13 Flexibility Sports Examples for Better Range of Motion and Speed

Flexibility is a crucial component of fitness that impacts performance in almost every sport and physical activity. Many athletes struggle with improving their flexibility. This challenge can leave you feeling stuck and frustrated. Flexibility exercises, such as dynamic stretches and yoga poses, can target key areas of the body and help you make significant improvements. Fortunately, incorporating flexibility sports examples into your warm-ups, training routines, and recovery protocols can help improve your flexibility, enhance your range of motion, and increase your speed for better performance in sports and physical activities. This article will explore some examples to help you get started today.
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Pliability's mobility app can be a great resource to help you improve your flexibility, enhance your range of motion, and increase your speed for better performance in sports and physical activities. With its extensive library of videoed routines and drills, you can easily find routines that target your individual needs and goals.

What Determines How Flexible You Are?

Flexibility measures the ability of the body to move through a range of motion. The more flexible a person is, the less likely they will be injured when performing athletic movements.

Flexibility is significant for sports that require explosive movements, such as jumping, and those that involve a high degree of balance and coordination, such as gymnastics and dance. A flexible body can better adapt to the physical demands of these activities and reduce the risk of injury.  

How Flexibility Works  

Flexibility is an intrinsic property of body tissues that determines the range of motion achievable without injury at a joint or group of joints. That's according to a definition developed by kinesiologists at Dalhousie University and presented at the 13th International Conference on Biomechanics in Sports.

They note that, beyond muscles and connective tissue, one key factor determining flexibility is how a person's skeletal structures fit together.  

The Role of Biology  

“Individual differences in your innate flexibility can be quite large, with genetics playing a big effect,” said Stephen Dunn, a physical therapist and co-founder of Core Therapy and Pilates in Austin Westlake Hills, Texas. “Your flexibility is influenced by a variety of genetically inherited traits, including the structure of your joints, the length of your muscle fibers and the suppleness of your connective tissues,” Dunn told Live Science in an email.  

How Age Impacts Flexibility  

We naturally lose some flexibility with age, said Dunn. “This decrease is brought on by alterations in the tendons and ligaments that make up connective tissues, which lose their elasticity as we age.” He explained.

Tendons connect the bones of a joint to the muscles that manipulate it, while ligaments surround and support that joint, limiting how it can move. “Collagen and elastin are two proteins that are essential for preserving the elasticity and flexibility of our connective tissues,” Dunn said. “Collagen formation declines with age, and the existing collagen stiffen[s] and becomes brittle.”

Other age-related joint changes can impact flexibility, “such as cartilage wear and tear, and sarcopenia or age-related muscle loss,” Dunn added. This is why young people are generally more flexible than older adults.  

The Role of Sex  

Other factors, including sex, also affect flexibility. The female sex hormone estrogen increases the amount of collagen in connective tissue, which generally makes females' tendons and ligaments more elastic and flexible than males', according to a 2019 study in the journal Revista Paulista de Pediatria.

Hypermobility disorders, which typically have a genetic cause and alter the connective tissues, also affect flexibility because people with the conditions show an excessive range of motion in their joints.  

The Benefits of Stretching for Flexibility  

Of course, physical activity significantly impacts flexibility in addition to one's biology. Dunn said that a sedentary lifestyle can result in stiffness and a reduced range of motion. 

Flexibility can be improved through changes in physical activity for example, by adopting a consistent stretching routine. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends stretching at least two to three days a week, or preferably daily.  

What Happens to Muscles When You Stretch?  

In the short term, stretching lengthens the muscle-tendon unit attached to a joint during a stretch and shortly thereafter. It helps counteract stiffness that may have arisen from sitting in a static position. 

In the longer term, on the order of weeks, regular stretching improves the range of motion by increasing one's tolerance levels to stretching, according to a commentary published in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy (IJSPT).  

How Does Stretching Improve Flexibility?  

Also known as the sensory theory for increasing muscle extensibility, this idea suggests that the increased extensibility, or stretchiness, of muscles observed immediately after a stretching session or after several weeks of regular stretching is solely due to changes in sensation. A muscle contracts when first stretched because the muscle spindles, sensors that detect changes in muscle length, send signals to the spinal cord, which then communicate back to the muscle. Dunn said. 

This is due to the stretch reflex, an involuntary defense against overstretching and potential muscle damage. However, “our neural system becomes acclimated to the stretch stimulus through repeated stretching,” he explained, allowing the joint to move through a more excellent range of motion before the stretch reflex activates. That said, people show differences in how much they can adjust their stretch tolerance using the same stretches.  

Types of Stretching  

The IJSPT commentary says all types of stretching can increase flexibility. This includes three types of stretching: 
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• Static stretching involves extending a muscle to its limit and holding that position in stillness. 
• Dynamic stretching requires active movement while extending a joint through its full range of motion. Pre-contraction stretching involves contracting the muscle being stretched or its antagonist (the one that opposes its action) before stretching. 
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There's also evidence that eccentric contractions, during which muscle contracts as it's lengthened, like when lowering a bicep curl, can help increase flexibility. Low-impact exercises like yoga and pilates also engage these different stretching modes and thus improve one's range of motion.

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13 Flexibility Sports Examples for Better Range of Motion and Speed

Flexibility can help you perform daily activities more efficiently. If your muscles have the right tension, you will experience fewer aches and pains because they will be strong enough to support your daily life. We must also mention its mental benefits. When you stretch, you relieve stress by releasing tension. 

Flexibility improves mobility, coordination, and posture, reducing muscle soreness risk. It is worth dedicating time to increase flexibility. By being aware of this, which are the best sports to get that?  

