There is a growing contingent of thought in the athletic training world that believe that the “old fashioned” method of stretching before athletic competition, now known as “static stretching,” is not only not effective, but can actually be harmful to athletes about to participate in sports. Our friends at Stop Sports Injuries.org has published an explanation in their blog, here.

Another, more in-depth explanation about the differences between “static stretching,” and “dynamic stretching,” can be found in this article from the New York Times.