Off Topic What is your stretch routine like?

[Trying_to_tumble]

Just out of curiosity, what does your (or your child’s) stretching routine look like to improve flexibility for gymnastics? I want to see how everybody’s compares to mine, as I haven’t been progressing much lately.

This is what mine looks like:

Butterfly stretch , 5 minutes

Frog stretch, 3 minutes

Straddle against wall, 3 minutes

Middle splits , as long as I can bear it which is like 10 seconds

Touch toes for 3 minutes

Pyramid stretch 1 minute

Low lunge for 3 minutes

Half split for 3 minutes

Splits for 30 seconds

That’s around 20 minutes which I try to do every other day while reading or watching tv. How often do you stretch, and which stretches do you do?

 

[Deleted member 28607]

Here's mine:

I do a quick warm up before stretching

Then: touch toes
Roll out ankles, neck and wrists
Lunges on both legs
Split hold for 30 seconds on each leg
Middle split for 30 seconds
Pike stretch
Shoulder stretch
Seal stretch
Bridge and i try to walk my hands as close to my feet as i can
Bridge hold (20 seconds)
Bridge hold with one leg up in the air (both legs, 10 seconds each)
Oversplits (off bed for my left leg splits and off panel may for right leg splits)
Cat stretch

 

[GymnastPotterhead]

I just do whatevers done at the gym...im pretty flexible already and i have both right and left splits down (super close to middle) so i don't do much at home
Though before I had them, at the gym. I used panel mats and split b/w them which I think helped a lot

 

[JBS]

Here is something that we have been trying the last couple of weeks as an add-on to our stretching. It seems to be working well...

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I think it's important to separate stretching into two categories, with different goals and methods:

1) Stretching to prevent injury, ideally at the beginning of practice
2) Stretching to increase flexibility, ideally at the end of practice

The first is all about dynamic movements through the body's range of motion. Active stretching with natural movements (such as squatting, marching, kicking, etc) and few static positions.

The second uses longer static holds in specific stretch positions (such as splits and pancakes). PNF stretching (ie alternating between pushing against a stretch and relaxing into it) is good, but I try to shy away from having a coach push an athlete into a stretch. Whenever I do push an athlete down, I'd put them in control by having them tell me how hard to push and where to stop pushing further.