Effect of Static Stretching and Submaximal Running on Contramovement Jump Performance and Sprint on College Volleyball Players

Abstract

It is common in many sports for participants to include stretching and submaximal running as a way of warming-up before training sessions and competitions. However, there is no confirmation of their influence on the performance of varsity volleyball players. This study aimed to verify the effect of Submaximal Running (SR) and Passive Static Stretching (PSS) on the performance of college volleyball athletes during Contra Movement Jump (CMJ) and 10-meter sprint tests. Thirteen male athletes were randomly invited to perform two functional tests (CMJ and 10-meter sprint) under three different conditions: 1) control condition (CC), 2) after PSS, and 3) after an SR. Performance at CMJ and 10-meter sprint were assessed through smartphone applications. SR-subjected individuals presented a significantly better performance at CMJ test when compared to PSS (p = 0.01). However, there was no difference between the experimental and control conditions (p > 0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference in sprint time and speed at the 10-meter sprint test between the analyzed conditions (p = 0.7 and p = 0.6, respectively). We can conclude that submaximal running can be better than static stretching to improve the performance of college volleyball athletes.