2009 Studies & Research Blog

Stretching is a common act often observed with athletes during their warm up. The topic of whether or not it affects performance is quite debatable. Researchers in the Sports Injury Research Center at the  University of Nevada, Las Vegas sought to determine the effects of a practical duration of acute static and ballistic stretching on vertical jump (VJ), lower-extremity power, and quadriceps and hamstring torque. The researchers utilized  

24 subjects were asked to perform 3 types of stretching protocols: static stretching, ballistic stretching, or no-stretch control condition. Following the stretching routine, were the performance tests mentioned earlier. The data from this study suggest that
that static and ballistic stretching did not affect VJ, or torque output for the quadriceps and hamstrings. Despite no adverse effect on VJ, stretching did cause a decrease in lower-extremity power. Therefore, the researchers of this study advocate the use of dynamic stretching before activity  (Supported by literature).

Reference:

Samuel MN, Holcomb WR, Guadagnoli MA, Rubley MD, Wallmann H.Acute Effects of Static and Ballistic Stretching on Measures of Strength and Power.J Strength Cond Res. 2008 Aug 14.