middle split or front split series for track athletes?

Hello all.

I coach middle school track-n-field (running events + long jump + shot put) for kids 12-14 years of age.  I have four 1-hour practices per week with my athletes, and I'm trying to decide which stretch series to do once per week with them (I have permission from this site's administrators to use it).  We won't have time for more than one.  Would the front split or middle split stretch series be of greater utility for my runners?  Thanks for any help or guidance you can provide.

-Craig

Not that I'm an authority, but I played soccer in high school and college, so I'm familiar with what I always needed work on. Depending on the track/field sport, an initial answer would say, it varies. Hurdlers most definitely would benefit from MSs as it would help with mobility in getting over the blocks. Generally speaking, though, Front split covers most of the lower leg and I would focus on that. Quads, hamstrings, calves, ankles, knees, hip flexors, all need the attention most. Not sure on your permissions, but I would consider including the first few stretches from MSs (STS all the way to diamond frog or frog stretch), if you were able to include that, I would pretty much say you've got your bases covered, but seeing that you've been enabled to teach these series at the discretion of GB I'm not sure if you'd be allowed to tack on those few stretches. I added the notion that MSs could help because my piriformis and groin were often tight and to reference hurdlers again, opening up the groin and hip adductors would like help with stride length and fluidity of their running. Just my two cents. 

TL;DR: go with FSs, if you're able to tack on a few of the stretches from the beginning of the MSs, if not maybe show them (I don't think GB owns the rights to the butterfly, frog, or piriformis stretches, or do they?)

I would go for the Front Split series, because 

1. you got stretches for the tibialis, feet, calves etc., I did track for 10 years for 5 times a week and did competitions and I struggled from time to time with shin splints etc. so to prevent this, i would go for the Front split series

2. you got the narrow and especially the wide hurdler stretch in there -  as the name says exact the position you need over the hurdle!

3. There is not that much movements where you actually need range of motion with your legs to the side, so i don't see the big plus for the middle split series there (if i could i would do both for sure, but not if i really have to choose)

4. depending on your long jump technique, pike flexibility (in the front split series) will help you to reach your legs further front

but maybe you can vary it from week to week, or ask your athletes to work on the stretches on their own where they got deficits. 

Thank you, gentlemen, for the excellent suggestions.  We'll use front split plus a few elements from the middle split series.

Don't forget about the Thoracic spine and shoulders. Think of all the rotation in the trunk that occurs in athletics. If the thoracic spine does not rotate running performance drops and there is a higher risk of injury to the lower limbs. A stiff thoracic spine will also restrict breathing. If the rib joints are not free to move there is a greater effort to breath, which will cause a quicker rise in the  heart rate and earlier onset of fatigue. Most teenagers have terrible thoracic spines, so you will be helping them greatly. 

I would do a three week cycle of each series once a week. Then give them an exercise to work on for the week. The exercise they work on would be the one they found the most difficult to do.

6 weeks in, the short version: the adolescent children of the USA are also concrete zombies, just like their elders.

The long version: we are doing front split + a few middle split progressions every Thursday (we call it "suffering in silence" because Coach Sommer says "don't talk while you stretch";  the penalty for talking is the whole team does 15 burpees). We do some thoracic stuff each day as part of warmup (table rocks, twisting bear).

I have 27 athletes, age 12-14.  26 of them have at least one area of profound immobility (e.g. One boy has a full front split but cannot do one deck squat because of ankle immobility).  The outlier is a dancer who can, for example, do the single leg pike with her trailing leg above her head -- that is, she can do a front split vertically against a wall. She also has an easy pancake roll-through.  

The vast majority of the kids REALLY struggle with MULTIPLE elements.  Children in our school sit in chairs too much and they spend lots of time hunched over computers.  That is probably true at most schools in U.S.

I haven't kept track of this data over a couple years, but it seems like our injury rate is considerably lower than previous seasons.

Each athlete is doing his/her 2 most difficult stretches each day at end of practice. 

The kids like the stretching protocol.  Except that, like all of us, they also hate it a little bit, because it is, though fulfilling and beneficial, also unpleasant.  Sorta like brussel sprouts.

Thanks for the suggestions, and thanks GB team for letting me use this with my squad of runners.  I'll post an update in late May when our season ends.

Personally i've found that with young kids the attention is critical especially when holding a position for long time more then 30 seconds, the only case is when they are motivated for a future sports result. I used to do more dynamic work with young kids, following the stretch series work but use as much as possible dynamic variations.

To motivate the kids, I've stolen from Kelly Starrett:  you'll get faster/stronger if you get more mobile. 

What I REALLY need is an expert at practice to observe and guide the kids through a session. Any volunteers? Greater Baltimore area is really lovely this time of year. 

Consider contacting Chris Garay of Physicality GST, my GB affiliate in the Washington, D.C. area.  Perhaps you two can work something out.

https://www.facebook.com/physicalityGST

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer