title: The effect of stretching during warming-up on the flexibility of junior handball players.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the investigation was to examine in field conditions the acute effects of warming-up on lower extremity joints and trunk flexibility in junior team handball players.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-seven junior team handball players participated in this study forming an experiment (n=32) and a control group (n=15). The first group performed warming-up and stretching exercises (20 min) whereas the second group only performed warming-up exercises. Passive range of joint motion was determined in hip flexion, hip extension, hip abduction, knee flexion, ankle dorsiflexion and the trunk flexion using a goniometer and a flexometer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The warming-up session induced a significantly increased range in all lower extremity joints and trunk flexion (p<0.01 to p<0.001) of both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Flexibility improves as a result of muscle elongation during warming-up or even through an incorporated pathetic stretching program.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Division of Sports, Laboratory of Coaching, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. azakas@phed.auth.gr
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zakas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vergou
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Grammatikopoulou
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zakas
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sentelidis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vamvakoudis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D008161:Lumbosacral Region / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D018583:Pliability; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D013177:Sports / Q000502:physiology*