Plyometric training, by its truest definition, is a form of ballistic training that involves an initial landing, immediately followed by a jump. It’s a rebound off the floor.

An easy way to think about it is to refer to it as ‘jump training’.

Why Plyometrics are an Essential Part of Functional Training

If we consider running as a series of small jumps, from our right to our left leg, then it’s easy to contextualise the importance of plyometrics. They make us better at jumps and our tendons better at handling the forces from jumps, allowing us to run more economically and with less chance of injury.

Plyometrics are also important from a performance perspective. They improve our ability to produce force quickly, making us more powerful in general, which is important given that power declines more rapidly than strength as we age and that is an important component in day-to-day functionality.

While true plyometrics involve an initial landing phase before the rebounding jump, it may be good to learn and build capacity within the two phases separately first.

3 Step Process to Plyometric Training

1 - Learn to Land

Snap Downs

To help you learn how to decelerate fast and how to land in an athletic stance after a dynamic movement.

• Stand as tall as possible, hands to the sky and up on your tip toes.

• Explosively snap down into a solid quarter squat position.

• Imagine attacking the floor as you do so.

Drop Landing

To Increase your capacity for eccentric landing forces and reinforce good technique from greater heights, progressing on from the snap downs and preparing you for landings after real jumps.

• Stand on a small box - a 12 inch plyo box will do.

• Drop off the box.

• Land in the same solid quarter squat position, landing 'heel-to-toe' instead of landing in your toes.

2 - Learn to Jump

Box Jump

To teach you how to jump and create concentric ballistic forces, without the heavy landing forces. The next step is to put this and the drop landings together…

• Starting with a medium sized Plyo Jump Box, 12-20 inches will do, squat down to a self-selected depth, with your arms back behind you.

• Then immediately jump as high as possible.

• Use the momentum from you arms to help you get as high as possible.

• Think about a ‘quiet landing’ to help you land heel to toe.

Countermovement Jump

This will teach you to coordinate a jump and a heavy landing in the same sequence. Landings will be more variable due to varying jumps (every rep will be slightly different) and thus creates a greater challenge.

• Squat down to a self-selected depth, with your arms back behind you.

• Then immediately jump back up to the sky.

• Use your arms for momentum, getting as tall as possible in the air, like a pencil, instead of folding your legs up like a pretzel.

• Land in a nice solid quarter squat, absorbing the floor with your legs.

3 - Learn Plyometrics

Depth Jump

This is the first ‘true plyometric’.  This will teach you how to rapidly slow down and rapidly react in the opposite direction.

• Jump off a low Plyo Jump Box, 12 inches to start.

• Land with your arms behind your body in a solid quarter squat before jumping up to the sky as high as possible.

• Use your arms for momentum and really focus on getting as high as possible, straight after the landing.

Drop Jump

The stiffer landing and shorter contact time increases the eccentric demand on our muscles and tendons, progressing the intensity of the movement but also becoming more specific to running-like movements, which involve a series of slightly stiffer landings, with shorter contact times.

• Jump off a low plyo box, 12 inches to start.

• Land with stiffer legs than the depth jump and focus on getting off the floor as quick as possible, instead of getting as high as possible (the floor is lava).

• Get as tall as possible in the air, with your toes to the sky after contact.

Most people, other than professional athletes, ignore plyometric training.

Don’t follow the crowd.

Add these simple movements into your training, building capacity in each stage for 1-3 months before moving onto the next.

Tag us in your efforts and enjoy getting more explosive!

Written by guest author Ewan Hammond.

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Tags: Exercise Type > Conditioning ; Misc > Workout