**3. Results**

#### *Hip Flexion Angle*

There was a 3-way interaction of time x stretching protocol x group (*p* = 0.041, η2 = 0.157). As shown in Figure 3, the intermittent stretching protocol significantly increased hip flexion angle in gymnasts and team sports athletes compared to baseline, by 6% and 13% (+8.2◦ ± 6.3◦, 95% CI = +5.5 to <sup>+</sup>11.0◦, *p* = 0.029, Cohen's *d* = 0.43 and +11.40◦ ± 16.3◦, 95% CI = +2.6◦ to <sup>+</sup>20.2◦, *p* = 0.001, Cohen's *d* = 0.97, respectively). In contrast, the continuous stretching protocol resulted in an increase in hip flexion only in gymnasts by 6%, while no increase was observed in team sport athletes (+7.7◦ ± 5.5◦ *p* = 0.047, 95% CI= +5.2◦ to <sup>+</sup>10.2◦, Cohen's *d* = 0.41 vs, +1.0◦ ± 4.5◦, *p* = 0.99, 95% CI = −1.1◦ to <sup>+</sup>3.1◦, Cohen's *d* = −0.09, respectively; see Figure 3).

**Figure 3.** Hip flexion angle of gymnasts and team sport athletes during the intermittent and the continuous static stretching pre- and post-stretching intervention. Data are mean ± standard deviations of the mean. \* *p* < 0.01 and *p* < 0.05 from pre-stretching.
