Kimberly J. Bodey

An examination of the stretching practices of Division I and Division III college football programs in the midwestern United States.

Judge, LW, Craig, B, Baudendistal, S, and Bodey, KJ. An examination of the stretching practices of Division I and Division III college football programs in the midwestern United States. J Strength Cond Res 23(4): 1091-1096, 2009-Research supports the use of preactivity warm-up and stretching, and the purpose of this study was to determine whether college football programs follow these guidelines. Questionnaires designed to gather demographic, professional, and educational information, as well as specific pre- and postactivity practices, were distributed via e-mail to midwestern collegiate programs from NCAA Division I and III conferences. Twenty-three male coaches (12 from Division IA schools and 11 from Division III schools) participated in the study. Division I schools employed certified strength coaches (CSCS; 100%), whereas Division III schools used mainly strength coordinators (73%), with only 25% CSCS. All programs used preactivity warm-up, with the majority employing 2-5 minutes of sport-specific jogging/running drills. Pre stretching (5-10 minutes) was performed in 19 programs (91%), with 2 (9%) performing no pre stretching. Thirteen respondents used a combination of static/proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation/ballistic and dynamic flexibility, 5 used only dynamic flexibility, and 1 used only static stretching. All 12 Division I coaches used stretching, whereas only 9 of the 11 Division III coaches did (p = 0.22). The results indicate that younger coaches did not use pre stretching (p = 0.30). The majority of the coaches indicated that they did use post stretching, with 11 of the 12 Division I coaches using stretching, whereas only 5 of the 11 Division III coaches used stretching postactivity (p = 0.027). Divisional results show that the majority of Division I coaches use static-style stretching (p = 0.049). The results of this study indicate that divisional status, age, and certification may influence how well research guidelines are followed. Further research is needed to delineate how these factors affect coaching decisions.

An examination of preactivity and postactivity flexibility practices of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I tennis coaches.

Judge, LW, Bellar, D, Craig, B, Petersen, J, Camerota, J, Wanless, E, and Bodey, K. An examination of preactivity and postactivity flexibility practices of National Collegiate Athletic Association division I tennis coaches. J Strength Cond Res 26(1): 184–191, 2012—The purpose of this study was to determine if National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I mens tennis programs are in compliance with suggested current preactivity and postactivity stretching protocols. Questionnaires were sent to NCAA Division I mens tennis programs in the USA. Seventy-six coaches (73 men and 3 women) participated in the study. The results of the Chi-Square analysis suggest that the number of years of head coaching experience had a significant relationship with the preactivity stretching routines employed by coaches (p = 0.029). A significant difference was found between preactivity stretching routines and the key sources of influence for the foundation of knowledge regarding preactivity stretching (p = 0.012). Some results indicate that many tennis coaches do not use current suggested practices for preactivity stretching. The results of this study indicate that certification may influence how well research guidelines are followed. Further research is needed to delineate how these factors affect coaching decisions.

Specialization in Youth Sport: What Coaches Should Tell Parents

We live in the age of the performance ethic. Youth sport, a highly visible and valued activity in communities across the nation, is a proving ground for children and parents alike. Fun sometimes equates to being a better athlete. Th e sport experience is assessed in terms of enhanced technical skill development and competitive ranking (Coakley, 2009). Athletes are challenged to show their potential early because opportunities to gain access to the “pipeline” become more elusive with time. Parents are called to prove their worth because “good parents” invest to guarantee their children’s future. Sure enough, sooner or later, the coach comes face to face with the question, Should my child specialize? Th e wise coach knows this is a diffi cult question. Yet, the coach is in a unique position to share insight and help parents refl ect on a variety of related factors. Th erefore, the aim of this article is to provide coaches with talking points when parents ask for advice. By Kimberly J. Bodey, Lawrence W. Judge, and Jonathan V. Hoover Specialization in

A Review of: “SALKIND, NEIL J. Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics (2nd ed.).”

Statistics For People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics (2nd ed.) provides a non-threatening introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics. Fundamental ideas and commonly used techniques ar...