Flexibility for Young Athletes - Q & A with Bill Hartman
Bill Hartman is a Physical Therapist and Sports Performance Coach in Indianapolis, Indiana

What is the difference between Flexibility and Mobility?
Technically speaking based on textbook definitions there may be no difference, but I do tend to separate the two.

Your simple textbook definition of flexibility is movement about a joint. I would consider that a more isolative concept by looking at a specific joint’s ability to move without any particular context. For instance, if looking at an ankle, how much dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, inversion, and eversion is available.

Mobility requires context and considers motion relative to the rest of the kinetic chain typically in a dynamic situation. For instance, take the same ankle and now identify how much range of motion is available in the performance of a squat or a specific activity like during a change of direction at high speed. Because of the influence of parameters such as available strength, coordination, acceleration/deceleration, tissue stiffness, speed of movement, etc., the available range of motion may very well differ from that found during a direct open chain assessment of range of motion as done in a clinical setting.

You also have to consider how movement at one joint affects another. Fascial relationships tie joints together during movement such that “slack” can be taken up at one joint resulting in limited movement elsewhere. The overhead squat is an example. An athlete may demonstrate normal hip and shoulder range of motion in isolation, but when an overhead squat is performed hip and shoulder mobility may be limited by connective tissue stiffness.

If I were to give a simple definition to mobility it would be the ability to achieve the desired movement or position under specific conditions.

Are both important to young athletes or is one more important than the other?
You really won’t have one without the other because of the mutual influence, but I think if you look at the big picture and my definition above mobility rules because that’s what you see on the field or on the court.

If an athlete can’t produce a specific amount of range of motion under any circumstances then it’s clear that mobility will be affected in specific situations.

Let’s stick with the ankle example.

If I can’t get an athlete’s ankle to evert past neutral under any circumstances then I know that his potential ability to pronate at the ankle and foot and decelerate effectively is going to be compromised. This is going to cause a mobility restriction and result in a compensation at another joint up the kinetic chain. Not only is performance reduced but given enough force, repetition, and time this is a great way to produce an injury resulting in lost training time, game time, or an end to a playing career.

This is a flexibility issue affecting mobility.

The interesting thing is that I may be able to select an ankle mobility exercise, drill, or manually applied mobilization that will improve ankle eversion and therefore improve flexibility AND mobility.

When should young athletes train Flexibility?
Only when it is needed. Unnecessary stretching in the extreme can promote joint instability that can result in injury. It can also rob a young athlete of the necessary natural tissue stiffness he may use to assist in performing high speed movements such as throwing, running, and jumping.

When should they train Mobility?
Always. Mobility is influenced by coordinated movement which in turn is influenced by strength, speed, tissue quality, fatigue, etc. These qualities are constantly changing especially in the young athlete. Neglecting mobility especially during rapid or sensitive periods of physical development can set back the athlete’s performance and set him up for potential injury.

Are there different kinds of Flexibility, or is ‘bending over to touch my toes and stretch my hammy’ what all young athletes should be doing?
Because of all the physical and neurological qualities that influence flexibility, it can be considered a hybrid quality and demonstrated statically, passively, actively, and under specific conditions. Therefore, the type of training selected can be very specific as well.

For instance, it’s not uncommon to see a decrease in joint mobility in situations where the athlete is fatigued, so in this case, the athlete should address mobility issues in a fatigued state.

A young athlete with normal hip flexibility at slow speed may find that his stride is abbreviated at high speeds. This athlete should train flexibility with progressive speed to train the nervous system to allow him to demonstrate optimal flexibility during higher speed activities.

What is the single greatest mistake or myth people make when it comes to Flexibility training?
The biggest misunderstanding in my opinion is that the typical forms of static stretching that we all grew up with and flexibility are the same thing. Static stretching is merely one component of a broad system of training. In some cases it may be an appropriate choice, in others, it may be the absolutely wrong choice.

A close second would be that all athletes need to stretch.

Because flexibility is a hybrid quality meaning that it will be influenced by strength, speed, endurance, coordination, and many other abilities, what is necessary for one athlete may not be for another. In fact, choosing the wrong method of training can negatively affect an athlete’s performance.

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