ISSN 0031-5125 DOI 10.2466/30.PMS.121c11x3 Perceptual & Motor Skills: Exercise & Sport WARM-UP PROTOCOLS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS 1 DIMITRIS ELEYTHERIOS CHATZOPOULOS, ATHANASIOS YIANNAKOS, MARIANA KOTZAMANIDOU, AND ELENI BASSA Aristotle University Summary.—The study compared the acute effects of three warm-up protocols on change-of-direction speed, reaction time, and movement time of upper extremi- ties. Participants were 27 Greek high school students from an urban area ( M age = 17.2 yr., SD = 0.2, range = 16.5–18.0). All participants performed the following warm- up protocols on three different days: (a) 3 min. jogging followed by 5 min. static stretching, (b) 3 min. jogging followed by 5 min. dynamic stretching, and (c) 3 min. jogging followed by 5 min. of rest without stretching. At the end of each proto- col, participants performed sprints of moderate to submaximal intensity. After the warm-up protocols, participants performed the following tests: “505-change-of- direction-speed,” reaction time, and movement time (arm movements). There was no significant effect of protocols on the performance tests. Pre-exercise stretching may not be required for performance improvement in activities involving change- of-direction speed, reaction, and movement time if the final part of the warm-up involves sprinting. The advantage of a short duration warm-up is that it offers students more time to play in physical education lessons. However, it is generally important for students to learn the benefits of stretching and how to stretch for lifelong fitness. A typical warm-up protocol of a physical education lesson consists of low intensity aerobic activity followed by static stretching (Faigenbaum & McFarland, 2007). There is conflicting evidence as to whether static stretching has a beneficial effect on subsequent performance. Recent stud- ies reported that pre-exercise static stretching decreases force production (Behm, Bambury, Cahill, & Power, 2004), agility performance (Van Gelder & Bartz, 2011), and reaction time (Alpkaya & Koceja, 2007). The negative effects of static stretching on performance have been attributed to neuro- muscular factors such as decreased motor unit activation and changes to musculo-tendinous units (Cramer, Housh, Weir, Johnson, Coburn, & Beck, 2005). According to Nakamura, Ikezoe, Takeno, and Ichihashi (2011), stat- ic stretching increases range of motion and decreases musculo-tendinous stiffness. Musculo-tendinous stiffness includes muscle, tendon, and other associated connective tissue and determines the rapidity with which the forces are transmitted from the muscle to the skeletal system (Markovic & Mikulic, 2010), possibly altering the reaction time to stimuli. On the other hand, a more compliant musculo-tendinous unit in combination with dis- © Perceptual & Motor Skills 2015 2015, 121, 1, 1-13. 1 Address correspondence to Dimitris Chatzopoulos, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, 57001 Greece or e-mail (chatzop@phed. auth.gr).