthy, well-built body if they take the proper steps to maintain a strong foundation, fueled by stretching.
