Submitted by: Chris Carson

Plyometric drills are exercises developed and designed for fast and powerful movements by athletes aiming to produce better performance. Plyometric was developed by a Russian coach. European athletes are believed to be the first to use these exercises during the 60’s and 70’s.

This kind of drill includes Depth jumps, Squat jumps and Hurdle Jumps among others.

The Depth jump exercises the quadriceps femoris, commonly called the quads. It is the muscle group that includes four major muscles on the front of the thigh; the hamstrings – this muscle refers to one of the three muscles at the back of the thigh, or the tendon behind the knee; the glutes or gluteal muscles – this is a muscle or group of skeletal muscles that forms the buttocks; and the calves or calf muscles is a pair of muscles called the gastrocnemius and soleus that are found at the back of the lower leg. This exercise helps to improve acceleration, leg strength and strong leaping ability. This exercise is useful mostly to sprinters, runners and as a core workout to soccer, hockey, lacrosse and football players.

Depth jump is done by standing on top of a box or a platform at least two feet high. Feet at shoulder width apart slowly step off the box and land on the ground with both feet. You should avoid elevation on this first jump, rather get your body in motion and let gravity do its work. Spring off from the ground back onto the box as soon as your feet hit the ground. This let you avoid absorbing the impact with your legs. Do several repetitions of jumping from and onto the box. 10 repetitions are ideal when you are a beginner.

Squat jumps are good for increasing your vertical and core strength. It also increases the power in your legs. Stand with your feet at shoulder width apart and raise your hands up. Slowly go down where your thighs are parallel to the ground. Lower your hands and pull your elbows back. Once you are in this position, immediately jump raising your hand straight up as high as you can. Go back to the position as soon as you land and immediately do the next jump. Do several repetitions of this exercise.

Another example from the many plyometric drills is the Hurdle jump. Like the Depth jump, this exercise also improves the athlete’s speed, acceleration and leaping ability. Hurdle jumps strengthen the quads, hamstrings, and glutes and calves muscles as well. You start doing this exercise by jumping over smaller hurdles or objects. Once you get every comfortable jumping over small objects, gradually increase the size of your hurdles by using higher or bigger objects. Consecutive jumps are the key to this exercise. To increase the athlete’s performance, you can either increase the number of your hurdles or their height.

There are several other plyometric drills that can be found on the internet. You can mix and incorporate them in your exercise routine to best benefit you as a person and as an athlete.

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