Full-Body and Lower-Limb Stretching on Explosive Power and Agility

Stretching exercise is one of the most commonly used strategies for pre‐exercise warm‐upand post‐exercise recovery, and its physiological effects involve muscle flexibility,neuromuscular control, and joint range of motion. However, empirical evidence regardingthe acute effects of different stretching scopes on jumping ability and agility remainsrelatively limited, as most previous studies have focused on individual muscles orlocalized muscle groups. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the effects ofstatic stretching involving different body regions, specifically whole‐body andlower‐limb stretching, on explosive performance and agility.A pretest‐intervention‐posttest design will be adopted. A total of 60 healthy universitystudents (30 males and 30 females) are expected to be recruited and randomly assigned toa whole‐body stretching group (10 males and 10 females), a lower‐limb stretching group(10 males and 10 females), or a control group (10 males and 10 females). The duration ofthe static stretching intervention will be standardized to 14 minutes. The whole‐bodystretching group will perform stretching exercises targeting the major muscle groups ofthe upper limbs, trunk, and lower limbs, whereas the lower‐limb stretching group willfocus on key lower‐limb muscle groups, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, andgastrocnemius. The control group will remain seated quietly for 14 minutes withoutperforming any stretching exercise.Participants will undergo a series of physical performance assessments before and afterthe intervention. Jump performance will be evaluated using the standing long jump, squatjump, countermovement jump, and drop jump. All jump‐related data will be recorded using aVmaxpro wireless inertial measurement sensor (BM Sports Technology GmbH, Germany),providing key parameters such as jump height, peak velocity, and peak power. Agility willbe assessed using the T‐Test and Hexagon Agility Test.It is hypothesized that excessive static stretching may cause an acute reduction inmuscular strength and explosive performance. The whole‐body stretching group maydemonstrate only a slight decrease in jump performance while maintaining relativelystable agility performance, whereas the lower‐limb stretching group may exhibit changesin both jump and agility performance. The findings of this study are expected to clarifythe relationship between the scope of static stretching and subsequent physicalperformance and may provide evidence to support the design of pre‐exercise warm‐upstrategies and physical therapy interventions.