1. Yoga

So many people think you cannot practice yoga if you are not flexible. But it is a myth. Flexibility can be improved, but you have to work on it. It needs:
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• Focus
• Mental strength
• Persistence
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Yoga is perfect for learning to use the breath, be aware of our body, and be patient. Yoga uses a range of poses that help you to gain flexibility. 

Poses held for several rounds of breath serve to connect to the muscle tissue, encouraging it to stretch and relax. The whole body and mind approach makes yoga one of the best ways to gain flexibility and not just by doing some poses.  

2. Pilates  

Pilates, including variations like Wall Pilates, doesn’t require equipment and is based on dynamic and static stretching exercises that prevent muscle shortening, reduce muscle pain and contractures, and promote flexibility. The best way to increase flexibility is through stretching, so Pilates provides an excellent workout for it, as well as improves strength and balance at the same time. 

Nearly all exercises you practice during Pilates boost your flexibility because of the slow and deliberate stretching. Some small muscle groups are ignored in other workouts. However, in pilates, you work on your whole body, and even small muscle groups are considered. Pilates is a safe method to improve the flexibility of the back, hips, hamstrings, front-body, and side-body.  

3. Swimming  

Swimming is not as effective as yoga or pilates to gain flexibility, but it is also a good sport to improve because of the range of motion your joints and muscles require to achieve maximum power and speed. 

While swimming, you stretch your whole body, making your joints flexible and helping recovery. Swimming strengthens the core muscles, which helps support and stabilize the body for better balance.  

4. Tai Chi  

Tai chi is a low-impact, slow-motion exercise ideal for people of all ages and physical conditions seeking flexibility. It can boost upper and lower body flexibility as well as strength. 

Regular exercise of any kind can help to stay flexible. The sports we mentioned will be beneficial if you want to improve your flexibility. Being supple will have a positive effect on your overall well-being. Work on it!  

5. Gymnastics  

Gymnastics is one of the best sports for developing both agility and flexibility. It requires athletes to perform a variety of movements that demand full-body coordination, from tumbling and flips to balancing and stretching on apparatus like rings, beams, and bars. 

Flexibility is essential for gymnasts to achieve the range of motion needed for advanced movements, while agility allows them to change direction and control their bodies in midair quickly.  

6. Martial Arts (Karate, Taekwondo, Judo)  

Martial arts, including karate, taekwondo, and judo, combine agility, flexibility, strength, and mental discipline. These sports involve various fast, precise movements, such as:
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• Kicks
• Punches
• Blocks
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Which require quick direction changes and body control. High kicks and defensive maneuvers also demand flexibility in the:
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• Legs
• Hips
• Back 
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7. Dance (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop)  

Dance is an artistic expression that provides excellent physical conditioning for agility and flexibility. Whether:
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• Ballet
• Contemporary
• Hip-hop
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Dance requires fluid movements, precise footwork, and often explosive transitions between poses. Flexibility is key in performing splits, kicks, and extensions, while agility allows dancers to move quickly and gracefully through complex choreography.  

8. Tennis  

Tennis is a fast-paced sport that requires players to be agile and flexible to succeed. Players must constantly move across the court, reacting to the ball’s direction, speed, and angle. Tennis involves quick sprints, lateral movements, and reaching for shots, all requiring flexibility and agility.  

9. Soccer  

Soccer is a sport that emphasizes endurance, speed, agility, and flexibility. Players must dribble, pass, and shoot the ball while constantly moving, requiring rapid direction changes and quick footwork. Flexibility is key in kicking, defending, and performing acrobatic saves or tackles, while agility is crucial for navigating defenders and making sharp turns.  

10. Basketball  

Basketball is a fast-moving sport that requires constant agility, speed, and flexibility. Players need to pivot, dribble, and sprint while maintaining control of the ball and navigating around defenders. Jumping to shoot or block a shot also requires leg and hip flexibility.  

11. Surfing  

Surfing requires high agility and flexibility as surfers must balance on a moving surfboard while riding waves. Quickly adjusting body positioning to maintain balance and control is critical. 

At the same time, flexibility helps surfers perform turns, maneuvers, and body alignment as they navigate the ocean’s unpredictable conditions.  

12. Volleyball  

Volleyball requires quick reflexes, fast footwork, and explosive movements, making it an excellent sport for developing agility. Players must react quickly to the:
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• Ball
• Diving
• Jumping
• Shifting directions to make plays
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Flexibility helps players reach for the ball and perform dynamic movements like spiking and blocking.  

13. Fencing  

Fencing is a combat sport that requires precision, speed, and excellent hand-eye coordination. Fencers must be agile to evade their opponents’ attacks and quickly strike when an opportunity arises. Flexibility allows them to move smoothly and efficiently, making changing direction and maintaining control easier.

Related Reading

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• Why Is It Important for Athletes to Be Flexible
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• How Can Flexibility Training Reduce the Risk of Back Pain?
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• Flexibility Exercises at Home
• Flexibility Workout Plan
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Improve Your Flexibility with Our Mobility App Today | Get 7 Days for Free on Any Platform

Pliability offers a fresh take on yoga tailored for performance-oriented individuals and athletes. Our app features a vast library of high-quality videos designed to improve flexibility, aid recovery, reduce pain, and enhance range of motion. 

Pliability provides daily-updated custom mobility programs for those interested in optimizing their health and fitness. It also includes a unique body-scanning feature to pinpoint mobility issues. If you're feeling limited by pain or your ability to move, Pliability aims to complement your fitness routine and help you move better. Sign up today for 7 days absolutely for free, on iPhone, iPad, Android, or on our website to improve flexibility, aid recovery, reduce pain, and enhance range of motion with our mobility app.

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