When I was young, PE teachers to my coaches always emphasize the importance of stretching, as its a way to reduce injuries and improve your performance being flexible.

But that belief have changed over the years as experts and studies have shown how stretching actually have a negative effect on your body. Here’s an extract from RunToWin website who got it via Running Research News.

Research/Arguments in favor of Stretching for Injury Prevention

1. Improving flexibility through stretching is another important preparatory activity that has been advocated to improve physical performance.
2. Experts in the field of training and conditioning agree that good flexibility is essential to successful physical performance, although their ideas are based primarily on practical experience rather than experimental evidence.
3. Maintaining good flexibility aids in the prevention of injuries to the musculoskeletal system.
4. Current sport research shows improving flexibility or increasing joint ROM is significant in its contribution to movement efficiency, amplitude of movement, and prevention of soft tissue injury.
5. Athletic trainers and physical therapists feel that maintaining good flexibility is important in prevention of injury to the muscle and tendon.
6. Our statistical analysis indicates an association between using a static stretching program and a decreased incidence of muscle and tendon strains in Division III college football players.

Inconclusive Research for Stretching and Injury Prevention

1. No conclusive statements can be made about the relationship of flexibility to athletic injury.
2. Due to the paucity, heterogeneity and poor quality of the available studies no definitive conclusions can be drawn as to the value of stretching for reducing the risk of exercise-related injury.
3. There is not sufficient evidence to endorse or discontinue routine stretching before or after exercise to prevent injury among competitive or recreational athletes. Further research is urgently needed.
4. Static stretching decreased the incidence of muscle-related injuries but did not prevent bone or joint injuries.

Research against Stretching for Injury Prevention

1. In summary, we see no strong evidence proving that flexibility or stretching is associated with rates of strains, sprains, or overuse injuries that can be applied across all sports or levels of competition.
2. New evidence suggests that stretching immediately before exercise does not prevent overuse or acute injuries.
3. Incidence of injury was not significantly different for the experimental and control groups.
4. This intervention was not effective in reducing the number of running injuries.
5. There was no significant effect of pre-exercise stretching on injury risk rate between the stretch group and the control group.
6. A typical muscle stretching protocol performed during preexercise warm-ups does not produce clinically meaningful reductions in risk of exercise-related injury in army recruits.
7. In this study the number of lower extremity overuse injuries was significantly increased in infantry basic trainees with increased hamstring flexibility.
8. Injured runners were more likely to have stretched before running.
9. Although stretching to increase flexibility is widely recommended to prevent training injuries, data to support the practice are lacking. Our data indicate that both the most flexible and least flexible individuals are at higher risk of lower body injuries. Subjects in the least flexible and most flexible quintiles were 2.5 and 2.2 times more likely to get injured than subjects in the middle quintile.
10. The results of this review do not support the role of pre-exercise or postexercise stretching as an intervention addressing postexercise muscle soreness. In addition, the evidence presented in this review does not support the role of pre-exercise stretching in the reduction of lower extremity injury risk.

Research/Arguments in favor of Stretching for Performance Improvement

1. Our results show that stretching may favorably influence the force-velocity relationship of the trained muscle as well as the shape of the torque curve during movements at a given velocity.
2. Regular stretching improves force, jump height, and speed, although there is no evidence that it improves running economy.

Research against Stretching for Performance Improvement

1. Greater flexibility may impair performance in sports that do not require a high degree of flexibility such as running. Runners with less flexibility are actually more efficient at running.
2. Intense static stretching may reduce maximum force production. The loss of voluntary strength and muscular power may last up to one hour after the static stretch.
3. Based on these results, performing stretching before a vertical jump test would be detrimental to performance.
4. Observations by coaches and athletes have called into question the universal prescription of stretching for the purpose of enhancing sport performance, and this skepticism is being supported by the growing body of empirical data.

