11 Sports That Require Flexibility & How to Improve Yours

Flexibility  impacts performance, no matter your sport. Picture this: You're out on the field or court, and your team is counting on you to make a play. You take off running, but suddenly, you feel a tug in your leg. You ignore it and keep going, but the next thing you know, you've pulled a muscle and are sidelined for weeks. This scenario is all too common, especially in sports that require flexibility. Improving your flexibility can help athletes achieve peak performance and reduce injury risk. What is the best way to go about it? This article will cover sports that require flexibility and how Flexibility exercises  can help you improve your performance in these activities. 

To take your training to the next level, check out Pliability's mobility app. You can use it to learn sport-specific flexibility techniques to help you achieve your performance goals and reduce your risk of injury. 

What is Flexibility in Sports Exactly?

Flexibility is the range of motion a joint or series of joints can move through without discomfort. The importance of flexibility in sports performance cannot be understated. Flexibility enhances performance by allowing athletes to achieve better body positioning, reduce injury risk, and improve overall strength and agility. 

A Modern Lifestyle That Impairs Flexibility 

Unsurprisingly, our modern lifestyle revolves around physically passive days, where most work is done at an office and often sits down. Gone are when people spent most of their day doing physical work. Sure, this has brought us a lot of comfort in our daily lives, but it also shapes our bodies in an unfavorable direction.  

A passive lifestyle not only causes overweight issues but is also the main culprit of most of the problems that occur in our musculoskeletal systems (muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, connective tissue, and fascia), including:
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• Muscular tightness
• Bad posture
• Lower-back pain
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For an athlete, these effects can reduce your performance, hinder your progress, and even lead to long rehabilitation periods due to injuries; that’s not what any of us want. 

What is Flexibility in Sports? 

Flexibility in sports describes the mobility of a single limb, joint, or muscle. On the other hand, this is crucial in your ability to move your body efficiently and safely. Flexibility also utilizes every single component of your body and varies from person to person and joint to joint. 

A Unique Blueprint for Each Body

This means every joint, tendon, muscle, and ligament has characteristics and mechanical properties. Therefore, flexibility development is also determined by how you perform your regular physical activities and what kind of stretching you do. After all, your goal is to optimize the range of motion (ROM) you need in your sport while maintaining joint stability. 

The Benefits of Flexibility for Sports Performance 

Flexibility is essential for other fitness components required for an active lifestyle or athletic career. Your strength, power, speed, and even your endurance require a sufficient range of motion to perform in the best way possible. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that flexibility strongly connects to athletic performance. 

The Strength-Flexibility Connection

If a muscle is tight and inflexible, you won’t be able to utilize its full strength potential. And, since the body works as a combination of muscles, one weak muscle can ruin the whole kinetic chain (movement through multiple body segments) during your performance. Therefore, athletes must maintain a sufficient range of motion required in their sport to ensure athletic progression without the risk of injury. 

Not All Flexibility is Created Equal 

Notably, the relationship between flexibility and athletic performance is sports-specific, and not all sports require the same flexibility. Increased muscle stiffness may benefit some high-intensity sports due to more significant force production. Too much flexibility can even lead to joint health issues later on.

Types of Flexibility and Stretching 

Another thing worth noting is that flexibility and stretching come in many different forms in a sports context. For example, you can divide flexibility into active and passive flexibility or compare different stretching methods that should be done before or after a workout or even as part of a training routine. There are also tons of different stretching methods that vary in technique, intensity, duration and the physical effect on your body.

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11 Sports That Require Flexibility for Peak Athletic Performance

1. Yoga: The Foundation of Flexibility Training

Flexibility training has its roots in yoga, a great way to improve performance in sports. When you practice yoga, you:
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• Increase your range of motion
• Lubricate your joints
• Develop lasting suppleness in your muscles and tendons
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Each pose, or asana, challenges your body’s limits and mental resilience. 

