Effects of Several Warm-Up Protocols (Static, Dynamic, No Stretching, Greek Traditional Dance) on Motor Skill Performance in Primary School Students

The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of four warm-up protocols on agility, strength, static and dynamic flexibility in primary school students. The participants were forty-four students of a primary school (19 boys and 25 girls) and the mean age of the children was 11.7±0.47. All of them executed, in four different days, one of the following protocols: (a) 3 minutes of jogging followed by 5 minutes of static stretching, (b) 3 minutes of jogging followed by 5 minutes of dynamic stretching, (c) 3 minutes of jogging followed by a 5-minute break (no stretching protocol), and (d) 8 minutes of Greek traditional dances. On the completion of the protocols, the participants did the following tests: the agility shuttle run test (4x10m), the standing long jump test, the sit & reach test, and the active straight leg raise test (dynamic flexibility). According to the results of the repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), the protocol of static stretching showed significantly better scores on static flexibility compared to the protocols of dance and no stretching. As for the long jump, dynamic stretching produced significantly better results compared to static stretching and no stretching. Concerning dynamic flexibility, there were no significant differences between the four warm-up protocols. As for agility, the dance protocol presented significantly better results compared to static stretching. Moreover, girls performed better on the sit & reach test compared to boys. In conclusion, the static-stretch protocol is suggested for lessons that require a maximal range of motion (flexibility). On the other hand, it seems that dynamic stretching is more suitable than the other protocols when the lesson requires lower extremity strength. Moreover, it seems that the dance protocol is suitable for lessons requiring agility. Therefore, teachers should implement different stretching protocols according to the content of the lesson.