Post from: Singapore Athletics

We’ve a new guest writer on-board and would like to be known by pseudonym “SingaporeSportsFan”. From the author’s blog profile, the Singapore Sports Fan is a 30-something year old long-time observer and fan of the local sports scene. Do visit SingaporeSportsFan blog at singaporesportsfan.wordpress.com

Singapore Sports School student T.Piriyah has established herself as one of the favourites to win the Girls’ 16 years 400m hurdles at the Pacific School Games In Canberra, Australia, after setting a personal best in her heat this afternoon.

The 16-year-old student, who smashed the Girls B Div 400m hurdles record twice (66.05sec in the heat followed by 63.86sec in the final) at the 49th National Schools Track and Field Championships in July, sliced yet another 0.46sec off her fastest time wih her 63.40sec effort today.

She finished second in her heat, behind Jessi Elliot of New South Wales, who won in 63.22sec. Both girls’ timings also went below the eight-year-old Pacific Games record of 63.84sec.

Piriyah, who is coached by former Georgian national hurdle champion Viatcheslev Vassiliev at the Sports School, is now not only one of three favourites to win the 400m hurdle gold in Friday’s final (the third being Lisa Celi of New South Wales who clocked 63.61sec in her heat), she is now another step closer to breaking the national record for the event.

Her time is now just a second behind Norshidah Mohd Ali’s 14-year national open and junior record of 62.40sec. Whether she is able to achieve it in Canberra or by next year remains to be seen.

The Singapore Sports Fan wishes Piriyah all the best in her quest for gold on Friday.

Yours in Sport
Singapore Sports Fan

This article can also be found here

Post from: Singapore Athletics

It is said twins shares plenty of common traits. Well we have the popular Swedish athlete twins Susanna and Jenny Kallur.

Firstly both of them are national hurdlers and secondly they suffer the same injury itself currently, a stress fractures which ended their season this year.

The twins was even former Swedish Junior National Team gymnast. It’s in their genes to be athletic I guess, as their dad was a former ice hockey star player Anders Kallur, who won 4 Stanley Cup championships with the New York Islanders.

Susanna Kallur is the more established hurdler who holds the world indoor record and world bronze indoor 60m hurdles indoor (2006).

Jenny Kallur, the older sister by four minutes to Susanna, is a fine sprinter herself, but always come second-best at most times. She was second to Susanna at the European Indoor Championships 2005.

The surgery was done in New York by expert surgeon Dr David Helfet.

They should return to running by next summer and would likely miss the upcoming indoor season.

Post from: Singapore Athletics

In 2007, top junior sprinter Lance Tan was doing well running and is poised for a SEA Games slot to be held in December, Thailand. However later in the middle of the season, Lance’s world turned upside down when he sustained a season-ending knee injury.

Lance had to have surgery. His first surgery was five days after he sustained his injury, to replace his completely torn ACL and reconstruct it using his hamstring graft. The doctor performed the surgery successfully but they advise him to stay off sports completely.

The advice given didn’t deter him and wasn’t a major setback in Lance’s rehabilitation. What was supposed to be a 6 months recovery process, through grit determination and support, he was on crutches in 6 weeks, started jogging at the 3 month period, was back sprinting after 5 months and clocking personal best 9 months after the surgery.

16 months now since his daunting injury, Lance is well back on his way to more personal best. Lance has showed that for his quest to run again, he learned a valuable lesson to never give up. We’ve an interview with him, entailing the details of his road to recovery.

Name: Lance Tan Wei Sheng
Height: 177cm
Weight: 68kg
Date of Birth: 14 May 1987
Current & Previous Schools:

• Victoria School
• Victoria JC
• NUS

Former & Current Coach:

• Mr Patrick Zhender
• Mr Tan Chong Kiat
• Mr Melvin Tan KB

Personal Best: 49.05s (400m)

Races/Event Timing This Year:

• All Comers 1: 50.13s
• All Comers 2: 49.81s
• SWIFT T&F: 50.25s
• WINGS INV: 49.05
• SINGAPORE OPEN: 50.20s
• IVP 2008: 49.57s

1. What are you doing now. Tell me more about school. How are you coping. Are the schools making any accommodations for you being a student-athlete that you are

   I’m currently studying Mechanical Enginneering in the National University of Singapore, and boy it’s tough! Work load is pretty heavy and I’m falling behind in work a bit. Exams are in 3 weeks so have to really focus now although it’s difficult as trainings are still on going. I stay in Kent Ridge Hall which saves me a lot of traveling time.

