Plyometric exercises are Endorsed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Specifically plyometrics are helpful in exercises and sports that involve a rapid change in direction, jumping or running. The “stretch-shortening” cycling is another term for plyometric activity. This is defined by a rapid decceleration of a mass followed almost immediately by a rapid acceleration of the mass in the opposite direction.
A plyometric exercise program trains not only the muscles, but also the connective tissue, and nervous system to perform the stretch-shortening cycle. Most sports will show an improvement when this type of training is incoroporated. When considering adding plyometric activity to your workout routine, sport specific activity should be included.
For example, in basketball and volleyball, translation of motion from horizontal to vertical helps both the front line volleyball spiker as well as the basketball player approaching the basket for a jump shot. incorporating these translational skills with the vertical jump will benefit these players more than other, less sport specific activities. In soccer, a sport specific activity would include jump training to head the ball, or for goalies, jumping to catch or punch a ball out of the playing field.
Many coaches, parents and athletes are concerned about the safety of plyometric sports trianing and risk of injury. Careful incorporation of plyometric exercises into a training routine is no more dangerous than any other method of sports training, and may in fact prepare the athlete for the rigors of athletic competition moreso than leaving this training out of the program. In any “explosive” sport such as basketball, football, volleyball and even tennis, the neuro-muscular system should be well prepared for rapid changes in direction and decceleration. Plyometric training can facilitate the demands of competition in these sports.
High levels of strength may be a pre-requisite for safe plyometric training. If an athlete does not already demonstrate high levels of strength in their athletic field, it may be safest to develop general, non-explosive strength before progressing to an explosive strength training routine. This can be accomplished with “traditional” strength training whether through weights in the gym or body weight exercises.
Depth jumps can be harmful in plyometric training. The heavier the athlete, the more risky depth jumps over 18 ” can be. In general, if an athlete weighs over 220 lbs, the height of a depth jump should be no greater than 18″. Like most other forms of resistance training, proper rest & recovery is required to adequately rebuild from high training loads. If plyometrics are performed two days in a row, the same joints should not be included. AT least one to two days rest is required for training the same joint & muscle complex.
Practicing plyometric skills when fatigued can also result in injury to the muscles or the surrounding joint. A joint/muscle complex should be fully rested before undertaking training. Full stability & neuromuscular control of the joint is vital to limit the possiblility of injury. In addition, when performing multiple sets of plyometric training during a single session, adequate time for recover between sets is required.
The landing surface & footwear should be shock absorbing in order to minimize unwanted forces on the body.
Properly warming up the muscles, joints and joint fluid prior to any single plyometric exercise training session is vital. This can be accomplished with 10-20 minutes of easy to moderate aerobic activity of the involved muscles and joints. Common sense, as well as experience dictate that less demanding plyometric exercises be mastered before progressing to more difficult ones (i.e. two legged exercises before one-legged exercises)
Source: National Strength & Conditioning Association
