To stretch or not to stretch, that is the question. Or is it? The most recent research is showing that there is no measurable benefit in stretching. It does not prevent injury, enhance performance, or change muscles. It does increase flexibility, but it is unclear whether that has a long term benefit. Certainly for people who are quite mobile and might have a strong desire to stretch to better feel their range of motion, stretching might not be of great benefit as it might promote joint and ligament laxity.
In our classes, we use some stretches followed immediately by activation of opposing muscles, or better still, do a muscle release technique followed by opposing muscle activation. There is a big difference and I will discuss that in future posts!