   I think everyone knows it’s not easy being a student-athlete. It’s not like going for a 3 hour class,then you can just come back sit down and start your homework. But after a 3 hour training session, you’re all tired and bummed, and all you really want to do is to have a warm bath, have dinner, and sleep. So mentally and physically it’s tiring, and it helps to study in the library and away from the bed and laptop!

2. Tell me about your injury. How you sustained it, doctor prognosis, length of recovery. The road to recovery, do share. How long, the process, what you did, etc

   I tore my anterior crucial ligament (ACL) back in June 2007, while playing a friendly game of soccer. Wasn’t pretty. Suffered some menicus tear too so had to remove a small bit of it. I couldn’t walk and the pain was never going away. I think the important thing is to get it treated fast. The next day I went for an MRI scan and my injuries were confirmed. 5 days later, I underwent an operation to remove the torn ligament and reconstruct my ACL using hamstring graft. The operation was a complete success. But the doctors suggested that I shouldn’t do sports anymore. Definitely, I was shocked at his comments. But deep down inside I knew I would come back. And come back I did.

   With that injury, instead of traveling overseas for competitions and the SEA Games, I spent 5 days a week at the physiotherapist at SSC. I was on crutches for about 6 weeks, before I could even walk with a limp. The “normal” length of recovery is 6 months. I started jogging and going for long runs after 3 months. This is because of the intense physiotherapy sessions I was undergoing. However, I still had a huge instability in the injured leg. Physiotherapy sessions are painful because you’ve basically have to re-teach your muscles everything. How to move, how to balance, how to flex. It also included “water running” sessions, where it trains the leg in stamina while minimising risk of further injury.

   Honestly, the biggest pain to me was the fact that I missed all the overseas competition trips which would have definitely given me more exposure and experience, and that I wasn’t going to recover in time for the SEA Games. It quite amazing to think of it that I actually plucked up the courage to do a 350 time trial, clocking a late 43s, just 5 months after operation.

   9 months after surgery, at the first All-Comers meet of 2008, I entered my “comeback” race in the 400m, clocking a new Personal Best.

   I was back. And I think it more than proved to myself and everyone else that I could come back and race again. Many thought I would have thrown in the towel. But on the contrary, the misfortune and disappointment of missing the SEA Games, has made me even more motivated to train harder to qualify for the 2009 edition.

   I am totally grateful for my family in taking care of me during that period. The hospital bill was not cheap and luckily I had sufficient amount of insurance to cover 80% of the cost. I also have to thank my physiotherapist for without her, I wouldn’t know how long i would take to recover.

   I would say, it took me about 14 months for my injury to completely heal. I feel no effects of it now. No muscle imbalance, no restricted range of movement.

3. What has the injury taught you?

   The injury has made me see clearly who my close friends are. It has made me appreciate them and my family so much more, because they aren’t taking care of you because they have to, but because they love you. It has also taught me to know what I want in life. And that I’m not indestructible. From that day, I sat down and sorted my life out. And I told myself I wasn’t going to just give up like that, but I am going to come back stronger, faster, and to show people that it is not impossible to come back from a horrible injury, and be better.

   On a final note, I believe that I have shown that somethings thought impossible is just a thought. What happens after that is based on what you do, what you want. And if you’re determined enough, you will reach your goal. Even if you don’t, you would have never known unless you tried your best.

4. How would you rate your season this year. Your most recent competition was the IVP. How was it?

   I’m still waiting for the elusive 48 seconds to come. But other than that, considering the injury I had, it’s been a good season. I’ve consistently clocked personal bests, but my problem now is working on my race tactics. Kinda lost that feeling.

   The recent IVP, I came in 2nd for the 400m. Although the track was wet and it was raining, there was minimal wind, but I got my race plan all wrong by starting too slowly and hence I couldn’t make up lost ground in the end, finishing in 49.5s with some gas still in the tank, hence I was disappointed by my performance. Apart from that, NUS ran well in both relays, establishing new championship records in both. I clocked a 48.8s split for my last leg in the 4×400m relay so that was indeed a happy ending.

