The forgotten aspect of plyometrics
Plyometrics is now one of the most popular modalities used in sports training and to a great extent in rehabilitation. It is used with the aim of developing greater strength, speed, quickness, agility and treatment of injuries, to name just a few.
It has gotten to the point where you rarely hear anything about jump exercises. It seems that everything that involves jumping is plyometrics. This does not clarify what must be done in training for athletes who must be quick, fast and powerful.
Plyometrics, as we have come to know it, is not the plyometrics originated by Yuri Verkhoshanksy of the former Soviet Union. In his latest writings, and in discussions with me, he refuses to be called the father of plyometrics because the exercises that most people call plyometrics are a far cry from what he originally developed.
In essence, if the execution isn’t explosive or powerful it is not plyometrics!
The original purpose of plyometrics, which Verkhoshansky called the shock method, was to impose a high demand on the muscles in the shortest amount of time. In so doing considerable energy is created which is then returned in the return or reciprocal action.
The combined jump landing and takeoff is executed in the shortest amount of time, usually 0.25 seconds or less. The exercises are high-impact exercises, not low-impact. Sadly, most practitioners recommend low-impact!
Some coaches even believe you should do plyometrics in the water so that your body is lighter and there will be less impact forces on the legs. Many coaches and athletes even recommend jumping on soft surfaces in order to absorb most of the forces generated. This shows how far removed the present understanding of plyometrics is from what was originally intended.
As a result, there is now a world of difference between the original high impact concept developed by Verkhoshansky and the low impact jump exercises used by a very large number of coaches and trainers. Because of the misuse of the term plyometrics, when we deal with explosive training we must spell out what is meant.
For example, to develop the ability of a muscle to react the same way as it does in high-speed or speed-strength events (as seen in sprinting or jumping for maximum height in basketball and volleyball), we should refer to the shock method rather than plyometrics. This will help clarify exactly what should be done.
To get the latest information on plyometrics, especially true shock method exercises, see Explosive Plyometrics. Also see the DVD tapes from the Yessis/Verkhoshansky seminar. Also of great benefit will be reading the books Build a Better Athlete, Secrets of Russian Sports Fitness and Training and back issues of the Fitness and Sports Review International (Soviet Sports Review).