Building Strength, Balance, and Control

The more you practice, the better you transition smoothly from one pose to the next. This ability to precisely control your body translates directly into enhanced athletic performance. For example, poses like Downward Dog and the Warrior sequence can help you develop lower body strength, while inversions such as Headstands and Shoulderstands defy gravity and improve balance. 

Injury Prevention and Enhanced ROM

Regular yoga practice is a fantastic complement to any training regimen. Coaches and athletes alike should consider integrating yoga sessions into their weekly training. Those who do often find themselves less prone to injury and experience improved range of motion, which is, as you know, vital for peak athletic function. 

2. Gymnastics: Flexibility is Key for Performance

Gymnastics requires some serious flexibility, particularly in the hips and shoulders. If a gymnast doesn’t have flexibility, agility, or strength, they won’t have the full range of motion to perform their stunts successfully. That can impact your score significantly if you’re competing! Standard moves performed in gymnastics that rely on optimal flexibility are: 
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• Splits
• Cartwheels
• Handstands
• Somersaults
• Back handsprings 
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3. Diving: Flexibility for Precision

A good diver knows they should have good shoulders and upper back flexibility. Diving positions fold your body in all sorts of different shapes. For example, the tuck position has your knees touching your chest. The pike position also requires the diver’s body to be bent at the waist with their legs remaining straight and their toes pointed for the move's duration. 

4. Surfing: Flexibility for Maneuverability

This one may surprise most people, but having flexibility while surfing is essential. It allows you to bend freely, so you can quickly turn the surfboard to maneuver through the waves on the water. Surfing requires much work from the hips, shoulders, and neck. 

Building flexibility and strength in those joints will help you become a better surfer by preparing your body for high-stress scenarios. 

5. Combat Sports: Flexibility for Performance and Health

To be successful in combat sports, you should have good posture and quick reflexes. Being flexible is essential for your posture and allows your joints to be in the correct positions to stretch and contract during swift motions. 

Fighters want to keep all the major muscle groups and joints throughout their bodies nice and limber to move quickly. A few examples of combat sports where flexibility is necessary include:
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• Martial arts
• Wrestling
• Boxing
• Jiu-jitsu
• Karate
   

6. Figure Skating: Flexibility for Performance

Figure skaters are sort of like gymnasts but on ice. They tend to position their bodies at extreme lengths to achieve those graceful moves during their show. Being flexible can help improve endurance and skating performance. It also allows skaters to do stunts like spirals and split jumps quickly. 

7. Dance: Flexibility for Performance

Have you ever noticed dancers move effortlessly and elongate their limbs during a choreographed performance? This is because their loosened and flexible muscles help them move better. Since stretching also increases blood circulation and gives you energy, it allows dancers to perform longer without fatigue. Flexibility is vital for all dance styles, including: 
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• Ballet
• Salsa
• Belly dancing
• Break dancing
• Tap dancing 

8. Cheerleading: Flexibility for Performance and Safety

It’s hard to be peppy and root for your team when you have tight muscles! Cheerleaders need a decent amount of flexibility to perform their stunts and dance moves without hurting themselves. Cheerleading is the most dangerous sport for women, and injuries are more likely to occur from a lack of proper training and flexibility. 

9. Pole Vaulting: Flexibility for Technique

Flexibility is imperative for pole vaulters because a proper technique requires a good stretch reflex. When you push off the ground to jump, it produces a stretch in the hips and quads. Your shoulders also go through a stretch reflex when you push the pole into the box. Good flexibility in those areas helps with the stretch reflex and provides a more powerful technique. 

10. Skiing: Flexibility for Maneuverability

Flexibility helps you have a better range of motion, which is necessary when skiing. It enables you to maneuver quickly, achieving higher jumps to perform stunts. Skiers also need optimal flexibility in their calves since ski boots tend to make you hinge at the heel. This stretches the calf and Achilles in each leg, and your chances of injuring these areas are more significant if they’re tight. 

