Easy Gridiron Stretches and Flexibility Exercises

...guaranteed to improve your performance and do away with gridiron injuries for good.

The origin of Gridiron (American Football) can be traced to early rugby and soccer played in England. Early versions of similar games may have been played by Native Americans and also by early settlers in America. The games remained largely unorganized until the early 19th century. Intramural games were being played on college campuses. These early games varied by location but they were all mass games with much violence.

If you're looking to improve your gridiron game or just seeking to prevent gridiron injuries it is important to follow the information in this article. In addition, making stretching a part of your fitness regime will have a significant impact. To get you started on a safe and effective stretching routine learn more about The Stretching Handbook and how it can improve your fitness.

Top 3 gridiron stretches Princeton students played a game called "ballown," while Harvard students had "Bloody Monday," which was played between the freshman and sophomore classes. Dartmouth had their own version, as well. It was called "Old division football." Each college played games by their own rules. The brutality of the games, leading to many serious injuries and some deaths, lead to many schools, and cities, banning the game.

The game continued at many New England prep schools and in the general public. The "Boston Game" was being played on the Boston Commons. The game was a variation of both the kicking version and the carrying version being played at the colleges earlier.

The game made its way back to college campuses in the 1860s. The first intercollegiate game was played at Rutgers field, between Rutgers and Princeton. The game was played under Rutgers rules and they won the game six goals to four. A week later the two teams played a rematch at Princeton, under their rules, and they won 8 scores to zero. In the 1870s a few more schools started fielding teams.

In 1873 Yale, Rutgers, Columbia, and Princeton got together to standardize the rules. These rules were based more on soccer than on rugby. Harvard, who had been playing the "Boston Game" decided to skip the rules meeting. They began playing other schools in rugby and decided to merge some of the rules to their version of football.

Walter Camp became an integral part of early football rules formation. In 1878 he proposed the first rule changes, limiting the number of players on the field to eleven. In 1880 he also introduced the line of scrimmage and the center-quarterback snap exchange, which was first done with the foot. Camp also proposed the idea of downs and the need to advance 5 yards in three downs or lose possession of the ball. This was later increased to 10 yards and 4 downs.

The NCAA was started to manage and enforce the rules of intercollegiate play. Bowl games are played at the end of the season between the winners of each division. A national champion is crowned by a combination of power rankings and polls of sports writers. Many college players aspire to play professional football.

Professional football began in 1892 when William "Pudge" Heffelfinger was paid a $500 contract to play football. In 1920 the American Professional Football Association was formed, and two years later it changed its name to the National Football League (NFL.) It quickly became a national phenomenon and in 1960 a second league formed. The American Football League put pressure on the NFL and eventually the two leagues merged and divisions were formed. This also led to the first Super Bowl. The league has expanded to 32 teams and 8 divisions. The season runs from August to December, with the culmination (the Super Bowl) coming in January. The league also sponsors an All-Star game, called the Pro Bowl, in February.

American football has grown and has gained international attention. The NFL helped this along by establishing the NFL Europe in 1995, establishing teams in European cities. This spurred the formation of many "Semi-pro" or Minor league teams throughout Europe. Canada plays a similar version of football with slight rule variations. Mexico and Japan are also hot spots for American football.

Anatomy Involved
The modern rules are structured to improve safety and the new equipment standards have taken some of the danger out of the game. However, as athletes get stronger and faster the collisions and tackles become more violent. American football players must be well conditioned for their game to avoid injuries and achieve peak performance. Football requires a good combination of strength, speed, agility, and endurance.

The various positions in football require different degrees of muscular involvement. Running backs and receivers require more lower body strength and agility. Offensive and defensive linemen, linebackers, and ends require more upper body strength along with the lower body strength. Neck strength and flexibility, along with good musculature along the torso to protect the rib cage and organs are essential to the football player. The muscles of the extremities must be strong to protect the joints.

The major muscles involved in Gridiron (American Football), for all positions, include:

The muscles of the legs; the quadriceps, hamstrings, and the gastrocnemius and soleus.
The muscles of the hips; the gluteals, abductor and adductor muscles of the hips, and the hip flexors.
The core muscles; the rectus abdominus, obliques, and spinal erectors.
The muscles around the shoulder girdle and neck; the pectorals, deltoids, latissimus dorsi, the muscles of the neck and the trapezius.

A comprehensive training program is essential to keep these muscles strong and flexible. This will help reduce injury and improve performance in gridiron.

Most Common Gridiron Injuries
gridiron stretching exercises Athletes playing American football are subject to violent external forces on a regular basis. The high speed collisions and awkward body positions during tackling and blocking activities often put the body in danger of traumatic injuries.

Some of the common injuries suffered by football players are ligament sprains in the knee, meniscus tears, shoulder dislocation and subluxations, muscle strains, concussions, and neck injuries.