   
   Lance running the 4×400 relays at the IVP for NUS

5. I reckon you’re into offseason now and likelihood a last competition for AUG? How the preparation coming along?

   Yes I’ll be participating at the ASEAN University Games in December. So I can’t go into off season just yet, although I’m incorporated some road cycling into my cross-trainings. It’s just been a week since IVP, so I’m starting a new cycle of trainings in the build up to AUG. However, the imminent arrival of exams will definitely affect training plans a bit.

6. How did you get started with Track & Field?

   My parents were both Track athletes. My dad was a 100m, 200m sprinter, while my mum was a 200m, 400m sprinter. When Iwas young, my dad would take us to MacRitchie Park. No I didn’t run with him, but I definitely fuelled my interest as a runner. I first participated in running meets in primary school, which carried on until today.

7. When running 400m, what is your tactics usually? Eg; Do you blast the first 200m real fast or do you hold back. Tell us a little on your running form

   I think a good race tactic is to be pretty even between the first and second 200m. I’m aiming for a 48+s, so It would great if I hit the first 200m at a low 23s. That said, I’m still working out on how to achieve that. I guess with more races, pacing will come more naturally. Unfortunately the local racing calender for us is very sparse, so it’s important to go overseas to race too.

8. Training wise, what is your routine like? For example; the hours, the type of training, etc. A little insight into your training

   Since university started, I have about 5-7 sessions a week, depending on which cycle we’re on ie)Tapering, Loading etc. each lasting as long as 3 hours. I do 2 gym/plyometric sessions a week, a session for intervals, a session for speed work, a session for speed endurance, the rest varies from long runs, to long cycle, to easy programmes to get recover from the previous day’s workout and prepare for the next day.

9. Your current training group. Share some info about them and where are you training now. Still at VJ?

   I currently train with Mr Melvin Tan. He coaches the NUS sprint team too. My regular training partners include my competitors and friends Kenneth, Amir, Cheng Wei, Alex, all of which are very involved in the track scene too. It always helps to do intervals with someone. Training groups brings motivation to train and happiness to the team too. Since university started, our training groups meet up about 2 to 3 times a week at NUS on weekdays, and at VJC on Saturdays.

10. What motivates you to train? What is your long term goal?

    To be the best one day. Realistic targets have to be set. Like in the short term, my goal is to run 48s for 400m in AUG, in the long term, to qualify and represent Singapore in not just the 4×400m relay, but in the individual 400m too. Longest term goal? A low 47 will do nicely. But one step at a time.

11. What do you think you are lacking and need to focus on now

    Studies are definitely affecting training performances, and vice versa. It’s very difficult to fine a right balance between the two, especially with such a heavy work load course I’m in. But apart from that, life is okay. On the track, I need to work on a lot of things. There’s a lot of room for improvement. More strength, more speed, more endurance.

12. Where do you see yourself 3-4 years down the road? After graduation. Any hope to continue running still then or perhaps go into something related to running?

    I would love to continue competitive track until the 2013 SEA Games, which I think will be held in Singapore. I’ve a lot of legs still left in me and I’m determined to be a top athlete in the region. A very optimistic goal is to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, or get sent there as a wild-card. Even if I stop running competitively, I will definitely still try to be involved in the track scene, and I might be a coach someday too.

Thank you Lance for this interview

Post from: Singapore Athletics

Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie and Kenyan Catherine Ndereba won their respective categories at the Great Australian Run that was flagged off earlier today in Melbourne.

The 15km route covers the scenic Melbourne City roads, before returning to Albert Park for the finish.

The 35 year old running legend ran the quality field of runners ragged and made it all too easy. He was never in trouble Gebrselassie won the race in a time of 42:40 minutes, which was a minute plus away from 15km men’s world record of 41min 29sec.

Gebrselassie closest competitor was Kenya’s two-time world half marathon silver medallist Patrick Makau, some 35 seconds behind (43:15).

