Springtime sports can be a stretch

There is nothing like it. Those first warm spring days following yet another cold and endless winter.

You can’t wait to get out the golf clubs, if you can find them. Hopefully, you didn’t leave them outside. If you did, they may have inhabitants.

Anyway, the last thing you want to do is go out and play your first nine or 18 holes and then spend the next few days aching and recuperating.

The same goes for softball/baseball players or joggers.

That first practice or run could be memorable for the wrong reasons.

So the call goes out to Phil Mateja, who has been a trainer for 29 years and is currently working for Tom Vanidestine Sports Care in Bangor.

Mateja has kindly supplied a list of stretching exercises for those who would like to reduce the amount of recuperation time between our first golf, softball/baseball, or jogging excursion of the spring and the second one.

These are to be done before launching into the first tee shot, taking the field, or taking to the jogging trail.

Golfers: “First of all, slowly bend at the waist. With the club in your hand, slowly try to touch your toes.

“Then slowly bend back and from side to side. Rotate the trunk of your body to the left and then to the right. You can put your club behind your back while you do that.

“Put the head of the club in one hand and push the shaft of the club toward the shoulder you’re stretching. Switch hands. Do each stretch for 10 seconds and do each one two or three times.”

Mateja said golfers can stretch their legs by extending their legs, curling their toes up, and reaching out with their arms to try to touch them. That is good for the hamstrings.

You can also lift your leg, balance yourself, and pull it up toward your rear end. That’s good for the quadriceps.

The hamstring and quadriceps exercises should also be done after the player has completed the round of golf.

Another before-and-after exercise has golfers standing flatfooted next to a wall, putting their hands against the wall and leaning toward the wall like they’re doing a pushup.

That is good for the calves and Achilles’ tendon.

Before golfers tee off, they should take some “easy practice swings” to further loosen up.

Baseball/softball: To loosen up your arms, Mateja said you should gently grab the opposite elbow and bring the arm across the chest. Then put each arm straight up in the air and push the opposite elbow gently back behind the head.

Then, bend at the waist and do a pendulum motion with each arm. Rotate each shoulder-arm clockwise and counterclockwise, from side to side, and from front to back.

Do these three or four times for 10 seconds apiece, then play short toss with a teammate before moving back slowly.

Players can emulate golfers by stretching with their bats and then taking up to a dozen easy swings.

Joggers: Bring each knee up to your chest, or lay on your back and bring each knee up to your chest. To stretch out your groin muscles, get into a catcher’s stance, and slowly push your knees out with your elbows.

Mateja said avoid jogging on hard surfaces if possible. Grass, rubberized tracks, and dirt are easier on the legs and back.

After jogging, cool down properly by walking for at least five minutes and then doing the leg stretching exercises previously mentioned.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231 or 1-800-310-8600. His email address is lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.