Development and evaluation of procedures for valid and reliable estimation of the flexibility of athletes

Abstract

Following a factor analysis, six measures of flexibility were identified that fulfilled the following criteria: 1) were representative of a wide range of different measures of flexibility; 2) represented movements that were commonly observed in sports; 3) could be measured with precision by sportsscientists working in a standard sports-science laboratory. The six measurements were: 1) spinal-plushamstring flexion; 2) hip abduction; 3) hip flexion; 4) ankle dorsi-flexion; 5) hip hyper-extension; 6) shoulder hyper-extension with the arms horizontal. Equipment that allows easy measurement of these variables is described. The reliability of various protocols for the measurement of flexibility is reported and, following more than ten years of experience with the technique, a definitive protocol for each of the six flexibility measurements is described. Descriptive statistics for the six measurements are also reported.