IOSR Journal of Sports and Physical Education (IOSR-JSPE) e-ISSN: 2347-6737, p-ISSN: 2347-6745, Volume 3, Issue 2 (Mar. – Apr. 2016), PP 13-18 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/6737-03021318 www.iosrjournals.org 13 | Page Effect Of Acute Dynamic And Static Stretching On Maximal Muscular Power In Recreational Athletes Amruta P. Balkawade 1 ,Deepali N. Hande 2 1 (B.P.T, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam College Of Physiotherapy,Pravara Institute Of Medical Sciences, Maharashtra, India) 2 (Associate Professor, Community Physiotherapy Dept., Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam College Of Physiotherapy,Pravara Institute Of Medical Sciences,Loni, Maharashtra. India) Abstract:Stretching promotes increased ROM, muscle temperature, and decreased stiffness of the exercised muscle. It reduces the risk of injury, alleviates pain, and improves athletic performance. The most common stretching types used prior to exercise are static and dynamic. By identifying the most beneficial type of stretching for a given exercise bout, therapists can utilize techniques to enhance stretches as they relate to strength and power performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the acute effect of dynamic and static stretching on maximal muscular power which is evaluated by peak jump height in college age recreational athletes.60 participantsmeeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were allocated into 3 groups 20 each. Group A: Warm up+Dynamic Stretching, Group B: Warm up+Static Stretching, Group C: [Control group]: Warm up+no stretching. Stretching of Gluteus maximus, Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Hip flexors, Dorsiflexors, Latissimus dorsi were done. Pre intervention verticaljump height for Group A, B and C was compared to their post intervention verticaljump height showed significant improvement. On comparison Group A showed significant improvement as compared to Group B and C. The study concluded that dynamic stretching improves the maximal muscular power and thus providing opportunities to act preventively with appropriate training program and to prevent adverse strength deficit. Keywords:Dynamic stretching, Maximal muscular power,Static stretching, Vertical jump I. Introduction Is stretching beneficial to athletes when performing explosive type activities? This question has become a hot debate topic among physical trainers over the past years. [1] The warm-up prior to the performance of physical activity is widely accepted as a contributor to achieving maximal muscular power production, and ultimately, optimal athletic performance. [2] An active warm-up prepares the body to increase elasticity and contractibility of muscles, increase the efficiency of respiratory and cardiovascular systems, and improve coordination. [3] Warm-ups typically contain two components: low intensity aerobic activity; and stretching. Low intensity aerobic activity is widely accepted as a method that gradually raises metabolism by increasing cardiorespiratory demand, and allows for increased work output in strength and power activities such as weight training or jumping. Stretching promotes increased range of motion, muscle temperature, and decreased stiffness of the exercised muscle. [4] For many years, stretching before athletic competition has been recommended to prepare the athlete for the event. It is thought that stretching reduces the risk of injury, decreases muscle stiffness, increases range of motion, alleviates pain, and improves athletic performance. Despite recent inconclusive evidence of the benefits of stretching, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) still adopts the idea of stretching before or after competition. In addition, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) guidelines state that stretching before competition will improve performance and functional abilities. Other research has been conducted to determine which type of stretching, static or dynamic, is better for improving strength, speed, power, and force production. To my knowledge, very few studies have looked at the effects of static versus dynamic stretches on vertical jump and standing long jump, two of the most common ways to measure lower extremity power production. [5] Stretching exercises are commonly prescribed during warmup and cool-down protocols, and training and rehabilitation programmes, with the aim of improving muscle extensibility and joint range of motion (ROM). [6] An individual’s ability to produce the greatest amount of force in the shortest amount of time is highly predictive of performance in activities that require stretch shortening properties of the muscle-tendon unit, such as vertical jumping or sprinting [7] . So in this study in order to measure the maximal muscular power vertical jump test is used. Also for measuring the explosive strength and power various isokinetic devices and high level equipment’s are required with proper laboratory settings whereas Vertical jump test has advantage that can be easily used for on field testing with minimal equipment’s. The test is simple and very easy to perform and cost effective.