A Study Into Climbers` Beliefs, Knowledge And Attitudes Towards Stretching When Climbing.

A questionnaire was developed to assess the beliefs, knowledge and attitudes towards stretching when climbing, with the aim of recommending future research and developing climbing behavior.

Literature: The four areas of literature researched included, stretching to improve performance, stretching to reduce injuries, stretching that does not improve performance and stretching that does not reduce injuries. Literature that supports the proposition of stretching for improved performance is systematically reviewed by Thacker (2004) who concludes that stretching is an important method for reducing injuries. Research on stretching to reduce injuries by Shrier (2004) concluded that a regular (chronic) stretching routine can reduce the incidence of injuries, however Shrier (1999), found that acute bouts of stretching do not reduce the incidence of injuries. The literature on stretching reducing performance shows that Short-term (acute) stretching, in conjunction with a warm-up can enhance range of motion, but it may reduce performance, rate of force production and power output.

Methods: A questionnaire was developed and advertised on several websites and forums for participation by rock climbers. The questionnaire was posted on the survey website, Survey Monkey, where a total of 312 respondents took part. The majority of questions were quantitative (closed) as the data produced can be easily analysed and respondents are more likely to complete the questionnaire. However a sample of qualitative (open) questions were used, as this can lead to a greater level of discovery and is deemed more appropriate when the answers are opinions, beliefs or judgments. The sample method used was non-proportional quota sampling; this method identifies the number of respondents needed and continues the survey until the number of completed questionnaires has been met. The questionnaire was advertised on several websites and forums where climbers could choose to take part in the survey. This resulted in the 11-32 ages ranges being over represented and the 56-66+ age range being underrepresented. Results: From the three hypotheses, it showed inconclusive evidence that frequent rock climbers will stretch more effectively then less frequent rock climbers, for higher level climbers (best ascent assessed) to have higher quality stretching procedures than low level climbers, it showed data that could be comparable to that of the wider climbing community but was not representative. Finally, results showed that the more time spent stretching will result in a decreased muscle strain injury rates. This result is not relative to UK climbers, but comparisons could be made to the wider climbing community.

Conclusion: The best method for reducing injury rates in the climbing community would be to educate the climbers on the most effective warm-up and stretching procedures. Furthermore, future research needs to be conducted on the most effective methods for warming-up and stretching to consolidate current literature in the field.