Knee Ligament Sprains: During play the knee is subjected to many stresses, ranging from normal to extreme. The ligaments that hold the knee together have a small degree of stretch capability but when they are stretched beyond their normal range they will tear. The severity of the injury depends on the number of fibers torn, and whether it tears completely from the bone. Blows to the side of the knee or getting hit while the knee is twisted are common causes of these types of injuries. The two most common ligament injuries occur to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL). The recovery time varies depending on the severity of the injury, and whether surgical interventions are required to repair it.
Meniscus Tear: The cartilage, or meniscus, that cushions the knee is under constant abuse when running, jumping and blocking. When the knee is twisted the cartilage can be torn. The torn cartilage causes further injury as the jagged edges rub against the other cartilage and bone. It may not be debilitating, and many athletes play with torn cartilage, opting to have it repaired in the off-season. It requires arthroscopic surgery to repair, which usually requires 4 to 6 weeks to return to normal function.
Shoulder Dislocation and Subluxations: The shoulder joint is weakest when the arm is extended away from the body, especially behind the body. Force applied against the hand in that position can cause a partial (subluxation) or complete dislocation of the shoulder joint. When falling from a tackle or while extending to catch a pass, players are often in these positions. The additional weight of a tackler, along with their own body weight, can lead to the necessary force for a dislocation. Immobilizing the joint and applying ice are the immediate treatment steps. Subluxations often return to normal position on their own. Some dislocations will reduce on their own, as well. Both of these conditions, even if they return to normal position on their own, should be treated by a medical professional. The average recovery time is 6 weeks.
Muscle Strains: The muscles of football players are subjected to bursts of activity followed by rest and then a return to activity. When an athlete is resting the muscles cool and then they may be called back into action without any sort of gradual build up. This can lead to tearing of the muscles. These vary depending on the number of fibers involved. Complete tears may require surgical intervention. Minor strains can be treated with ice, rest, and NSAIDs.
Concussions: The head to head collisions involved in tacking and blocking activities have caused many concussions on the gridiron. When the brain is bounced around inside the skull some slight swelling and bruising occurs. This damage to the brain can cause unconsciousness, memory loss, and in extreme cases, long term brain damage. The swelling and bruising often subsides within 24 hours. Keeping the athlete awake and applying oxygen can often reduce the impact of the injury. Any brain injury should be seen by a medical professional.
Neck Injuries: The scariest injury in football is an injury to the neck. Although the number of spinal cord injuries is very small it is always a concern. When the vertebrae in the neck are fractured or moved beyond their normal range of motion the spinal cord may be damaged, or severed. This can cause many problems from paralysis to death. Neck injuries require immobilization of the spine and immediate medical attention.

Injury Prevention Strategies
Strength and conditioning is a key piece of the injury prevention strategy for gridiron players.

Using high quality protective equipment that has been maintained properly will help prevent many injuries.
Practicing proper body mechanics when performing the many skills on the field will also reduce the chance of putting the body in a position that might cause injury.
Avoiding use of the head when tackling or blocking will help prevent neck and head injuries.
Strengthening the muscles to provide support for the joints and reducing the strain on the muscles during the intense activity will prevent strains, sprains, and dislocations.
Stretching exercises will help keep the muscles flexible enough to handle all of the activities required on the field.

The Top 3 Gridiron Stretches
Stretching is one of the most under-utilized techniques for improving athletic performance, preventing sports injury and properly rehabilitating sprain and strain injury. Don't make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won't be effective.

Below are 3 of the most beneficial stretches for gridiron. Obviously there are a lot more, but these are a great place to start. Please make special note of the instructions beside each stretch.

	Arm-up Rotator Stretch: Stand with your arm out and your forearm pointing upwards at 90 degrees. Place a broom stick in your hand and behind your elbow. With your other hand pull the bottom of the broom stick forward.
	Lying Knee Roll-over Stretch: While lying on your back, bend your knees and let them fall to one side. Keep your arms out to the side and let your back and hips rotate with your knees.
	Kneeling Quad Stretch: Kneel on one foot and the other knee. If needed, hold on to something to keep your balance and then push your hips forward.

The above 3 stretches are just a small sample of stretching exercises that will help you improve your gridiron game and eliminate gridiron injuries.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won't be effective. To really take advantage of all the benefits of a regular stretching program and improve your flexibility quickly and safely, check out The Stretching Handbook & DVD.

Together they include over 130 clear photographs and 40 videos of every possible stretching exercise, for every major muscle group in your body.

The Stretching Handbook & DVD will show you, step-by-step, how to perform each stretch EXACTLY! Plus, you'll learn the benefits of flexibility; the 7 critical rules for safe stretching; and how to stretch properly. Discover more about The Stretching Handbook & DVD here.

If you enjoyed this issue of The Stretching & Sports Injury Report, please feel free to forward it to others, make it available for download from your site or post it on forums for others to read. Please make sure the following paragraph and URL are included:

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Article by Brad Walker and The Stretching Institute™
Brad is a leading stretching and sports injury consultant
with more than 20 years experience in the health and
fitness industry. For more articles on stretching, flexibility
and sports injury management, please visit:
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/
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