ABSTRACT
Flexibility has been defined as ‘the intrinsic property of body tissues, which determines the range of motion achievable without injury at a joint or group of joints’ (Holt et al., 1996, p. 172). However the term flexibility has historically involved some confusion or contention. Inconsistencies in terminology used by varying disciplines has been a major factor, where the term often means different things to different disciplines. For example, Kisner (2002) defined flexibility as the ability of a muscle to relax and yield to stretch. This definition emphasises the contractile component of soft tissue structures around a joint rather than the movement available at a specific joint or joints.
