Stretching Exercises

by Bryan Camani

To help prevent sprains and strains, flexibility exercises are a must. Listed below are a number of exercises you should do BEFORE the start of a game. Doing exercises 1-12 will take approximately 9 minutes. I would suggest doing this twice. Before starting the exercises, jog, cycle, skip, or run on the spot for 3-5 minutes to get the large muscle groups warmed up.

 

1. Calf Stand a little ways from a solid support and lean on it with your forearms, head resting on hands. Bend one leg and place your foot on the ground in front of you, with the other leg straight behind. Slowly move your hips forward, keeping your lower back flat. Be sure to keep the heel of the straight leg on the ground and toes pointed straight ahead or slightly turned in and hold the stretch. DO NOT BOUNCE.
   
   
   
2. Calf and Achilles tendon: Lower your hips downward as you slightly bend your knee. Be sure to keep your back flat., Your back foot should be slightly toed-in or straight ahead during the stretch. Keep your heel down. This stretch is good for developing ankle flexibility. The Achilles tendon area needs only a SLIGHT FEELING OF STRETCH.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Groin, hamstrings, front hips: Place the ball of your foot up on a secure support of some kind (wall, fence, table). Keep the down leg pointed straight ahead. Now bend the knee of the up leg as you move your hips forward. This stretch will make it easier to lift your knees
   
   
   
   
   
   
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4. Hamstrings: While looking straight ahead, slowly bend forward at the waist until you feel a good stretch in the back of the raised leg. Hold and relax. Find the easy stretch, relax, and then increase it.
   
   
   
5. Inside of upper leg: Turn the foot that is on the ground so it is parallel to the support. Face your upper body in the same direction as your down foot and turn your left hip slightly to the inside. Slowly bend sideways with your left shoulder going toward your left knee. Keep the knee of the down leg slightly bent.
   
   
6. Quadriceps and knee: Hold the top of your right foot with your left hand and gently pull your heel toward your buttocks. The knee bends at a natural angle when you hold your foot with the opposite hand. This is good to use in knee rehabilitation and with problem knees.
   
   
   
7. Lower back: From a standing position, squat down with your feet flat and toes pointed out at approximately 15' angles Your heels should be 4-12 inches apart, depending on how limber you are. The squat stretches the front part of the lower legs, the knees, back, ankles, Achilles tendons and deep groin. Keep knees to the outside of your shoulders. Knees should be directly above the big toes in this squat position. DO NOT GO INTO A FULL SQUAT.
   
   
   
8. Groin area: Put the soles of your feet together and hold onto your toes. Gently pull yourself forward, bending from the hips, until you feel a good stretch in your groin. You may also feel a good stretch in the lower back. DO NOT MAKE INITIAL MOVEMENT FOR STRETCHING FROM HEAD AND SHOULDERS. Move from the hips. Try to get your elbow on the outside of your legs for stability and balance.
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Upper back, lower back, side of hips, and rib cage: Sit with your left leg straight. Bend your right leg, cross your right foot over and rest it to the outside of your left knee. Then bend your left elbow and rest it on the outside of your upper right thigh, just above the knee. During the stretch, use the elbow to keep this leg stationary with controlled pressure to the inside. Now, with your right hand resting behind you, slowly turn your head to look over your right shoulder and at the same time rotate your upper body toward your right hand and arm. As you turn your upper body, think of turning your hips in the same direction (though your hips won't move because your left elbow is keeping the right leg stationary). This should give you a stretch in your lower back and side of hip. Don't hold your breath; breathe easily.
   
   
10. Front of hip: Move one leg forward until the knee of the forward leg is directly over the ankle. Your other knee should be resting on the floor. Now; without changing the position of the knee on the floor or the forward foot, lower the front of your hip downward to create an easy stretch. This excellent for lower back problems
    
    
11. Triceps and top of shoulders: With arms overhead, hold the elbow of one arm with the hand of the other arm. Gently pull the elbow behind your head, creating a stretch. Do it slowly. DO NOT USE DRASTIC FORCE TO LIMBER UP.
    
    
    
    
12. Shoulders, back, chest: Hold on to a fence or both sides of a doorway with your hands behind you at about shoulder level. Let your arms straighten as you pull forward. Hold your chest up and chin in.
    
    
    
    
    
    

After the stretching exercises, you should do some form of aerobic workout. Start by walking for 15 minutes at a brisk pace. Increase this gradually until you can walk at a good pace for 30 minutes. At this point, you can think about walking and jogging for about 30 minutes. Do this at least 3 times per week. When you can comfortably do this, you should increase the jogging pace when you are not walking. Try to reach the point where you can jog without stopping for 30 minutes. When you reach this level, pat yourself on the back. You will be in excellent condition to give your best on the field and at the same time resist strains and sprains. End result? You are a greater asset to your team.