Athlete's Stretch Zone

The Stretch Zone has enjoyed helping many pro-athletes from the NFL, NBA, MLB, & ATP reach their athletic best. Sports celebrities from the U.S. Open Champion to the NFL's Most Valuable Player to the IBF Light weight Champion of the world have entered the... Stretch Zone.

Enhance Athletic Performance

The concept of stretching applied only as a means of a warm up or cool down is archaic. Physical abilities can be discovered and further enhanced when an athlete reaches their optimum functional flexibility. A flexible system is an open system, awakening inherent and instinctual movements requiring less thought and greater reaction time. The athlete becomes an automatic, highly responsive system through flexibility, often developing a greater sensory awareness of their surroundings.

The SZM® can assist the athlete and coach with all three phases of conditioning (General Training Phase, Preparatory/Competitive Phase & Recovery Phase). The Stretch Zone's method of practitioner assisted stretching has the ability to accelerate recovery from workouts or competition, increase work capacity and enhance physical performance. The athlete will develop greater body awareness, a greater fluid movement pattern, thereby generating more power through a symmetrical use of muscle groups that are not affected by habitual compensatory muscle shift. With a balanced system the athlete will reach their true maximum potential. Armed with a systematic approach to training, the SZM® is best able to help an athlete be fully prepared for competition, as well to recover both mentally and physically after. Athletes who are introduced to the SZM® learn to sense their bodies, resulting in a greater assessment of the state of their muscles and injuries. This awareness aids in developing a greater sense of control and confidence, ultimately determining peak performance.

Avoiding Compensational Shifts and Muscle Imbalances.

In recent years intense training competition and record-breaking performances have exposed the athletes' body to strains and stresses often exceeding its' inherent adaptive capacity. The Athletes' primary concern is the execution of movement-dynamic equilibrium between structure and function. The repetition of small disturbances compounded over many months and years can create a physical disorder, a chronic injury. Once an athlete has developed a chronic injury, it is highly likely they will also have an extensive muscle imbalance. The symmetrical application of force has been altered. Moreover, the average cost of injury can be staggering to performers and professional organizations alike.

When a professional athlete or performer is injured, depending on the type and location of the injury, millions of dollars in salaries, medical procedures, and after-injury rehabilitation are expended trying to return to pre-injury levels of performance and mobility. After the first injury occurs, studies indicate an increased opportunity for injury of the same area again or continual aggravation of the injured area leading to a decrease in performance and ability. In many cases, regular stretching techniques only serve to stretch muscles beyond their current capacity; therefore, injuries can easily occur if a performer moves or pushes muscles beyond their current stretch reflex ability.

Most stretching methodologies try to wait out, overpower, trick, or ignore the stretch reflex. The proven way to increase performance and mobility is to work with the stretch reflex with revolutionary techniques available through the Stretch Zone Methodology (SZM®). The SZM® Practitioner identifies any postural and movement limitations, then tries to correct or mitigate them thru specific applied stretching sessions. With a balanced system the athlete will reach their true maximum potential.