To stretch or not to stretch?

What do you all think this stretching is going to achieve?

What's the point?

Well, I am a dancer, so flexibility and dance training is also important to me. Flexibility may not be needed or important to you, but it's just nuts to think no one else can benefit from it. There are sooo many enjoyable things a person can do with flexibility. I also lift weights (which is also good for flexibility and strength). But, I still need to train as a dancer for my dancing.

And it feels good.

I didn't question sport specific flexibility training (although many methods are questionable), I was asking why these members stretch, what they are trying to achieve.

That's like asking why do you strength training, or why do you do cardio training. Stretching increases flexibility and in conjunction with strength and cardio, it can help you avoid injuries or develop problem areas like lower back pain. Whenever I've been to PT they always include strengthening and stretching exercises. IMO, that's because you need both to keep your body in good working order.

What do you all think this stretching is going to achieve?

What's the point?

Good question. We've been going through this on the yoga forums and ended up with not a lot. Yoga the day after your workout seems to work better for flexibility.

This.

Also though, standard static stretching is hilariously ineffective at increasing flexibility.

Strengthening the stretched position is much more effective. Strengthening the glutes and flexors in the straddle position has done far more for my split depth than statically stretching my groins.

I don't bother to stretch my hamstrings around workouts, that hasn't hindered me at all in developing the compression flexibility to touch my head to my knees in a straight leg seated hamstring stretch.

I'm not sure what the distinction is here. The only "stretching" I do is from yoga. I don't see what the distinction is between stretching and yoga. I do yoga stretches for example for my hip flexors because it can be helpful for people that have had knee injuries. I guess stretching must have some other meaning that I am unaware of. Yoga involves dynamic movement stretching as well as some moments of holding certain stretches such as child's pose (as one example). There are some stretches that you need to allow your body some time to relax into, for them to be the most effective. I also do not understand this distinction between "stretching" and doing a split. A split is stretching, as is all the other things described above (touching ones head to ones knees is a stretch that you are apparently doing as you said that you can do it). Clearly there is some other specific meaning to the nature of "stretching" that I am not aware of.

But, come on, people, it's just common sense with the body that you use it or lose it, so if you want to maintain being youthful and limber and pain free, using your body in a flexibility promoting type of manner is helpful with that. If I experience tense, painful shoulders, I do stretches and they feel better and I can move better. There is no nonsense "study' that is going to convince me not to do something that feels good and reduces unnecessary pain and tension. I'd rather do my own movement/stretches than to pay someone to give me a massage if I don't need to do that. And I have studied science and I'm married to a successful scientist as well. Science is a big part of my life, but some people seem to forget that science does not mean losing common sense. Science actually requires common sense and learning in many different ways (that does not exclude experiential learning).

And, perhaps I am the only one that has this experience, but I find a reduction in injury when I ease my body into positions with stretching before attempting to rapidly kick my leg up as high as I can (and be able to hold it there and not just rely on momentum). And to be clear when I talk about stretching I am talking about a combination of yoga, dynamic movement, and some holding and releasing the body deeper into positions.

Also, I have had excellent results from the Feldenkrais Method for increasing range of motion and removing pain. That helped me after I had been in serious car accidents.

And it's not just professional dancers that enjoy movement and flexibility. It can be recreation as well

Another example, as dancers, that do jumps, it is important to maintain the flexibility and range of motion of the Achilles tendon.

My daughter and I were both born with a severe case of metatarsus adductus. Luckily, people that have a mild case can correct it by having the parent regularly and gently manipulate the foot by stretching it. For my daughter and I, it was too severe, so we had to have two sets of casts and then wear shoes for 23 hours a day until outgrowing them, to keep our feet in a steady stretched state. Without it, I would not have been able to walk, but now you can not even tell by looking at my feet that I ever had the problem. So, there is just one medical application of the concept of "stretching".