The principles of physics state that power is force acting over distance in a given time.  By reducing the time taken for the force to travel the distance, your power increases; hence, if you can increase your speed, your power increases too.  The reverse is also true, as increasing your power means you can move the same force over the same distance in a shorter time (thus speed has increased).  Plyometric exercises improve co-ordination through bettering your neuromuscular responses and strengthening your tendons and muscles, boosting your power and speed.

Some great plyometric exercises include bunny hops, single leg hops, squat jumps and clapping press-ups.  The aim of employing plyometrics into your exercise routine is not to fatigue your muscles, but rather to improve transfer of energy and body response, which cannot be done in just one session, but rather needs time to improve.  It is recommended that plyometric exercises be performed two to three times a week, with at least 24 hours rest between sessions.  There are plyometric exercises specific to different sports (e.g. football, rugby, tennis), so it is well worth incorporating these into your regime, as well as some of the generic exercises.

Plyometric exercises are just one example of how to increase speed and power, and with the close link between these vital components of performance, its no wonder that they form a big part of training in today’s modern world of sport!

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What is Plyometrics?

Plyometric training can bring your MMA game to the next level.  Plyometric exercise is defined as any exercise in which muscles are repeatedly and rapidly stretched (“loaded”) and then contracted. The end goal of plyometrics is to improve muscle power. Moves that involve jumping rapidly, either in a vertical plane or in a lateral plane qualify as lower extremity plyometrics. Various throwing or swinging exercises, usually employing a medicine ball are the basis of upper body pylometrics (think Judo throws).

How Does Plyometric Exercise Work For MMA Training?

Plyometrics takes advantage of the physiologic fact that pre-contraction stretching of muscle fibers increases the power generated by the subsequent muscle contraction. For example, athletes performing a standing vertical jump will crouch or dip just prior to exploding upward. The tension within the stretched muscle will momentarily increase, resulting in greater power (and a higher jump) with the subsequent contraction. Fighters using plyometric training will increase muscle power over time, by using this technique of repetitive, maximum-force muscle contraction.  The cardiovascular properties of this type of training may also help increase stamina while reducing muscle fatigue in the cage.

How Can Plyometrics Improve Ability In The Cage?

By increasing muscle power, explosiveness and speed, pylometrics can improve an athlete’s performance whether on the ground during or during your stand-up situations.  MMA fighters will notice increased punch and kick speed, better mobility on your feet, and quicker reactions during defensive situations.  For example, sprawl drills are a type of plyometric that advances reaction time when you are trying to bury your opponents shot.  Checking a kick takes speed and timing; all of which can be conditioned during proper plyometric training.  Check out great plyometric routines on YouTube to develop some exercises to use during your next training session.

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Power is simply the combination of speed and strength. In recent years many athletes and coaches have thought of power training as plyometric training due to the popularity of the term. However, plyometric training is just one form of power training. Plyometric training refers to an athlete developing explosive movements through a concentric contraction (shortening of muscle) following an eccentric contraction (lengthening of muscle).

It is during this eccentric contraction that the maximum force generated by the muscle is attained. The amount of force generated by the muscles following an eccentric contraction is greater. How does this apply to making you faster? Well it is not only specific to the various movements involved in your sport but it allows you to develop a more explosive start which will help you to get to your destination more quickly.

It is the stored energy from an eccentric contraction when a muscle is stretched that is available during the following explosive concentric contraction. It is this stretching of the muscles prior to the explosive muscle contraction that is often referred to as the “loading phase.” The key point here to know is that the greater the load and the faster the load will result in a more powerful contraction.

One key aspect for athletes to know is that the concentric contraction must be immediate after the eccentric contraction otherwise a lot of this energy will be lost. For example if you want to increase your vertical jump you will bend down and then immediately explode upwards. However, you are unlikely to achieve such a height if you bend down, wait a few seconds and then jump upwards. Therefore an athlete must try to jump as soon as they can following the eccentric contraction. This process is often referred to the stretch-shortening cycle and is what plyometrics is built around.

Now transfer this over to how it can make you faster. It could make you faster in getting to a ball if you can time your jump rather than just waiting in a crouched position. It could allow you to be faster if you learn to take off following this phase rather that trying to take off from a crouched position. In tennis you could become faster if you hit the ball, land and recover and then learn to time your explosive start immediately from this position rather than a full upright or fully crouched position.

I found this to be true for the tennis players that I have trained. When waiting in the already crouched position on a return; I found out that they were slower to get off the mark compared to when they were able to time their forward movement. This is where learning the split-step the correct way will make you faster in getting to the ball.

