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Prevent sports injuries by stretching
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Stretching is an important component in any sport, whether it's running, football, swimming, walking, soccer, golf, triathlon, or others. Look at kids playing in the playground or falling asleep slumped over the edge of a chair. Kids are naturally flexible and don't think anything of it.
But the fact of the matter is that we lose our earlier range of motion as we age. Part of it is that we stop playing as much. And those of us that stay active tend to focus on one sport. This will work certain muscle groups much more than others; which ones are affected depends on the sport.
Take running for example. This sport puts a lot of emphasis on lower body muscles. These would be the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and hip flexors. Obviously, keeping these muscles limber should be at the core of every runner's stretching routine, but don't stop there; the goal here is to keep the entire body balanced. If you're just beginning a running program, begin a stretching one as well.
General stretching guidelines
It's generally accepted, and is my opinion, that athletes should never engage in ballistic stretching. This is the way that used to be popular and is characterized by a bouncing movement. Instead, focus on static stretching, which means assuming the pose and slowly applying pressure to the muscles being worked on.
When leaning into the stretching pose, you'll encounter a point where resistance is met. At this point, just keep applying a gentle pressure. You may experience a minor discomfort. If it goes beyond that, back off!
How long should you hold the pose? One to two minutes is good. If you feel like any area needs more work, come back to that pose later in the routine. When you initially begin your stretching routine, it's important not to expect miracles. It's not going to happen. Frequency is key, not excess pressure.
When is the best time to stretch?
The schedule is highly individualistic, depending on a number of factors. This includes what time of day your normal workout 
is, how long it takes, and of course, what time slots are available in your hectic daily routine.
If you work out in the morning, you need to stretch beforehand. Not immediately, however. This is the time of day when your muscles are the tightest since they contract during the night, as anyone who has ever suffered from plantar fasciitis knows. The time spent sleeping is a period of relative inactivity. Always wait until you're moderately loosened up from normal activity, walking around the house, making coffee, brushing your teeth, etc. And if it's the weekend and you have a race or event, wait until you get to the site.
Be sure to stretch before any workouts that are more demanding and increase the risk of sports injuries, such as speedwork workouts.
Look to yoga poses for stretches
Yoga is where I found most of my stretching poses; others I found just by reading or observing others. Yoga DVDs are very common in most Walmarts, Best Buy stores, and the like. Try all the yoga poses and use the ones that seem to work best. It's trial and observation. Don't forget to include poses from all the parts of the body to maintain balance.
After a few weeks you'll really see the results. Runners will experience a longer stride length and better form, and swimmers will increase reach and develop more effective sculling. Triathletes will feel a lot more comfortable hunched over the aerobars and become more aerodynamic. There's something there for everybody.
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