What static stretching does inside the muscle
During static stretching, you hold a position until the muscle yields. Two things happen during this process.
Stretch tolerance increases. You can tolerate greater tension without any short-term structural changes in the tissue. This is why you feel more supple after stretching.
Stiffness decreases. The muscle and tendon yield more easily. And that is precisely the problem before physical exertion: sprinting and jumping rely on the tendon storing and releasing energy like a taut elastic band. A softer elastic band returns less energy.
Consequently, static stretching gets in the way of what is needed moments later: explosiveness, jumping power, acceleration.
The number that matters
This is where things get specific, and this is why the debate causes so much confusion. Performance loss is not a simple yes-or-no question; it is a question of duration.
Review studies on the topic reveal a consistent pattern: with long hold durations of around one minute or more per muscle group, a measurable reduction in jump and sprint performance can be detected. With short hold durations of under roughly thirty seconds, the effect is so minor that it virtually plays no role — especially when followed by an active warm-up.
What this means in practice:
The traditional stretching circle at the start remains wrong — not because thirty seconds of tension will ruin a player, but because it wastes ten minutes during which nobody gets properly warm. That is the real objection.
Briefly stretching a genuinely shortened structure is unproblematic, provided it is followed by five minutes of active warm-up exercises.
For injury prevention, stretching before sport provides no proven benefit. This is where the old rationale most clearly falls apart.
What belongs in the warm-up instead
A warm-up must achieve three things: temperature, neuromuscular activation, focus. Static stretching delivers none of them.
Movement at increasing tempo. Ideally with the ball, as this immediately switches on mental focus.
Active movements through the full range of motion. Lunges with rotation, hip circles, controlled leg swings. This addresses mobility without sacrificing muscle-tendon stiffness.
Strength and balance. Core stability, lower-limb alignment, single-leg stands.
Short accelerations and jumps. Ensuring the first sprint in the match is not the first sprint of the day.
This is exactly how modern injury-prevention programmes are designed. Specifically: Integrate the 11+ into training and, for implementation with the ball, warm-up with the ball.
When static stretching makes sense
Static stretching is not inherently bad. It is simply misplaced when performed immediately before exertion.
After the training session. As part of the cool-down, if the players enjoy it. Any temporary reduction in performance does not matter at that point.
As a separate session. If a player has genuine mobility deficits, these are best addressed away from football training — on a rest day or several hours before a session.
For a specific restriction. A player who cannot perform a clean squat due to shortened hip flexors needs stretching. But as a structured programme over several weeks, not twenty seconds before kick-off.
On the distinction between flexibility and stretching: mobility in football.
What you should change in practice
The adjustment costs nothing other than breaking an old habit, and it can be summed up in one sentence: replace the initial stretching circle with the same amount of time spent moving.
If your team is used to the old routine, an explanation works far better than an order. "We stretch after training instead of before, because otherwise you will be slower in your first sprint" makes immediate sense to any player from U15 upwards.
And here is a practical tip that matters more than the entire debate: in cold weather, everything takes longer. Adding five extra minutes of movement in winter and shifting the high-intensity phases back will do far more for your squad than any debate about stretching.
How to avoid rebuilding your warm-up every week
A good warm-up keeps the same core structure while varying the content. This is precisely what you want to establish once, rather than searching for new ideas every Sunday evening.
In Coach OS, you simply enter the age group, squad size, pitch size, equipment, and training times once; the warm-up routine is automatically planned to match the session's focus. Backed by over 1,244 animated drills, easily filtered by age, squad size, and training priority.
Coach OS suggests. You decide. Always.
Conclusion
- Static stretching reduces muscle and tendon stiffness — exactly what is needed for sprinting and jumping.
- Performance loss becomes measurable primarily with hold durations of around one minute or more per muscle group. Under thirty seconds, it is practically insignificant.
- The primary objection to the stretching circle is not the harm it causes, but the wasted time: it does not warm anyone up.
- There is no scientific evidence that pre-exercise stretching prevents injuries.
- After training or as an independent session, static stretching is completely fine.