Power training must be specific to the skill or movement that is being performed by the athlete. It is also important that when conducting power training that the load placed upon the body does not affect the actual specific sporting skill or movement. For example; you could where a weighted vest and try to perform a series of vertical jumps but if your specific movement patterns are effected then you are inhibiting the transferring benefit.

This is why when conducting plyometric exercises it is important to choose sport specific exercises with appropriate loading as there will be greater transference across in terms of physiological and learned adaptations.

Key plyometric exercises that help to improve speed include single leg hops, single leg bounding, pistol squats, double leg tuck jumps, double leg hops, alternate leg bounding, incline two leg bounding, zigzag hops or one legged lateral bounding, lateral jumps, squat jumps and split jumps, depth jumps, alternating step ups, double leg jumps and single leg box squats. Additional plyo-metric training method include ladder exercises, stair training, medicine ball exercises, kettle ball exercises, bounding over cones, bounding over mini-hurdles, jump/skipping rope and stadium hops.

One of my favourite exercises is running sand dunes! This is a killer workout and a great way to add extra resistance and variety to your training programs. I guarantee that if you are looking for a fun new way to train your athletes then take them down to the beach where there are some sand dunes. You can also include some sprint sessions along the beach followed by some swimming. Your athletes will be ready to sleep for hours after this work out. It is also fun for them to be outside on the beach. Just be sure to include a proper warm-up and warm-down into your session.

After spending many years with coaches from a variety of sports in developing and designing their fitness and conditioning programs; it was quite apparent that many coaches did not know how to properly implement a plyometric program. The key areas of concern were that many coaches were not completely educated on how to teach and instruct each plyometric exercises. Other factors included the equipment used was of the wrong shape, size and weight for the athlete, the surface that they were performing the exercises on were poor and dangerous, the athletes didn’t understand what they were working on or how it applied to their sport, athletes did not perform a proper warm-up prior to commencing a plyometric program, injuries were not reviewed prior to starting a plyometric training program, plyometrics were used at the wrong time of the season such as introducing new plyometric exercises during the competitive season, a strength base was not established first, some of the athletes were too young for plyometric training and many coaches did not know how many sets and repetitions to use.

Progression of exercises to develop speed include developing vertical drive – conducting plyometric exercises using cones and mini-hurdles will help to develop the vertical drive in athletes. Developing explosive hip power – one of my favorite modes of exercises for developing power, in particular hip power, is stair hops. The key with these exercises is to take away the use of the arms. One way to do this is to place your hands behind your head as you hop with two feet together up the steps. Developing explosive starts – this is where the various bounding exercises assist the athlete in developing speed by improving their explosive starts. Two of my favourite exercises are the single-leg and double-leg bounding followed by an immediate sprint. These exercises assist the athlete in pushing off the ground followed by a subsequent burst of speed over 10 metres.

Three main points in order to gain positive results from plyometric training are to develop a sound base of flexibility, develop a sound base of strength and to reduce the risk of injury by performing the proper technique for each exercise.

The following need to be identified and considered prior to an athlete commencing a plyometric training program: Age of the athlete, current or potential injuries, medical history, muscle imbalances, current strength of athlete, current speed of athlete, the athlete’s weight, the athlete’s experience and knowledge with power training and the surface that the exercises will be performed on.

The key variables that need to be considered with plyometric training include frequency of sessions, rest and recovery between sessions, overload, progression with intensity levels, progression with volume, what season the athlete is in (pre or post season), duration of the program or session, the specific demands of the sport, implementation of a thorough warm-up and your tournament schedule.

The following is how developing power can improve an athlete’s speed in a chosen sport such as tennis. The development of power in the game of tennis is most important to players at the higher levels. It is important to understand both components of power, which are the strength and speed aspects and how each relates to power development.

Power is also involved in all strokes and areas of the game of tennis. Power is particularly important in the explosive movement during the service motion, thus adding more “speed” to the serve. A faster serve will obviously be more effective and can help the player to develop the serve into a weapon.

Power is also extremely important to developing speed as it contributes to improved explosive starts and speed over short distances. Power development is one of the most neglected areas when training tennis players due to the lack of knowledge and understanding by coaches in how to train for “power.”

Include power drills that involve the use of some equipment such as a medicine ball, as well as some drills using ones’ own body weight for those programs that do not have access to the required equipment.

