Dynamic stretching is stretching with continual movement through the joint range of motion. Dynamic flexibility training has been a growing trend among sports and fitness professionals. It has become the go to stretching method for warm-ups and cool-downs and has been shown to be highly advantageous for athlete well-being.
Furthermore, dynamic stretching has been shown to improve performance when done before activities requiring power, strength or speed. Other proposed benefits include improved:
- endurance
- coordination
- balance
- biomechanical efficiency, and
- speed of contraction
Dynamic stretching involves slow purposeful movements that move throughout a joints full range of motion. Movements are tailored to mimic those involved in sports performance, and should involve a balanced approach to stretching (stretching matched muscles/groups e.g. hamstrings and quads).
The intensity of a dynamic stretch should be athlete specific to cater for the individual. Intensity varies according to the range, speed, and force of movement, and the number of stretches.
Dynamic flexibility programs include a wide range of exercises, but need to be specific to the athlete and the sport. It is best suited for activities that involves joint movements through their full range of motion. This occurs in skills such as: bowling in cricket, kicking in AFL, or batting in baseball.
If training for increased flexibility, static stretching for 30 seconds produces greater increases in range of motion than dynamic stretching.
Further reading on dynamic stretching
http://www.stretching-exercises-guide.com/dynamic-stretching.html