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It is often said that basketball is one of the most strenuous sports when it comes to sheer physical ability. Strength plays second fiddle to speed, agility, quickness, and vertical leaping ability. An exercise called vertical plyometrics will help improve an athlete’s vertical leap by training certain muscle groups to develop explosive bursts of power that can be performed repeatedly whenever demanded. The basketball dunk training vertical leap is especially benefited using plyometrics.

Vertical plyometrics play a big part for an athlete to have an added edge over other competitors. But plyometric exercises are not for everyone, even for the seasoned athlete. Certain factors should be considered before an athlete is to train using plyometrics. Weight plays a critical factor, as athletes over 240 pounds are advised to do mild plyometrics as the training may put too much strain on muscles and tendons. Basketball players, in particular, are required to have a very low fat index as common sense will dictate that the heavier the athlete is, the more difficult for the muscles to perform a higher vertical jump.

Only well-conditioned athletes with no history of any injury to the particular muscle group involved should perform vertical plyometrics, guided by a well-trained fitness coach. The exercises are very demanding and may increase the risk of injury. Mild plyometric exercises are often recommended for injury rehabilitation, but only under strict supervision.
An athlete who wants to have the edge in overall athleticism should consider vertical plyometrics to improve speed, agility and dunk training leaping ability.

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Plyometrics have played an important role in the training routine of elite athletes from football players to track and field athletes. Golfers are now employing these exercises to gain more distance off the tee.

Plyometrics are simply exercises that involve loading and contracting the muscles rapidly. By doing this you help develop the force and speed in which the muscles can act and react.

A common plyometric exercise for the legs is one where the athlete jumps from the ground onto a box or chair, then back to the ground, and right back up to the box.

For golfers, there are quite a few plyometric exercises that will help increase golf swing speed. The most beneficial of these are going to involve the legs, hips and core.

For the legs, an exercise similar to the box exercise is adequate for most golfers. Squat jumps are such an exercise that is good for less than elite athletes. Starting from a standing position, with the feet shoulder width apart, you simply squat down low, then explode up and jump as high as possible. When you land, try and land more on the balls of the feet, and immediately drop down into the squat position. Perform 6 to 10 repetitions and do two or three sets. If you have any knee or ankle issues, this is probably an exercise to avoid, as it is high impact. Performing these on a padded surface is recommended.

For the hips, a good exercise involves inside and outside crescent kicks into a heavy bag. These exercises will help to develop speed on the inside and outside of the hip. You simply do these kicks as fast as possible, usually in sets of ten. For more information on how to perform this kick, do a simple search on the internet, as a description of the move is too long for this article.

In the case of the core, the most popular plyometrics exercise involves a rotational throw of a medicine ball, either against a wall or with a partner. Another good exercise in this regard is a similar move, but with the use of exercise bands or tubing. Performing these exercises with some speed will help produce the desired result of learning how to turn the body more quickly in the transition from the back swing to the down swing.

One other exercise that will help develop some explosive movement in the upper body involves old fashioned push ups. Remember those push ups where you explode up and clap your hands? That is a essentially a plyometric push up. If you can elevate your entire body off the floor, including your feet, then you are getting the most out of this exercise. However, you can get results simply by doing this from your knees.

Once you have developed some increased strength through regular strength training exercises, if you add in some of these plyometric exercises, you will see even better results.

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Explosive Baseball – Speed and Power

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Explosive Basketball: Speed and Power

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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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Explosive Soccer: Speed and Power

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