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Plyometric Training

An explosive movement which causes a muscle to rapidly lengthen then shorten is a plyometric exercise. The stretch shortening cycle plays a key role within plyometric training. The stretch shortening cycle is simply when the muscles performs an eccentric movement (when the muscles contract) then the muscles quickly perform a concentric contraction (when the muscles expand). By performing a movement like this, athletes enable their muscles to instantaneously provide a large amount of muscular power and force which enable them to carryout various different explosive movements which are required for them to perform whilst partaking in their sports. The time it takes strength to get converted into speed determines the muscular power of an individual. No specialist equipment or weights of any kind is needed to perform a plyometric exercise, which means you can perform plyometric training without any financial burden so this is believed to be the key reasoning for why plyometric training has so instantly become globally used.

The term plyometric derives from Latin were the words ‘plyo’ and ‘metric’ which translate to mean ‘measurable increase.’ The date of when plyometric training was first used is unknown, however, it is believed that in the early 1970’s the Eastern European countries first began to frequently include it within their sports training programmes and from this point on, plyometric training seemed to become increasingly more popular globally.

The stretch shortening cycle which is involved during each plyometric stretch can be broken down into three stages. For example, if you were to perform a squat, then the first stage consists of the muscle shortening or contracting period (eccentric movement). During this stage the muscle contracts and an elastic tension builds up within the muscle fibres. This is when you bend you knees, keep your back straight and lower down until your calves are at a 90° angle with you hamstrings. The...