Ndereba also had an easy race where she cruised to victory in a time of 50.43 minutes. She was some 400m clear from her nearest rival, New Zealand’s Alice Mason (51:27).

Official Site: www.greataustralianrun.com.au

Post from: Singapore Athletics

International Association of Athletics Federations, the international governing body for the sport of athletics has stepped up their policy on banned substance usage.

First on the agenda is requesting Court of Arbitration for Sport to change the two year suspension received by seven female Russian athletes recently, to four years.

The lass was caught manipulating doping samples where the provided samples did not match with previous samples.

Set to be out of competition for a long time if approved by CAS, are Yelena Soboleva (Indoor 1500m world champion), Tatyana Tomashova (twice 1500m champion), Darya Pishchalnikova (European discus champion), Olga Yegorova (5000m world champion), Gulfia Khanafeyeva (Former hammer world record holder) and Yuliya Fomenko and Svetlana Cherkasova (Both are elite distance runners).

Post from: Singapore Athletics

To me every time a Greek athlete emerges with a personal best or making headlines, you can’t help but wonder if they’re on banned substances.

The list of suspected and banned Greek athletes includes sprinters Kostas Kenteris, Ekaterini Thanou, Katerina Thanou, Tassos Gousis …

And now adding to the list of tainted ‘drug-using’ athletes is former Olympic 400m hurdles women champion, Fani Halkia, who set a new Olympic record in 2004 at Athens, clocking 52.77 seconds.

Greece’s national athletics federation has confirmed her two years suspension from athletics and possible jail term for testing positive for banned steroid methyltrienolone.

Her test came out positive after being tested at the Beijing Games 2008, and was immediately thrown out of the games.

The 29 year old sprinter coach George Panagiotopoulos also played a part by supplying her with the steroid and he too will be charged.

Both deny any usage or wrongdoings, claiming their defence that a “third party” tampered the sample … yeah right.

Post from: Singapore Athletics

Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised UK Sport some £79 million of funding back in 2006, plus additional £300 million, with £100 million of that from private sector to spearhead the success of London 2012 Games.

But since then, the funding has since not come through. Only £21 million has been received via Lottery savings.

Now UK Sport is lobbying for the funding from the Prime Minister and currently due to lack of funds, UK Sport has to cut plans and programs for their 2012 Games and development.

Post from: Singapore Athletics

International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) says that the one false start ruling is to stay for at least another year, despite pressure from some quarters to make it even more stiffer if you ‘jump the gun’.

Oh yes people, there has been proposal to make it even tougher for those who are too ‘eager’ at the starting blocks, which is immediate disqualification.

IAAF are looking into the proposal and the earliest date for any ruling change or discussion is August next year at the IAAF World Championships to be held in Berlin, Germany.

Post from: Singapore Athletics

After his recent conviction for cheque fraud and heroin trafficking, Tim Montgomery agreed to an interview, where he shed light of his use of banned substances.

It is reported from the interview, he took at least HGH four times a month and even admitted taking testosterone before the Olympics Sydney back in 2000.

If it is so, then the gold medal won at Sydney by the 4×100m team of Maurice Greene, Jon Drummond, Bernard Williams, Brian Lewis and Kenneth Brokenburr are in jeopardy as IOC are very strict on such banned substances usage if found.

Although never tested positive for steroids, Montgomery latest admission would likely result in stripping of the relay medal.

In recent example, the US 4×400m team of 2000 Sydney had to return their gold medals after Antonio Pettigrew took drugs, so did the US women 4×400m and 4×100m team, where they too returned their gold and bronze medal respectively as Marion Jones admitted to doping.

This is one messed up situation …

Disgraced former 100m world record holder, Tim Montgomery

“I have a gold medal that I’m sitting on that I didn’t get with my own ability. I’m not here to take away from anybody else’s accomplishments, only my own. And I apologise to the other people that were on the relay team if that was to happen. I made the bed, so I’m going to lie in it. Why did I take this? That’s the question I wake up to every day and go to sleep to.”

Post from: Singapore Athletics