11. Weightlifting: Flexibility for Performance

Weightlifting or other strength training activities also require some flexibility. This can help ensure all the different parts of your body work together for optimal performance. Believe it or not, good flexibility allows you to lift better by not restricting how the significant muscles in your arms and legs move.

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Should Non-Athletes Try to Improve Flexibility?

Absolutely! We encourage non-athletes to improve their flexibility since it’s just as useful for everyday activities. People with limited flexibility and range of motion might find it more challenging to do certain activities without feeling aches, including: 
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• Reaching
• Stooping
• Walking 
• Bending 
• Squatting 
• Walking up or down the stairs
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These aches occur because those who lack decent flexibility will experience uncomfortable knots in their muscles and tissues. When non-athletes work on improving flexibility with specific exercises and stretching, it breaks up those knots, so the muscles have less restriction. 

6 Simple Ways to Increase Your Flexibility 

Below, Polly de Mille, an exercise physiologist at HSS’s Sports Rehabilitation and Performance Center, shares some of her favorite tips for increasing flexibility. 

1. Consider Foam Rolling

Research has shown that using a foam roller results in similar gains in short-term flexibility as traditional stretching. For example, using a foam roller on your thigh can increase muscle circulation and improve flexibility. Simply roll up and down on your thigh three to four times, then rock your leg side to side on the roller a few times. 

Watch this video to learn more about foam rolling. Other self-myofascial tools include massage sticks and balls, and percussion devices. Just a few minutes of self-myofascial release can loosen up tight tissues. 

2. Perform Dynamic Rather Than Static Stretching Before Activity

Dynamic stretching involves moving back and forth through your joint’s range of motion without holding or straining. One example of a dynamic stretch would be 15 leg swings, during which you just let your leg find its natural range of motion as it moves back and forth. There is no “holding the stretch” in dynamic stretching. 

Generally, as you repeatedly go through a movement, you will gradually increase your range of motion, but you’re not trying to reach your limit. Hip openers, butt kicks, and Frankenstein walks are other examples of dynamic stretches that can be part of an effective warm-up. 

3. Perform Static Stretching After Activity

Your muscles will be warm and more pliable after a workout, so this is the perfect time to hold a stretch. Extend a muscle or a group of muscles to the farthest point you can without pain, and hold the stretch for at least 20 seconds. Repeat 2-4 times. 

4. Target Your Stretches to the Areas That Need It

Pay particular attention to particularly tight areas. The most challenging stretches for you are often the ones you need the most. If your hamstrings are flexible but tight in your hip flexors and calves, focus your stretching time on those areas that need it. If you sit at a desk all day, your chest and the front of your hips will likely benefit from some stretching. 

If you are highly flexible everywhere, there’s no need to increase flexibility beyond a normal joint range of motion. Your time may be better spent strengthening the muscles supporting your joints. 

5. Stretch Frequently

Flexibility gains are hard-won and easily lost. Stretch the particularly tight areas daily and, if possible, do it more than once a day. 

6. Make Sure You Are Stretching the Muscle Safely

Just because you learned to do a particular stretch while running track in high school doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Specific stretches like the hurdler’s stretch may place your knee in a compromised position. 

You should not feel strain, pressure, or joint pain when stretching a muscle. Find the point at which you feel a stretch in the muscle without discomfort, and avoid any position that feels like it is causing strain in the joint.

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. Key features include:
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• A vast library of high-quality videos designed to improve flexibility, aid recovery, reduce pain, and enhance range of motion.
• Daily updated custom mobility programs for optimizing their health and fitness.
• A unique body-scanning feature to pinpoint mobility issues.
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Enhancing Movement for Everyone

Whether you're limited by pain or movement restrictions, Pliability complements your fitness routine and helps you move better. 

Sign up today for a 7-day free trial on iPhone, iPad, Android, or via our website to improve flexibility, aid recovery, reduce pain, and enhance range of motion with our mobility app.

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