Degree Name
Master of Science in Education
Department or Program
Kinesiology
Advisor
Anton, Philip M.
Abstract
Researchers have long debated the question of proper warm-up protocol; however, research concerning the preference of athletes is scarce. Dynamic and static stretching both have positive and negative aspects and many of these features are influenced heavily by the time point during exercise in which they are executed. The purpose of this paper is to determine the preferences of either static stretching or dynamic stretching as a part of warm-up routine. Division I collegiate athletes from Southern Illinois University Carbondale answered survey questions regarding the type of stretching techniques they use and why they utilize them. Upon completion of the survey, a small portion of the participants were randomly selected to participate in an interview designed to elicit greater detail about their specific warm-up protocols. In addition, this investigation was designed to determine the relationships between anerobic or aerobic sport, sex of athlete, and team-based or individual-based sport, regarding stretching techniques.