Injury Concerns with power training – It is extremely important to demonstrate proper technique in all power drills in order to prevent injuries. The development of power involves many “explosive” or “ballistic” movements and if performed incorrectly can often lead to injury. It is therefore important for the coach to fully understand how to demonstrate the skill, what they are trying to achieve, each player’s physical ability, and how to include power training into their fitness and conditioning programs. It is important, as with all fitness drills, that the coach follows any specific directions given by a player’s physician.

Power development is primarily directed towards the more advanced competitive athletes. When coaching younger athletes still in the developmental stages (both technically and physically) it is more important to use the time available to develop stroke technique, court positioning, scoring, and overall understanding of the game of tennis.

Power training needs to be specific to the movement involved. All of the major power movements have been identified and the following drills have been developed specifically for power development in tennis players.

Be sure to complete a needs analysis for each athlete identifying any possible injuries of concern. To minimize the risk of injury, it is important to conduct an aerobic warm-up and extensive stretching routine prior to performing these power training drills. Weights are used not only to develop absolute strength, but also strength-speed.

The simple jump exercises (such as single leg hops, two feet bounding, jumps for height or distance) are useful in developing the eccentric component of the forced stretch – contract phase. Perform these simple jump exercises prior to starting the more advanced exercises.

The training sessions should be progressive with each phase developing the player’s body sufficiently so that they can move onto the next phase of training. The ultimate goal is to be peaking for their competitive phase, so be sure to prevent stagnation by understanding what phase of training they are in. Include a variety of drills.

If you wish to increase you speed then you will need to incorporate some form of power training into your sessions. Speed is often defined over short distances and this is where you need that powerful and explosive acceleration to help make you faster.

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Explosive Soccer: Speed and Power

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This article opens with a very important safety note; plyometrics are advanced training techniques designed to produce explosive gains in a relatively short period of time. Plyometrics should not be used by fitness novices or exercisers who have been inactive for significant periods of time. The element of plyometrics that make them so effective is also what makes this technique inherently dangerous for beginning exercisers.

Plyometrics and other dynamic training methods, when properly executed, are incredibly efficient and effective by eliciting fuller muscle contractions, resulting in maximum muscle fiber recruitment, which ultimately translates into more significant gains. One appealing aspect of traditional plyometric exercises is that a lot of movements are performed with only body weight resistance. Form in execution of these types of movements is critical in preventing injury.

Plyometrics are commonly used in sport-specific training, as a way to dramatically increase power (where strength meets speed) through very basic movements in a lot of cases. It is important to note that one doesn’t perform plyometric exercises in the same manner as conventional strength training exercises. The reason for this is that proper execution of plyometric techniques requires explosive movements on the part of the exerciser. Because of the intensity level of various plyometric exercises, it is not recommended that any one craft his or her personal training routine consisting only of these exercises. In other words, it is very easy for one to over-work the muscles and joints of the body utilizing these techniques.

Plyometric sets are meant to supplement a current strength training program. Unless you are a highly-trained competitive athlete working with strength and conditioning coaches daily, Plyometrics should never be used as a “stand alone” strength training routine.

When one is involved in a typical strength training program, individual training sessions are generally broke down in a manner that works a particular set of muscle groups on day one, then an entirely different set of muscle groups on day two. This allows for maximal intensity during the session while the non-working muscles are recovering from the previous session. As we all know, muscle tissue does not grow under duress or strain. Muscle tissue actually grows during the recovery period between training sessions.

If one is working the muscles of the upper body in a training session, plyometric sets can be used to work the lower body, between upper body sets. Of course, a key consideration is recovery time between leg sessions. If the muscles of the legs are still sore from a previous training session, do not perform plyometric sets. The same rule applies to the upper body. If one is working the legs in a session, plyometric movements may be used for the upper body between leg sets; again, if the muscles of the upper body are not sufficiently recovered from the last session, avoid any further stress imposed by plyometric movements. Some basic plyometric exercises are listed and described below.

Lower Body Plyometric Exercises: Designed to improve power and explosiveness in the musculature of the lower body. This can be key for football players, particularly linemen and running backs, who rely on lower body power for explosiveness. Obviously, basketball players benefit from plyometric techniques, as well, when the goal is to play “above the rim.” The focus should be for plyometric exercise to mimic movements executed during the game.

·         Jump Squats-Jump squats are performed without added resistance (body weight only) and are performed in the following manner: Assume the squat position with the back straight, torso tilted slightly forward, and knees bent approximately 90 degrees (thighs parallel to the floor). The arms should also be at the sides and bent to roughly 90 degrees (forearms parallel to the floor). On exertion, explode through the legs, jumping as high as possible while simultaneously extending arms straight overhead. When the feet re-establish contact with the ground (this is considered one repetition), methodically and thoughtfully return to the starting position. Caution: do not allow the knees to bend beyond the toe-line or the thighs to descend beyond parallel to the floor, on return. Once you are back at the starting position-repeat the movement. Regarding the number of repetitions in the set, one should start with minimal reps, and then progress incrementally.

