PLYOMETRICS AND POWER
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PLYOMETRICS AND POWER

Plyometrics train the muscles to produce high forces in a short time to cause sport-specific improvements in speed, quickness, agility, and power. Always warm-up and stretch prior.

 

A Sample Jump Training Program for Volleyball Players

   

Basic Jumping Mechanics

Before delving into the jump program itself, I feel compelled to explain a little about jumping technique. The act of jumping is a mechanical process in which the athlete generates force in a variety of ways and applies it to the ground so that s/he bounces off the earth with as much acceleration as possible.

In an approach jump, the athlete can generate force in two basic ways:

bulletFirst, the athlete creates speed during the approach that is applied to the ground during the plant. It is imperative that the athlete "block" his/her forward momentum with a solid plant that redirects his/her momentum in an upward direction. To do this effectively, the athlete must be able to generate lots of speed in just the first two steps of the approach *and* s/he must have the strength and quickness to then block this horizontal speed and convert it to vertical speed -- that is, s/he must have quadriceps that can contract very quickly under enormous pressures.
bulletSecond, the athlete can create vertical thrust at the moment of the plant via a "part-to-whole" momentum transfer. By generating momentum in various parts of the body (especially the arms and torso), then suddenly blocking that momentum the instant one leaves the ground transfers the momentum of the part(the arms and torso) to the whole (the center of gravity). Effective part-to-whole transfers require muscles that can start and stop limbs very quickly, i.e., muscles that can contract quickly under enormous pressures.

With these two factors in mind -- the ability to turn speed into altitude and the ability to transfer momentum from part-to-whole -- I designed the following jump program. I've used this program (or variations of it) for more than fifteen years to train volleyball players and track and field athletes (primarily long, triple, and high jumpers). It works very, very well . . . especially if you have the benefit of a coach who can tweak your jumping mechanics.

Jump Program

Because it's so easy to lose motivation for grueling, two- or three-hour strength and conditioning workouts, volleyball players should keep their weight-training and plyometric regimens as simple, as quick, and as straightforward as possible. They should also limit their off-season weight workouts to three days a week (M,W,F) and their plyometric workouts to two days a week (M,F). During the season, two days a week in the weight room and one day of plyometrics is plenty.

**Disclaimer: Speak with your physician before starting any rigorous workout program.

Weight Workout
For increasing vertical jump quickly, I recommend eight "core" lifts: three lower-body lifts, two torso exercises, and three shoulder lifts. If you're a devoted "iron-head," feel free to add other lifts of your choice (leg extensions, leg curls, calf raises, etc.), but recognize that those lifts are ancillary at best. The meat-and-potatoes of increasing one's vertical jump are in the eight lifts below.

  1. Good mornings -- (lower back) 3 x 15.
  2. Dead lifts -- 5 x 5 two days a week; work-up one day a week
  3. Power cleans -- 5 x 5 two days a week; work-up one day a week
  4. 1/2 Squats -- 4 x 8 two days a week; work-up one day a week
  5. Front raises -- 4 x 10 (anterior deltoids)
  6. Side raises -- 4 x 10 (lateral deltoids, traps)
  7. Rear raises -- 4 x 10 (posterior deltoids, triceps)
  8. Abs -- 3 x 20 weighted crunches or hyperextended situps (a lot of weight coaches don't like hyperextended situps because they are hard on the lower back)

 

You'll notice that the three lower body lifts (dead lifts, power cleans, and squats) involve a "work-up" one day a week. In a "work-up," the athlete does fewer reps in each successive set (10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1, ?) while increasing the weight for each set. When they reach the final set, reduce the weight to the 6- or 8-rep level and do a set "to failure." This "work-up", done one day a week, will rapidly increase the athlete's maximum weight for each lift. I wouldn't worry about doing work-ups with any of the torso or shoulder lifts; the muscle groups involved are too fine and susceptible to injury.

To increase your arm-speed, spend another 20 minutes in the weight room and add lat pull-downs, bench press, triceps curls, and two or three rotator cuff exercises to your workout.

Lastly, every fourth week in your schedule should be an "easy" week. Do the exercises listed above or substitute a workout of your own, but in either case keep the intensity light for that week. This "easy" week gives your tissues a much-needed recovery period.

**Make sure that you speak with your weight room supervisor or a licensed trainer to learn the proper mechanics for all of these lifts. Otherwise, you're asking for trouble.

Plyometrics
Plyometrics is a fancy name for "jumping drills." The point of plyos is to train the nervous system and muscles to execute the full jumping motion with as much coordination and power as possible. In practice, this means you should concentrate on jumping quickly, "bouncing" off the ground (rather than "pushing" off the ground) while maintaining a full range of motion.

For your plyometric workout, keep things short and simple. After an excellent warmup (that includes several 30-meter sprints), do the following five drills:

  1. 5 30m hops on each leg (L, L, L, L, L, . . . then R, R, R, R, . . .)
  2. 5 30m bounding (L, R, L, R, L, R, . . .)
  3. 5 x 5 approach jumps
  4. 5 x 5 depth jumps (off a bleacher or wooden box, for instance)
  5. block jumps to failure

This plyometric workout, which takes only about 15 minutes to complete, should immediately precede your weight workout two days a week during the offseason, one day a week during the season.

As you do these drills, focus on jumping with a full range of motion the instant before you plant your feet to jump -- that is, punch your feet into the floor like a gymnast instead of planting, then squating, then jumping. Also, use a long, quick, double-arm swing every single time you jump, with your fully-extended arms traveling through nearly a 180 degree range of motion. You will find it easy to do this during the approach jumps, but most players do it poorly (or not at all) during the hops, bounding, and depth jumps -- which is precisely why they need to practice it. In game situations, hitters often have to jump without taking the "perfect" approach; in those situations, their bodies must automatically jump correctly. Forcing them to use double-arm swings in awkward drills increases the likelihood of them using good jumping mechanics when they're off-balance or out of position in a game.

A couple words of warning: Plyometrics are extremely hard on muscles and connective tissue (especially tendons). You should lift for a minimum of three or four months before attempting the plyo workout above. If you can't wait that long, at least skip the depth jumps for a while. Depth jumps are especially hard on joints, and they require a significant amount of strength for an athlete to do them correctly and safely (a good rule of thumb is squatting at least 2 times your body weight).

 

 

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