Static stretches are well accepted by volleyball players. For anyone to suggest that you should not do such stretches is almost sacrilegious. But if we closely examine not only the research done on static stretching but practical experiences, you will see that static stretches do not truly prepare you for playing nor do they help to prevent injury..
In static stretches you hold an end of range of motion (ROM) position for up to 30 or more seconds to stretch the muscles and connective tissue surrounding the joint being worked. For example, it is not uncommon to see players leaning into a wall with their feet flat on the floor to stretch the Achilles tendon and calf muscles or bending over to touch the toes to stretch the hamstrings for fairly long periods of time. The key to successful execution of these stretches is to relax the muscles as much as possible to get a gradual increase in the ROM. The muscle relaxation is needed to counteract the muscle and tendon reflexes which tend to hold back any increases in ROM.
Volleyball is a very dynamic sport that requires active and often forceful movements of the legs and arms especially when getting to the ball. The joint actions are ballistic in nature, i.e., they are initiated with a strong muscular contraction to accelerate the limb or body and to place it in motion after which it continues on its own momentum. The forces experienced in such movements far surpass those seen in static stretching. As a result, you can never prepare yourself adequately to cope with forceful movements if you do static stretches. This is one reason why it is not uncommon to find injuries occurring. Substantiation can be found in studies that show static stretches done prior to playing do not decrease the number of injuries experienced. Because of this, to truly prepare the muscles for playing, the stretches must involve the muscles actively through the ROM in which they must operate.
Volleyball is a neuro-muscular activity that requires constant firing of the nerves to activate the muscles to produce the leg, arm and body actions. Thus to truly prepare the muscles and joints for short quick bursts of speed and changes in direction you must do some active movements to bring about proper preparation of the muscles and joints involved.
Excessive static stretching may stretch the ligaments and other tissues to such a degree that they no longer are elastic. As a result they do not return to their original shape and size. This may be a reason for the increase in the number of injuries that occur since the excessive static stretching results in weaker joints that are more susceptible to injury. The problem is compounded even more so if no supplementary strength training is done to maintain joint integrity.
Most effective is to stretch and strengthen the joint support structures simultaneously through the full range of motion. Full ROM exercises against resistance offer the greatest functional increase in ROM. When the stretches are accompanied by strengthening the danger of injury is decreased tremendously and more importantly, the muscles and joints are prepared for forthcoming activity.
Stretches that are active in nature truly warm up and prepare the muscles for action, which is an important goal of stretching in the warm-up. As the term implies, warm-up means to increase the temperature of the muscle prior to participation. By doing active stretches with active involvement of the muscles and joints through a full ROM the muscles warm-up and become prepared for the activity.
Examples of active stretching include exercises such as the squat, lunge, side lunge, lateral and front arm raises to the full overhead position, good morning and pullover. These exercises must be done through the full ROM. If you use weights and go through the full ROM you will gain strength together with greater flexibility.