Coaches: Stop Static Stretching Before Explosive Sports

The other day I was sitting at my daughter’s gymnastics practice. Before a session filled with sprinting run-ups, explosive jumps, and high-velocity tumbling, the athletes lined up and started static stretching.

Long holds. Hamstrings. Quads. Toe touches.

And all I could think was: Why are we doing recovery strategies right before asking athletes to produce max force?

I see the same thing across sports—football, baseball, softball, soccer. Athletes preparing for speed, power, and rapid change of direction by slowing the system down before it’s time to turn it on.

This isn’t an attack on coaches. And it’s not an anti–static stretching rant.

But if we’re serious about performance, we need to be honest about what a warm-up for explosive sports is actually supposed to do.

What a Warm-Up Is Really For

A proper warm-up isn’t about “getting loose.”
It’s about preparing the nervous system.

High-performance movement depends on:

• Neural drive

• Motor unit recruitment

• Rate of force development (RFD)

• Coordination, rhythm, and timing

Research consistently shows that static stretching before sports—when done immediately prior to explosive activity—can reduce sprint speed, decrease vertical jump height, and lower power output. In contrast, a well-designed dynamic warm-up for athletes improves readiness, enhances performance, and supports lower non-contact injury risk.

Performance is neurological first. Muscular second.

If your warm-up doesn’t increase an athlete’s ability to produce force quickly, it’s not doing its job.

Dynamic Doesn’t Mean Complicated

One of the most common objections from coaches is:

“We don’t have time for an elaborate warm-up.”

Good news—you don’t need one.

At Speed Training Co, every athletic performance warm-up we build follows the same intentional sequencing:

Soft Tissue → Mobility → Stability → Elasticity → Rhythm & Speed

• Soft tissue: reduce excessive tone and improve movement quality

• Mobility: access usable ranges of motion

• Stability: control those ranges under load

• Elasticity: prepare muscles and tendons for rapid force production

• Rhythm & speed: turn the nervous system on before competition

This process doesn’t take 30 minutes.
When done with intent, it takes 8–12 minutes.

Simple doesn’t mean random.
Effective warm-ups are short, specific, and purposeful.

Where Static Stretching Does Belong

Static stretching absolutely has value:

• Post-training or cooldowns

• Recovery-focused sessions

• Athletes with chronically high tone

• Long-term mobility development

But placing static stretching immediately before explosive movement asks the body to down-regulate—then instantly up-regulate. That’s not preparation. That’s mixed messaging.

A Challenge to Coaches and Programs

If your sport demands speed, power, and staying healthy over a long season, your warm-up should reflect that reality.

If your warm-up still starts with static stretching, it may be time to evolve.

👉 If you’re a team, organization, or training facility, visit our Teams & Partnerships page. When you reach out, we’ll build you a complimentary dynamic warm-up tailored to your sport, season, and athletes—structured, efficient, and performance-driven.

Warm-ups aren’t filler.

They’re the first performance rep of the day.