·         Lateral Jump- A lateral jump is similar in execution to the jump squat with obvious differences. Instead of exploding straight-up, the movement will be to the left or right. The adaptations to the movement are similar; however, the stimulus has been changed by the lateral movement of the exercise. This particular exercise may employ the use of a box, or platform, assuming one has the coordination to safely land on the box. If using the box technique, do not jump from the box to the floor. Step off instead prior to the next repetition. The box is not necessary to perform this movement.

The techniques listed above are considered basic, low-intensity plyometric movements that will enhance strength and power in the major muscle groups of the legs. There are a plethora of variations of these basic movements that are designed to alter the exercise stimuli; however, this article won’t get into those variations.

Upper Body Plyometric Exercises: Where explosion and power in the muscles of the upper body are essential, the following upper body plyometric movements will further develop those traits. Sports that require power in the upper body include: wrestling, mixed martial arts and boxing (more powerful strikes), and any sport that involves explosive upper body movement (throwing, tennis, others). Most of these exercises employ either a medicine ball, or in some cases, a basketball may be utilized.

·         Overhead Throws- An over-head throw requires a wall, or a partner, and some sort of ball (medicine ball is recommended; however, a basketball may be substituted). Begin the movement facing the wall at a safe distance, ball grasped in both hands with arms extended overhead. Your stance should provide for optimal balance during the set. To achieve this, stand with feet no further than shoulder width apart, and staggered, one foot slightly in front of the other. When ready, explosively extend the arms out in front, throwing the ball off the wall with as much force as possible. Catch the ball on the bounce and methodically return to the starting position. Immediately repeat the movement. Each throw is considered a repetition.

         Side Throws-This movement is performed in much the same way as the overhead throw except the exerciser is standing with either the left or right side of the body facing the wall (standing sideways to the wall). The arms are held slightly bent, with the ball resting on the hip farthest from the wall. Knees should remain slightly bent throughout the movement. On exertion, allow the trunk to pivot naturally at the hips, and with as much force as possible, throw the ball off the wall or to your partner in a slightly underhanded fashion. Catch the ball on the bounce or from your partner, and thoughtfully return to the starting position. Immediately repeat the movement. Each throw is considered a single repetition.

Again, regarding the number of repetitions, one should start with a minimal number of throws to begin with, and then progress incrementally. As with any fitness routine, the same cornerstones apply. Whether one is new to exercise, or a highly-trained competitive athlete, there are some very basic rules and principles that apply to any successful personal training program or routine.

Gradual Progressive Overload, or GPO, should be observed in any fitness routine, from day one. As the term suggests, one should begin a fitness program at an intensity level that is slightly below what the individual is capable of, and incrementally increase intensity as one progresses through the training cycle. In other words, go easy on those first couple of sessions in the gym. If the intensity level of one’s training program is too heavy at the onset, delayed muscle soreness will invariably result, and impact one’s training program negatively. If one is too sore to train, then he or she will not train. Delayed muscle soreness can last for quite some time. Again, be sensible in your approach when starting a training program.

FITT is an acronym for frequency, intensity, time, and type of exercise. The other significant cornerstone of any successful training program, FITT will dictate the particular exercise stimuli that are involved in one’s training program. It is not necessary for one to make dramatic, wholesale changes to an existing training prescription or routine, in order to change the intensity level and thereby the training stimulus. Subtle changes in any of the above variables will result in significant gains, assuming that consistent and periodic changes are made. Essentially, one can obviously achieve greater results by adding an extra day of training (frequency), by increasing or altering intensity levels during the training session (intensity), by extending the training session by 15-30 minutes (time), or by changing the exercise performed (type). Personal judgment comes into play when manipulating FITT. If one is already training five days per week, this author wouldn’t suggest adding that sixth day, as recovery is extremely important to the success of a training program, as well as injury prevention. Instead of adding the sixth day to your schedule, go a little longer during scheduled training sessions, or increase resistance by five percent. In the long run, subtle changes in intensity are much more effective, and much less likely to result in a training-related injury.

Be sensible, prudent, and thoughtful when tweaking your training program and results will remain consistent.

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Explosive Football: Speed and Power

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Plyometrics for speed and power.: An article from: Running & FitNews

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