(English) Stretching is one of the most commonly used recovery interventions post training. It is primarily used to reduce muscle soreness and stiffness, to prevent injury and to relax the muscles. A very small amount of evidence suggests that stretching may reduce the sensation of pain after eccentric exercise.

(English) Many teams incorporate stretching into the pre-game or pre-practice routine, which can be beneficial both to “warm-up” but also to help the athletes focus on the task ahead.

Dynamic stretching, which takes joints through a range of motions are preferred for pre-game or pre-practice stretching.

After a game or practice, dynamic stretching can be incorporated into “active recovery”.

Stretching can also be used to improve flexibility, and gains in this regard may help to reduce the chance of injury.